Lulu Wang, Lorene Scafaria, Melina Matsoukas and Greta Gerwig led Hollywood to a record year for women in the directorB次元官网网址檚 chair. In 2019, women directed more of the most popular movies than any year before.
Women directed 12 of 2019B次元官网网址檚 top 100-grossing films in 2019, according to a study released Thursday by USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. That percentage of female filmmakers, 10.6%, is greater than researchers have recorded before, suggesting that some measure of change is finally coming to a film industry where inequality behind the camera has remained stubbornly persistent.
ItB次元官网网址檚 the most meaningful increase in several decades for female directors. Despite mounting outcry, the rate of female directors helming HollywoodB次元官网网址檚 top productions has long been largely stagnant. The previous high in USCB次元官网网址檚 annual study was 8%, in 2008. In 2018, only 4.5% of the yearB次元官网网址檚 top films were directed by women.
B次元官网网址淭his is the first time we have seen a shift in hiring practices for female film directors in 13 years,B次元官网网址� said Stacy L. Smith, one of the studyB次元官网网址檚 authors. B次元官网网址淥ne notable reason for this jump in 2019 was that Universal Pictures had five films with women directors at the helm in the top 100 movies. Yet there is still much more progress needed to reach parity for women behind the camera.B次元官网网址�
The high-profile success of several films had already made 2019 a historic one for women. Those include WangB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Farewell,B次元官网网址� one of the yearB次元官网网址檚 most popular indie releases, ScafariaB次元官网网址檚 acclaimed B次元官网网址淗ustlersB次元官网网址� ($105 million domestically), MatsoukasB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淨ueen & SlimB次元官网网址� ($40.7 million) and GerwigB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淟ittle Women,B次元官网网址� which last week opened strongly with $29 million in its first five days of release.
B次元官网网址淔rozen II,B次元官网网址� with $1.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, is close to setting a new box-office record for a movie directed by a woman. Jennifer Lee, who co-directed the film, set the record with the first B次元官网网址淔rozenB次元官网网址� film. In 2018, Lee became the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Other notable films included Kasi LemmonsB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淗arriet,B次元官网网址� Tina GordonB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淟ittleB次元官网网址� and Jill CultonB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淎bominable.B次元官网网址�
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USC researchers singled out Universal Pictures, which put forward a slate of films with 26% directed by women. Universal is the only major studio with a female studio chief, Donna Langley.
Netflix also fared well. While the streaming companyB次元官网网址檚 films largely bypass theatres B次元官网网址� leaving them outside the studyB次元官网网址檚 parameters B次元官网网址� 20% of NetflixB次元官网网址檚 2019 movies were directed by women.
Paramount Pictures, however, hasnB次元官网网址檛 released a movie directed by a woman in the last five years.
Four women of colour directed one of the top 100 movies in 2019, though the overall statistics for underrepresented directors dipped. Underrepresented filmmakers were behind 16.8% of films in 2019, a decline from last yearB次元官网网址檚 21.4%, a record.
B次元官网网址淲hile 2019 is a banner year for women, we will not be able to say there is true change until all women have access and opportunity to work at this level,B次元官网网址� said Smith.
Despite the gains, female filmmakers have been largely overlooked in this awards season. SundayB次元官网网址檚 Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, includes no women nominated for best director. None of the 10 films nominated for best picture were directed by women, either.
Rebecca Goldman, TimeB次元官网网址檚 Up chief operating officer, said those results were unacceptable.
B次元官网网址淭his year, there have been twice as many women-led features than ever, with more films by female directors on the way,B次元官网网址� Goldman said. B次元官网网址淲omen B次元官网网址� and especially women of colour B次元官网网址� continue to be pushed to the sidelines by a system that holds women back, onscreen and off.B次元官网网址�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
