The Silent Era

Part of the Series: Reel Herstory

The first director to tell a narrative story on the screen was a woman. The highest paid director in the silent days was a woman. More than half of screenwriters in the silent days were women. Before 1920, more women were working behind the scenes in influential positions in film than at any other time in history. This is the story of the women who pioneered the creation of movie making from the very beginning.