As women march to protest Donald Trump¡¯s presidency and ¡°Suffragette¡± is released in Japan, the words of Helen Pankhurst, activist and British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst¡¯s great-granddaughter, should resonate with many filmgoers.
¡°It¡¯s actually pretty wonderful to see your own great-grandmother in a movie,¡± says Helen. Though she was in Tokyo recently to promote the movie ¡°Suffragette,¡± she also lectures on women¡¯s rights herself. ¡°I did some research before coming here,¡± she says. ¡°When it comes to the number of women politicians, Japan ranks 155th out of 193 countries.¡±
Embarrassing as that is, women in Japan have at least had the vote since 1946, and Pankhurst commended that fact: ¡°That¡¯s only two decades after Britain gave women the vote, which was in 1928.¡±
Dedicated to raising awareness of women¡¯s roles in politics and protecting their rights, Pankhurst says that Emmeline¡¯s legacy runs in the family.
¡°I often work with my daughter, who is also an activist,¡± she says. ¡°She is the fifth-generation Pankhurst with the same surname as Emmeline. How many women can say the same? The world is still mirrored with a very male gaze.¡±
That includes the film industry, which doesn¡¯t escape criticism.
¡°The whole film industry is male-dominated,¡± she says with a smile. ¡°It was difficult to get the funds and very hard to find men willing to play roles (in ¡®Suffragette¡¯). They read the script and said, ¡®No, my part¡¯s not big enough.¡¯ But look at what women actresses have had to endure for so long!¡±
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