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The two-minute
short, specially commissioned for International Women’s Day, sees
007 star Daniel Craig undergo a dramatic makeover as he puts
himself, quite literally, in a woman’s shoes. Directed by acclaimed
Nowhere Boy director/conceptual artist Sam Taylor-Wood,
scripted by Jane Goldman (Kick Ass) and featuring the voice
of Dame Judi Dench reprising her role as ‘M’, the film will be
screened in cinemas and streamed online in a bid to highlight the
levels of inequality that persist between men and women in the UK
and worldwide. It is the first film featuring Bond to be directed by
a woman. In the film ‘M’ interrogates Bond with a series of
searching questions on gender issues, from pay inequality to
domestic violence. ‘M’ asks: “For someone with such a fondness for
women, I wonder if you’ve ever considered what it means to be one?”
Bond then appears in a blonde wig, a dress and women’s shoes, in a
sequence that is both highly emotional and deeply disturbing. As
he/she stands silent, Dench continues to read a list of brutal
statistics relating to the role of women and their treatment in our
society.
Sam Taylor-Wood
said: “Bond is challenged by ‘M’ to think about gender inequality,
and I hope that the film encourages viewers to do the same. Despite
great advances in women’s rights, statistics show that when it comes
to the balance of power between the sexes, equality is far from
being a global reality. As ‘M’ reminds Bond, facing up to gender
issues and the sometimes covert nature of sexism in the 21st century
is something that we all have to recognise, confront and challenge.”
The film was
commissioned by EQUALS, a coalition of charities and organisations
brought together by Annie Lennox to step up the call for equality
between men and women. Produced by Barbara Broccoli, the woman
behind box-office hits Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and
the forthcoming Bond 23, and shot by Oscar nominated
cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, the film will be released at midday
on Monday 7 March to mark the centenary of International Women’s Day
the following day.
EQUALS spokeswoman
Esme Peach said: “We are thrilled that Sam Taylor-Wood, Daniel
Craig, Dame Judi Dench and such a prestigious production team agreed
to create this powerful short film for EQUALS. We feel it is crucial
to involve men in the movement for women’s rights and EQUALS is
about men and women working together for positive change. So who
better to convey that message than the partnership of Bond and ‘M’,
two iconic British characters with global appeal and influence – and
who better to conceive and direct the film than Sam Taylor-Wood, an
artist and film-maker whose work is questioning, often provocative
and deeply moving?”
www.weareequals.org |
