Open Letter to the British Film Institute

An utterly unjustifiable decision that only serves to reinforce the barriers to inclusion women continue to face.

This is a pathetic attempt at publicity in my opinion. Bergdorf has no connection to the film industry and has no knowledge of the issues facing women. I'm shocked at this disrespect, this smack in the faces of female filmmakers by the BFI.

BFI - please stop this idiocy right now.

It's outrageous that you should give this role to a male who is not even in the film industry. It is an absolute insult to wimen who work in it. And feminism is only for women, it is not for everyone.

This is ridiculous and an affront to women and their achievements,. It panders to the TRAs who are trying to erase sex, science, biology and the meaning of 'women'.

The selection of somebody who is neither female nor a film maker as a keynote speaker at an event supposedly celebrating female film makers reeks of rank hypocrisy and misogyny.

You do not foreground women by foregrounding attention seeking men

Yet again, we have to have a man telling us what it means to be a woman and have female experiences. Munroe Bergdorf is not female and should have no place presenting articles, events and television programmes as a woman. Surely there must be one woman who is a better choice to represent women in film, than a man / transwoman.

I have chosen to remain anonymous because I fear the bile and hatred online. I can’t understand how suddenly all of the struggle against male bias is rendered moot because men can decide to be women.

What does 'identifying' or 'living as' a woman mean? This person lived as a gay man until the age of 23. I have knickers older than they've lived as a woman. We will not be sidelined by men.

This is actually a frightening symptom of the erasure of women.

Unbelievable insult to women, especially in your industry.

Enough is enough

This person is mysoginistic.

Stop this homophobic, mysoginistic travesty!

You could have asked: Kathryn Bigelow, Catherine Hardwicke, Sofia Coppola, Phyllida Lloyd, Jane Campion, Claire Denis, Andrea Arnold, Nancy Myers, Susanne Bier or Haifa Al Mansour. Why someone is famous for having plastic surgery and has nothing to do with the film industry?

I am angry and despondent in equal measure. Knowing a few women film makers, doggedly working away at their art, documentary and art house, struggling within a system and structures designed to exclude not include women’s voices and work, it’s galling to see a male invited to speak at this event. Women have stories to tell,we have voices that need to be heard. You could have been a means to amplify those voices but decided to go for a male celebrity. And so it goes.

I am disappointed that anyone can think that the right person to reflect on womanhood in film making is neither a woman or a film maker. Rather he has been a misogynistic and sexist voice advocating hate towards women.

What the hell, BFI? Was it so hard to find a woman film maker to speak at this summit? How patronising to trans people and what a snub to all the amazing women in this industry.

A Biological woman not enough of a draw for the BFI? Shame on you chasing publicity for your brand rather than really celebrating women's drive and successes.