Study Finds Sustained Progress for Female Directors and Filmmakers of Color

When it comes to underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, which includes Black and Latino filmmakers, the percentage of directors reached a 15-year high: 27.3 percent. The group with the least amount of traction directing features are women of color, who still make up only 2 percent of the total.

“When Hollywood thinks of a woman director, they’re thinking of a Caucasian woman, and when they think of a person of color directing, they’re thinking about a male,” Smith said, pointing to the fact that female directors of color earn the highest reviews according to Metacritic yet most often are given lower production budgets and fewer marketing dollars from their studio beneficiaries.

To address this disparity head on, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is starting a $25,000 scholarship program for a woman of color during her senior year at an American film school. In addition to the financial aid, the winning student will be advised by a group of Hollywood executives and talent, including Donna Langley, the chairman of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, and Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios, among others.

The study also examined original films being created at the streaming companies and found the percentages to be much closer to parity. Amazon, in particular, had a strong showing in 2020 and 2021, with women accounting for 15 of its 40 directors (37.5 percent), and 13 of its 40 directors (32.5 percent) coming from underrepresented groups. Disney+ landed second with 29 percent female directors and 29 percent directors of color. HBO Max’s numbers topped out at 19.5 percent for female directors and 31.7 percent for underrepresented groups, while Netflix was in fourth place with female filmmakers making up 18.1 percent its slate and directors from underrepresented groups, 26.3 percent.

“These are data-driven companies,” Smith said. “Streaming gives them access to data and decision-making with viewers in mind in a way that the box office has been more elusive.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/09/movies/study-female-directors-filmmakers-of-color.html