From Article in LA Times: The scarcity of women in creative leadership roles may simply come down to a Mars-Venus disconnect between how men and women communicate, “Brave” co-director Brenda Chapman says.

“I think the issue is that women bring a different sensibility into the mix,” Chapman says. “And I think the majority of male studio executives and producers are still expecting what they’re used to — the traditional, male-driven, comedy-heavy stories.”

“Frozen” co-director Jennifer Lee won the Oscar for animated feature in 2014, but a year earlier Chapman had the distinction of being the first woman to win in that category for “Brave.” Chapman’s journey, however, was far from easy. She conceived of the film’s ginger-headed Scottish princess while working at Pixar and was named the film’s director, the company’s first woman in that position. Ultimately, though, Chapman was replaced by colleague Mark Andrews; she and Andrews were given co-director credits.

That turn of events was in large part because of her being a woman, Chapman says.

“It was less open sexism and more just being in a room full of men and trying to explain my point of view and not being understood because they didn’t get it, it wasn’t in their wheelhouse,” Chapman says. “On ‘Brave,’ I was trying to maintain some integrity for my characters and they just didn’t get it. That was very difficult.”

Looking forward, Chapman says she’s concerned about how a continually shrinking job market could affect women coming out of college.

“When I look at some of the young women filmmakers trying to get into the studio system, they’re just so grateful to have a job they’ll do whatever is asked of them,” she says. “But I’ve seen a few that have a spark, and I think, ‘They’re going to push it when they get further along.’ I’m hoping that happens.”

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