WATCH: Kimberly Peirce’s Incisive, Inspirational Speech to AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women

Director Kimbely Peirce recently spoke to the 2014 AFI Directing Workshop for Women, and her words cut to the core of a reality faced by women filmmakers in the industry. She begins the talk by telling a story from interview rounds she did for her second feature, “Stop-Loss.” The most frequent question she received was, “Why did it take so long for you to make a second feature?”

Peirce goes on to discuss why this question — which, she points out, the women directors in the room wouldn’t ask one another — is so relevant, and yet why it targets the wrong thing: As if the uphill climb for a woman filmmaker to get that second feature made is some personal shortcoming, as opposed to an institutional one.

Despite the depressing stats Peirce rolls out, she says there is a silver lining. Watch below.

Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.