In conversation with film industry football team Babe City FC

Babe City FC operates as an escape from the rigorous demands of the film industry. The club was founded for women and non-binary people to come together and destress from notoriously challenging on-set environments and rejoice in the comradery of the beautiful game.

British Cinematographer‘s Tom Williams caught up with several of the team’s players; including Molly Manning Walker, Meghan Young, George Buxton, Anna Patakarina, Geej Ower, Libby Burke Wilde and Hannah Jell.

Where did the idea for the team originally stem from?

Molly Manning Walker, cinematographer: I used to play football as a kid, I was always at football summer camps. I played religiously until I went to film school. At film school there wasn’t any sport available to us. When I left university I really tried to join a team but with the industry being so unpredictable I was always letting a team down and they didn’t understand. This year I spent the whole year shooting long form. For the first time in my life I had a weekend and yet I was almost too tired to do anything with them. I wanted to socialise and exercise but couldn’t find an outlet. Someone invited me to play with their film crew but it was a bit hectic for me. I wanted to start something that gave women / non binary people a space to kick ball without having to commit.

Who came up with the name?

MMW: Sorcha Bacon came up with the name. We were brain storming after our first training session.

Sorcha Bacon, producer: The name Babe City FC was an evolution from Babe Banquet, an informal bi-annual dinner that a bunch of female friends attend to talk about he perils of the film industry. When Molly mentioned she was starting a football club, bringing the Babe name on side felt fitting. (A lot of the players also attend Babe Banquets).

How important, mentally and physically, is it to have this sort of weekly release in your profession?

MMW: At the beginning of the year I was on a TV show which was entirely handheld. If I sat still too much on the weekend I would cease up. It was a really amazing way to shake it out. It also became addictive for my mental health. At half time we often rant or release on the prior week. To have such a support group of like minded beings is more than I could ever ask for.

Meghan Young, production manger: Even though it’s not been running for a long time I struggle to think about a time before. We live in a time where for me, working from home, days weeks and months often blur into one, standing still. To break that cycle with this, an hour of head-rolling-back-tears-in-the-eyes laughter, running around without a care in the world other than those nine others on the pitch couldn’t be more important.

George Buxton, costume designer: Hugely. It’s so important to have fun and our job is so intense. Aside from playing football together, we chat on our Whatsapp group and it’s just hilarious. It brings life back to earth from the mad pressure of work.

Anna Patakarina, cinematographer: Joining BC was one of the best things I did for myself this summer. I never played team sports before but BCFC were so welcoming. Sunday instantly became my favourite day and something to look forward to. Long-form jobs can be very demanding both physically and mentally and they often taking a toll on your social life. Playing football with the Babes became a perfect release, exercise and a social club all wrapped into one.

Hannah Jell, camera operator: I get to interact with women from different departments, without it being filtered through a producer or director. Football has been the perfect way to de-stress. Whether that’s from kicking a ball or just having a chat about current stresses – it all helps.

Geej Ower, director: Being a director can often be quite isolating! Often in the madness of being on set there’s not a lot of opportunity to spend proper time with all of the crew, but the weekly football meet-ups in a lot of ways have made me feel so much more a part of the industry, and quite literally part of a team both on and off the pitch. BC has meant we’ve got to personally know all these amazing women working across all departments which is the thing I love most. It’s a really positive, non-judgemental space for us all to get to know one another in, and form bonds outside of work – which ultimately only leads to stronger bonds within our work too.

In light of Roger Deakins, Ellen Kuras and more’s latest appeal regarding cinematographers’ long working hours, how important is comradery – on and off the pitch – in the industry?

MMW: I often think a crew is simply a combination of people. A team! Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. The greatest thing about football is that it always works. You have to you have to collaborate and communicate. I’ve found it to be really educational on how to manage a crew. No matter who turns up at 5 on a Sunday we always have a great game, it should be the same at work. We work crazy hours and I’ve been guilty of enjoying the burn out but football has taught me to find other commitments in life. I like the regular routine, the forced exercise and the friendship that isn’t purely the crew you’re currently working with. It’s helped me to resist overworking.

GB: It’s the most important thing; in life, work and on the pitch. On a shoot no one person is more important than another – it’s a team – the same as in football. We should all see ourselves as equal parts of that team because we are – it’s an ecosystem – it doesn’t work without all the parts. I think it’s especially important we view ourselves as this right now too. I’m not camera, I’m a costume designer but every department is asking for the same thing; a safe working environment, sleep, a personal life, a weekend….if we worked to make these changes as a whole group I think we’d see real, lasting change.

Meghan Young, production: Comradery, working together towards a shared goal, on the pitch, on set or at my desk, seems without it it it wouldn’t be worth it. I spend a lot of time at work at the ‘prep stage’, where me and my team are working through problems, and a problem shared, well, is much better together. Like the keeper passing you the ball at your end, you look up and try to workout the best way to get to the other side, you can’t do it alone.

What sort of catharsis has the team provided you personally?

MMW: I cant really imagine life without it now. It burns you out on a Sunday evening and eradicates all the pending stress for the next week.

MY: It’s a relief I look forward to every week, nothing less than pure and utter joy. When I’m on the pitch, everything I might have been anxious about, disappears.

GB: It’s just a joy to turn up to this group of intelligent, funny, fun, engaging, talented group of people every week. After the complete shit show of the last year and a half, playing football with Babe City FC has been for me, a real tangible thing to look forward to every week. You come as you are, it’s a safe space. It’s actually impossible to leave in a bad mood.

AP: Being an immigrant in London I find it so valuable to be part of such a friendly and inclusive collective. It’s fantastic to see that first Illuminatrix and now Babe City FC shows how fun comradery and support can be. Being part of this gives you a sense of community, belonging. It’s very empowering to see other determinate hard-working women on set and then on the field. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by such inspirational figures and feel part of this spirit.

In an often male dominated profession, how crucial is it to frequently surround yourself with a host of talented women?

GB: Whilst a lot of our team do – not everyone on our team identifies as a woman, some of the Babes identify as non-binary/genderqueer – it’s crucial to surround yourself with a supportive, talented, incredible group of people who can bring out the best in you, which is how I would sum up the Babes.

MMW: Personally I have found managing older men in the industry very taxing this year. It’s something that I’ve never come up against before but this year I found I had to prove myself more than ever. Which has made football a deep relief. On Sundays I can just play football with crew. Rather than continuously prove that I should be standing on set with a light meter in hand.

MY: I feel privileged to be around so many unbelievably talented women, it truly is something magic, but women are magic, and Shoreditch Power league is Themyscira.

HJ: Having a group of Ladies to meet up with and play has been so incredibly refreshing. It’s also a nice reminder of how far the industry has come and how many brilliantly talented women there are out there. It’s also a great way to meet new women who you’d potentially not heard of, who you could recommend for work, or perhaps approach yourself for future jobs. Amongst the potential networking, it’s really just a great place to be surrounded by others who are going through similar working hours and stresses to you, who you can sympathise with.. yet have a great time without necessarily even having to bring up conversations about work with.

Libby Burke Wilde, director and photographer: There is no greater joy for me than seeing women and non-binary people realise how amazing they are. In a world where women and non-binary people are taught to judge each other from they way they look, or be jealous of their successes Babe City FC does the absolute opposite. We were all absolute beginners and many people were nervous when they first joined, but it is such an inclusive space where we all encourage each other no matter what. The added bonus is that we all work in the same world, so we are each others sounding boards and also we sometimes get to work together which forms the basis of support structures in the industry. Together we are invincible!

Was it validating to get a kit financed by Panavision?

MMW: Panavision have always been supportive of me and for that I’m very grateful. George Rumsey continuously supports young cinematographers and for them to back the football team was a really great moment. Recently two or our players where prepping in Panavision with their shirts on and Kirstie (Panavision tech) was also there in her shirt. They said they all found a new sense of confidence in knowing they were welcome.

Who came up with the kit design?

GB: Panavision sponsor Babe City FC’s kits – a swirly fluro orange goalkeepers top which is a nod to the 90’s rave scene and vintage football kits. Molly and George originally redesigned film studio logos with ‘Babe City FC’ but with many major studio players involved in the ‘Me Too’ scandal this was the antithesis of what we represent – so we mirrored the PG logo (18 felt a bit….wrong…) and the BCFC logo was born. A range of Babe City FC hoodies, hats, scarves and badges will be dropping early October.

MMW: It’s really useful having a talented costume designer [George Buxton] on your team!

What lessons/attitudes do you take away from the pitch that you can apply to your day-to-day work life?

MMW: The biggest thing I took away from this year was that in long form you really need to manage your crew. They become your family whether you like it or not. You spend an insane amount of time with them. I think starting Babe City gave me some key tools to manage my crew; Pass the ball – you’re not making this film alone so lean on your team. Keep your head up, don’t look to hard at the ball because you’ll fall off path. If the team isn’t working restructure it. Be kind. Make eye contact. Pick each other up when you fall over and don’t be afraid to fall. Talk to each other. Explain where you are on the pitch and how that could help them.

HJ: Each week, we have improved leaps and bounds, which has meant that we are learning how to work together as a team, look our weak points, others strengths and learn how to utilise them to the max. This undoubtedly is a brilliant thing to also bring forward to working on set. Learning that as departments, we all really want to achieve the same goal, and can work together equally to achieve it.

GB: Be open, respectful, positive, kind and support each other. We’re a team on the pitch, we’re a team at work.

MY: I take away the importance of communication, talking to one another, and the time spent not talking, be that signals on the pitch (a little point to the side as to where you want the ball to go) or a shared look at work between colleagues knowing you are in the this together. Talking to one another, learning strengths and weaknesses, is key in all aspects of life. I’m also very competitive, so when work feels like I’m just not winning, just by walking to the pitch, I already feel like I’ve won.

What would be your mantra in convincing others in the industry to join?

MMW: Come kick ball with a bunch of legends who are just up for a great time.

What’s next for Babe City FC?

MMW: We are about to play our first league game on Sunday. We’ll be playing for the next 14 weeks and then we’ll see maybe the women’s super league after that?