2019 Statistics

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Women Onscreen

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • 66% of speaking or named characters were male and 34% were female. This is a gender ratio of 1.9 males to every 1 female.
  • Only 28% of all speaking characters in action films were girls and women, which was not meaningfully different. A similar pattern emerged for female characters in animation (33.3%).
  • Only 14 of the 100 top movies in 2019 featured a gender-balanced (45%-54.9% of all speaking roles filled with girls/women) cast.
  • Women only filled 38.8% of speaking roles among 21-39 year olds. The findings were even more dire for women 40 years of age or older (25.4%).
  • Women (41.6%) were more likely than men (31.3%) to be shown as parents.
  • The number of films that erased girls/women from all speaking or named roles was as follows: Hispanic/Latinas (71 movies), Black (33 movies), American Indian/Alaskan Native (97 movies), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (99 movies), Asian (55 movies), Middle Eastern/North African (92 movies), Multiracial/Multiethnic (45 movies). In contrast, White girls and women were only erased from 7 movies.
  • Women and girls of color represented 17% of leading/co leading roles.
  • Ten speaking characters were lesbian.
  • 94 films rendered girls and women from the LGBTQ community completely invisible.
  • Nearly 80% of all LGBTQ characters were male-identified and only 21.3% or 13 were female-identified.
  • Only 1 film in featured a female LGBTQ lead or co lead: “Booksmart.”
  • The majority of characters with disabilities in 2019 were males (67.6%), White (66%), and 40 years of age or older (59.6%).
  • 8 movies featured a female lead/co lead with a disability.
  • Though Disney had only 6 movies with a female-identified or underrepresented lead or co lead, these films earned more than $6 billion at the box office globally. Universal and 20th Century Fox followed on gender, while Lionsgate held a third position for underrepresented leads/co leads.
  • Universal reached 50% in its depiction of female-identified leads and co leads. Both Universal and Paramount exceeded proportional representation of underrepresented leads/co leads, including those that were female-identified.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • 43 movies featured a female lead or co-lead. This is a 13-year high, yet this percentage is still below the female population per the U.S. Census (51%) and the percentage of tickets sold at the box office in North America to females (47%).
  • For the first time ever, the percentage of leads/co leads in popular film approximates the percentage of leads/co-leads in television.
  • 16 female leads/co-leads were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. No girls or women identifying as Native American/Alaskan Native, Middle Eastern/North African, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander filled a leading or co-leading role.
  • Only 3 films featured female leads/co-leads who were 45 years of age or older at the time of theatrical release. Only 1 of the female leads/co-leads was an underrepresented woman 45 years of age or older.
  • 17% of leading/co-leading roles cast actors from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
  • In terms of the number of films with girls and women at the center, Universal Pictures was the top performer with 9 films, followed by Sony Pictures (6 movies) and Lionsgate (5 movies).
  • Looking at the financial impact of films with female leads/co leads, Walt Disney Studios was the top performer, with more than $4 billion in receipts for 4 female led/co led films in 2019. Disney earned more than 4 times as much in box office revenue as Universal Pictures last year for their female-driven content.
  • The remaining studios brought in between $400 million and $893 million for their female-led films.
  • Disney’s films earned roughly $1 billion each.
  • For underrepresented leads, Universal Pictures (8 films) led, followed by Sony Pictures (4 films).
  • In contrast, the financial impact was in favor of Disney, which earned $2.7 billion for its 2 films, while Universal Pictures brought in $1.5 billion for its 8 movies. Disney’s earnings were again roughly 4 times as much as the third-largest grossing distributor (Lionsgate).
  • Apart from Disney and Universal, their 5 competitors amassed between $365 and $689 million for films with actors of color in leading roles.
  • Per film, Disney’s draw was slightly more than $1.3 billion.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • 40% featured female protagonists. 43% featured male protagonists, and 17% had ensembles or a combination of male and female protagonists.
  • 45% of female protagonists appeared in studio features and 55% appeared in independent features. Sole male protagonists were more likely to appear in studio features (57%) than independent features (43%).
  • Female protagonists were most likely to appear in horror features (26%), followed by dramas (24%), comedies (21%), action features (16%), science fiction features (8%), and animated features (5%).
  • Females accounted for 37% of major characters.
  • Females comprised 34% of all speaking characters.
  • Overall, audiences were almost twice as likely to see male characters as female characters.
  • 16% of films featured 0 to 4 female characters in speaking roles, 48% had 5 to 9 females, and 36% had 10 or more females.
  • The majority of female characters were in their 20s (22%) and 30s (31%). The majority of male characters were in their 30s (32%) and 40s (26%).
  • Males 40 and over accounted for 47% of all male characters. Females 40 and over comprised 30% of all female characters.
  • 17% of females were under 20, 22% were in their 20s, 31% were in their 30s, 16% were in their 40s, 8% were in their 50s, and 6% were in their 60s or older.
  • 10% of males were under 20, 11% were in their 20s, 32% were in their 30s, 26% were in their 40s, 12% were in their 50s, and 9% were in their 60s or older.
  • Major female characters are younger than major male characters. 21% of major female characters were under 20, 22% were in their 20s, 27% were in their 30s, 14% were in their 40s, 8% were in their 50s, and 9% were in their 60s. In both samples, female characters experience a precipitous drop from their 30s to their 40s, and few women age into their 60s.
  • 68% of all female characters with speaking roles were White, 20% were Black, 5% were Latina, 7% were Asian, and 1% were of some other race or ethnicity.
  • 68% of all female characters were White. 20% of all female characters were Black. 5% of all female characters were Latina in 2019. 7% of all female characters were Asian in 2019.
  • 70% of major female characters were white, 18% were Black, 6% were Latina, and 5% were Asian.
  • 46% of female characters but 34% of male characters had a known marital status.
  • 73% of male characters but 61% of female characters had an identifiable job or occupation.
  • A larger proportion of male than female characters were seen in their work setting, actually working (59% vs. 43%).
  • Male characters were more likely than females to be seen in primarily work-related roles (60% vs. 40%). Female characters were more likely than males to be seen in primarily personal life-related roles (52% vs. 34%).
  • Females comprised 26% of leaders, while males accounted for 74% of leaders.
  • Females were most likely to be leaders in professional jobs (67% vs. males 33%), followed by social leaders (63% vs. males 37%), white collar leaders (33% vs. males 67%), religious/spiritual leaders (25% vs. males 75%), blue collar leaders (13% vs. males 87%), political leaders (11% vs. male 89%), and criminal leaders (8% vs. males 92%).
  • In films with at least one woman director and/or writer, females comprised 58% of protagonists. In films with exclusively male directors and/or writers, females accounted for 30% of protagonists.
  • In films with at least one woman director and/or writer, females comprised 42% of major characters. In films with exclusively male directors and/or writers, females accounted for 35% of major characters.
  • In films with at least one woman director and/or writer, females comprised 39% of all speaking characters. In films with exclusively male directors and/or writers, females accounted for 32% of all speaking characters.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Of the top 200 films 2018-2019:

  • Women represented 44.1% of film leads and 40.2% of total actors.
  • People of color comprised 27.6% of film leads and 32.7% of total actors.
  • In 2018, films with casts that were 21-30% minority enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts, while films with casts that were 41-50% minority enjoyed this distinction in 2019. By contrast, films with the least diverse casts — in both years — were the poorest performers.
  • Films with casts that were 41-50% minority were released in the most international markets in both 2018 and 2019.
  • Films with Black leads and majority-minority casts were released in the fewest international markets in both years.

UCLA

Of all U.S.-based Netflix films 2018-2019:

  • Netflix films (48.4%) featured a significantly higher percentage of female-identified leads/co leads than 200 top-grossing movies from 2018 and 2019 (41%).
  • A non meaningful increase in female-identified main cast members occurred over time (2018=38.9%, 2019=41.1%).
  • Female-identified speaking characters in Netflix movies (36.1%) were non meaningfully different than top-grossing films (33.6%).
  • Film portrayed more underrepresented leads/co leads in 2019 (40.4%) than in 2018 (31.9%). Netflix films across two years featured significantly more underrepresented leads/co leads (35.7%) than top-grossing films from 2018-19 (28%). This was also the case in 2019, when Netflix outpaced top-grossing fare (40.4% vs. 29%) in the percentage of stories showcasing underrepresented leads/co leads.
  • In 2019, Netflix films had more underrepresented speaking characters than top-grossing films (Netflix=40.2%, TG Films=34.3%), though not overall or in 2018.
  • Of film leads/co leads, 42.1% were white males, 30.2% were white females, 19% were underrepresented males, and 19% were underrepresented females. These percentages approached representation with the U.S. population, though Netflix still over indexed on white male leads/co leads. The only significant change over time was for underrepresented female-identified film leads which jumped from 2018 (15.9%) to 2019 (22.8%).
  • Netflix films were more likely than top-grossing films (12%) to feature underrepresented female-identified leads/co leads.
  • Netflix films showcased white men in 40.4% of speaking roles, compared to white females in 21.7%, underrepresented males in 23.1% and underrepresented females in 14.8%. Only underrepresented males were in proportion to U.S. population figures.
  • In top-grossing films, 43.4% of speaking characters were white males, 21.2% were white females, 22% were underrepresented males, and 13.3% were underrepresented females.
  • 4% of Netflix film leads/co leads were LGBTQ.
  • Netflix films did not differ from top-grossing movies (2%) in the percentage of leads/co leads who were LGBTQ.
  • 4.3% of main cast members were LGBTQ.
  • Netflix films featured LGBTQ characters in 2% of all speaking roles, roughly equal to top-grossing films (1.4%).
  • In film, 11.9% of leads/co leads were depicted with a disability, which increased over time (2018=8.7%, 2019=15.8%). However, Netflix featured slightly fewer leads/co leads with a disability than top-grossing films (14%).
  • Fewer than 5% of film main cast (4.1%) were shown with a disability, which was stable over time (2018=3.4%, 2019=4.9%).
  • Only 1.5% of speaking characters in film were depicted with a disability. Netflix films (1.5%) featured roughly the same percentage of characters with disabilities as top-grossing movies (1.9%), with no differences per year for either sample of films.

Inclusion Initiative

Of the top 1,300 films 2007-2019:

  • Out of 1,300 top-grossing movies, only 44 or 3.4% featured an API lead or co lead.
  • Six of these API leads/co leads were female (5 Asian, 1 NHPI/Asian). These roles were played by four female actors: Constance Wu (2 films), Hailee Steinfeld (2 films), Auli’i Cravalho, and Chloe Bennet.
  • In contrast, there were 336 unique white male actors driving the storylines as leads/co leads across the 13-year time frame. This is a ratio of 84 white male actors to every 1 API female actor.
  • Of the 51,159 speaking characters across the 1,300 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2019, 5.9% (n=3,034) were Asian, Asian American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (API).
  • Disaggregating our API variable, the vast majority of characters were Asian or Asian American (94.6%) and only 5.9% were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI). Fourteen characters in the sample were both Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.
  • Only 15.7% of the 1,300 movies depicted proportional representation of the API community with U.S. Census (7.1%).
  • In terms of invisibility, a full 39% of 1,300 movies erased API speaking or named characters altogether. Each year, 93% or more of the 100 top films across 13 years erased the NHPI community save three years: 2015 (88%), 2017 (88%), and 2018 (88%).
  • In terms of role of API characters, 23.6% were supporting and 72.5% were inconsequential to the plot.
  • Males (63%) far outnumbered females (37%) across 1,300 popular films. 59.2% of the 1,300 movies did not depict a single API girl or woman speaking on screen. Virtually all films erased girls and women from the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community.
  • Only 19.6% of API women were 40 years of age or older.
  • API women (43.9%) were more likely to be shown as parents than were API men (36.3%) and slightly more likely to be depicted in a committed romantic relationship (46.6% vs. 42.4%). API females were far more likely to be depicted in sexy clothes (23.3%), partially naked (21.3%) and referenced as physically attractive (8.2%) than were males (7%, 9.3%, 2.3% respectively).
  • Using a sample of 600 films from 2014-2019, only 15 API characters were shown as LGBTQ. Of these, 9 were gay, 5 were lesbian and 1 was bisexual. No API characters were transgender.
  • Disability was measured across 500 films starting in 2015 using a modified version of the ADA definition. Only 26 API characters (1.9%) were shown with a physical, cognitive or communicative disability. Under a fifth (19.2%) of these API characters with a disability were girls/women. Seven out of the twenty-three API characters with a disability were shown as parents or caregivers.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • 30% of Asian and PI characters were either tokenized as the only API character in the movie or isolated by never interacting with another API character.
  • 67% of API primary and secondary characters fell into stereotyped tropes. In terms of the perpetual foreigner, nearly one-fifth (18%) of the API primary and secondary characters either spoke English with a non-American accent or a non-English language. Just over a quarter of Asian and Pacific Islander primary and secondary characters died by the end of the film and all but one death ended violently.
  • More than half (58%) of API men had no romantic relationships compared to 37.5% of Asian and PI women. Among Asian men, a subset (14.5%) experienced direct emasculation in how other characters spoke to or about them. A total of 41.8% (n=33 of 79) of API characters experienced disparagement of some sort, six of which were racist/sexist slurs.
  • The Sidekick or the Villain are character types that Asians and PIs are often relegated to. In these narrow roles, Asians and PIs either provide support or foil to the more complex and prominent white leads. In 2019, 20% of API primary and secondary characters were either sidekicks or villains.
  • Few fully human roles exist for APIs in 2019. One way for API characters to be fully human is to have a full spectrum of relationships. Audiences know about their family, friends and romantic interests. Only 12.6% (10/79) of the Asian and PI characters in 2019 were multidimensional when it came to relationships.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 200 films 2017-2019 in U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand:

  • A total of 8,965 speaking characters were identified. Of these, 1.6% were Muslim. This is a ratio of 60.3 non-Muslim characters to every 1 Muslim character on screen.
  • There were 100 films from the U.S., 63 from the U.K., 32 from Australia, and 5 from New Zealand. No differences by country emerged: 5.6% of speaking characters in the Australian sample were Muslim, as were 1.1% of U.S., and 1.1% of U.K. characters. There were no characters in the New Zealand sample who were identified as Muslim.
  • Of the 200 films, 9.5% or 19 had at least 1 Muslim character on screen. 181 out of 200 films presented no Muslim characters who spoke one or more words across the plot.
  • Muslim characters comprised 2% of all characters in action and adventure films. In comedy films, 2.5% of all speaking characters were Muslim. Several genres comprised the “other” category, including those classified as drama or horror films. Few (1.5%) characters in those films were identified as Muslim. No Muslim characters were in the 23 animated movies.
  • Of the 144 Muslim characters, 76.4% were male and 23.6% were identified as female. None were gender non-binary/non-conforming. This is a ratio of 3.2 male Muslim characters to every 1 female Muslim character.
  • Muslim girls/women were most likely to appear on screen in 2019 (29.3%), followed by 2017 (22%), and 2018 (16.7%).
  • A total of 15 films (7.5%) had at least 1 female Muslim speaking character on screen. In other words, 185 films did not include any Muslim girls or women who spoke one or more words on screen.
  • Of the 144 Muslim characters across the sample, 66.7% were Middle Eastern/North African (MENA), 20.8% were Asian, 5.6% were Black/African American, 4.2% were White, and 2.8% were Multiracial/Multiethnic. No Muslim characters were Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.
  • More than half of female Muslim characters were MENA (55.9%), while just over a quarter (26.5%) were Asian. Fewer than 10% of female Muslim characters were: Multiracial/Multiethnic (8.8%), White (5.9%,), or Black/African American (2.9%).
  • The majority of Muslim characters on screen were young adults (48.9%). Roughly one-third of Muslim characters (34.3%) were middle-aged, while 5.8% were teens, 5.8% were elderly, and 5.1% were children.
  • Across all 200 films, there was only 1 Muslim character identified as LGBTQ. Similarly, there was one Muslim character shown with a disability.
  • Only 4.4% of Muslim characters, or 6 characters, filled primary roles. One of these primary roles went to a Muslim character who was part of a leading ensemble — this character was the only MENA Muslim woman to hold a primary role. The rest were lead/co lead roles held alone or with one other character. In contrast, 25.5% of Muslim characters were in secondary and 70.1% were in tertiary roles. Two lead/co lead roles were held by MENA men, two by Asian men, and one by a White man.

Inclusion Initiative

Of the top 1,300 films 2007-2019:

  • Across 1,300 movies and 1,387 leads/co leads, only 48 (3.5%) were Hispanic/Latino. And yet, this identity group comprises 18.7% of the U.S. population and 49% of residents in Los Angeles.
  • Over half (54.2%, n=26) of Hispanic/Latino leads/co leads were filled with girls/women. Only 1.9% of all leads/co leads across 1,300 movies were Hispanic/Latino girls/women as were only 6.5% of all female protagonists.
  • Only 10, or less than 1%, of the 1,300 films had a Hispanic/Latino actor 45 years of age or older as the lead/co lead. Crossing age with gender, the opportunities for Hispanic women and Latinas to lead/co lead a film nearly vanish: only three of the 10 Hispanic/Latino lead roles were held by women in this age bracket. In two of these cases, the roles were played by one actor.
  • Latinx girls and women have been cast more frequently than Latinx boys and men. Of the 31 leading/co leading roles that featured Latinx actors, 64.5% were filled with girls and women (n=20) and 35.5% were filled with boys and men (n=11).
  • Only 31 or 2.2% of all 1,387 protagonists were Latinx. Two Latinx actors have never co led a film together across the 13-year time frame. The 31 roles were filled with 24 individual Latinx actors. While most Latinx actors only worked once, Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez were the top performers driving the action in 5 and 3 films respectively.
  • Across the 51,158 speaking or named characters evaluated, Hispanic/Latinos only comprise 5% (n=2,578) of these roles.
  • Examining population norms across the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., 78.8% of these U.S. locations have more Hispanic/Latino residents than what we see across 1,300 feature films. Drilling down even further, each of the 25 most populous counties in the U.S. have a higher percentage of Hispanic/Latinos than Hollywood films.
  • Only 20 films across the 1,300 film sample were within ±2 percentage points of the U.S. Census benchmark.
  • Each year, across the 100 most popular movies, Hispanic/Latino characters have been missing from no less than 34 films (in 2011) and up to 55 films (in 2012). Women from these groups consistently see even higher rates of exclusion from popular stories. The invisibility of Hispanic women and Latinas was at an all-time high in 2007 when they were missing from a full 78 of the 100 films. Out of 1,300 films, a total of 856 erased Latina and Hispanic women altogether.
  • Across five years and 500 films, 95.4% (n=477) of films were missing a Hispanic/Latino character with disability.
  • For the past six years and 600 films, only seven movies included a LGBT-identifying Hispanic/Latino character. That means that 98.8% of films were devoid of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Hispanic/Latinos.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • Seven films depicted a Hispanic/Latino lead or co lead. Moving from films (n=100) to protagonists (n=113), the story remains the same. Seven or 6.2% of all leads/co leads identified were cast with an actor of Hispanic or Latino descent.
  • 6 of 7 movies with a Hispanic/Latino lead or co lead featured a girl or woman driving the plot.
  • Tthere were no Hispanic/Latino leads/co leads 45 years of age or older driving the plot.
  • None of the Hispanic/Latino leads/co leads were depicted as LGBTQ+. One Hispanic/Latina lead/co lead character was shown with a disability on screen.
  • 5% of films featured leads/co leads with Latinx actors. Four of 5 films starred a Latinx girl or woman in the most prominent role. One role was filled by a Latinx man.
  • There were three Afro-Latino leads/co leads, though only six Afro-Latino actors appeared in lead/co lead roles overall. Only one Afro-Latino lead/co lead actor played a character who was Afro-Latino.
  • Only two films depicted a cast of Hispanic/Latino characters proportional to the U.S. population (18.7%). Five films exceeded proportional representation.
  • More than a third (35%) of the top films rendered Hispanic/Latino characters invisible. That is, 35 films did not include a single Hispanic/Latino speaking or named character across the entirety of the film. 59 films rendered Hispanic/Latina women invisible.
  • 98 movies excluded LGBTQ Hispanic/Latinos and 95 movies excluded Hispanic/Latino characters with disabilities on screen. Only one film depicted a Hispanic/Latino character who was both gay and had a disability.
  • Of the 500 top billed actors, 7.6% (n=38) were Hispanic/Latino and appeared in 28 films. A full 82.1% (n=23) of movies featured only one Hispanic/Latino actor in the top billed cast. Three films had two and one movie featured four top-billed actors. All five top billed actors were Hispanic/Latino in only one film (“Dora and the Lost City of Gold”).
  • Nearly one-third (31.6%) of Hispanic/Latino top-billed actors and 21.3% of all Hispanic/Latino characters were shown with some religious affiliation.
  • Nearly one-seventh (13.2%) of top-billed Hispanic/Latino characters and 13.8% of all Hispanic/Latino characters were shown in roles that depicted a lower social class.
  • Hispanic/Latinos overall were shown as angry or temperamental. This trait was more pronounced among top-billed Hispanic/Latino characters (23.7%) than among all characters (8.5%).
  • 29.2% (n=7) of the 24 top-billed Hispanic/Latina girls/women were sexualized, while none of the top-billed male Hispanic/Latino characters were. Among all characters, a similar gender difference emerged, as 26.5% (n=9) of all Hispanic/Latina characters but 10% (n=6) of Hispanic/Latino male characters were sexualized.
  • 39.5% of top-billed characters (n=15) and 29.8% (n=28) of all characters were portrayed as criminals. Although a single top-billed character (6.7%) was shown participating in organized crime, 39.3% (n=11) of all characters were part of gangs, involved in sex trafficking, or members of crime syndicates. Of the top-billed Hispanic/Latino characters shown as criminals, nearly half (40%, n=6) were violent, as were 21.4% (n=6) of all Hispanic/Latino characters depicted as violent criminals.
  • Although 24 of the 28 films examined (85.7%) took place in the U.S., only 44, or 33.3% of characters examined were U.S.-born Latinos. Looking to depictions of immigration, Hispanic/Latino characters were shown as immigrants at a higher rate than in previous years across both top billed (13.2%, n=5) and all other Latino characters (8.5%, n=8).
  • Another way that Hispanic/Latinos were otherized was through language. Nearly half (47.4%, n=18) of top-billed characters and 56.4% (n=53) of Hispanic/Latino speaking or named characters demonstrated that they spoke or understood Spanish. 37.2% of all Hispanic/Latino characters (n=35), did not speak English or demonstrate a familiarity with the language, though none of them were top-billed.
  • Out of 97 characters that spoke one or more words of English overall, 27.8% spoke the language with an accent, indicating that Spanish was their first language. More than one-fifth (23.7%, n=9) of the 38 top billed Latinos and almost a third (30.5%, n=18) of English-speaking Hispanic/Latino characters spoke with a detectable Spanish accent.
  • 36.8% (n=14) of top billed and 43.6% (n=41) of all Hispanic/Latino characters were portrayed on screen without any references to their Latinidad across a variety of context cues. Seventeen top billed characters (44.7%) had references made to their Hispanic/Latino heritage verbally (n=15) and/or with cultural artifacts (n=11) across the context of the film. Cultural heritage was even more likely to be erased or minimized among all Hispanic/Latino characters. In only 26.6% of cases did Hispanic/Latino speaking or named characters make verbal remarks (n=9) or appear amongst cultural symbols (n=22) reflecting their Hispanic/Latino background.
  • 50% of top billed Hispanic/Latinos were isolated and 51.1% of all Hispanic/Latino characters were never shown with family or other Hispanic/Latino community members.
  • 41.7% of Hispanic/Latino characters were depicted with a job. Of the 56 Hispanic/Latino characters with an occupation, 47.3% (n=26) were shown in a job that did not require a specialized education (e.g., salesperson, factory worker, line cook, street vendor). A quarter (n=14, 25.5%) were shown in law enforcement and security (e.g., police officers, members of the military, security guards). Only 12.7% (n=7) depicted educated professionals (i.e., 3 medical doctors, 2 professors, 1 journalist). Finally, two characters (3.6%) held high level occupations involving STEM careers (1 pharmacist, and 1 government official).

Inclusion Initiative

Women Behind the Scenes

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • A total of 1,518 individuals worked above the line as directors, writers, and producers. Only 22.3% of all these top leadership positions were filled with women.
  • 112 directors were attached the top films. Only 12 of these directors were women (10.7%).
  • Netflix alone attached 12 (20.7%) women directors to their U.S. based films in 2019.
  • Women-directed films featured stories with girls and women comprising 45.1% of all speaking roles and 83.3% of leading/co leading characters. For movies with only male directors, the respective percentages were 32.5% and 37.5%.
  • 80.6% of screenwriters were men and only 19.4% were women.
  • Almost a quarter of all producers (24.3%) were women.
  • 5.2% (n=6) of all composers (n=116) were women. The gender ratio of men to women was 18.3 to 1.
  • 70.4% (n=95) of all casting directors (n=135) were women and 29.6% (n=40) were men. In 2019, the percentage of girls and women on screen did not increase when a woman caster was attached to the film.
  • 21.9% of speaking characters were Black girls/women when the top leadership job was held by Black directors. Only 4.4% of girls and women on screen were Black in films with directors from other racial/ethnic groups.
  • Two directors were Hispanic/Latina women.
  • Only 6 Asian directors were attached to movies in 2019. None of these helmers were women.
  • Asian directors were associated with a higher percentage of Asian speaking characters on screen (27.3%) as well as females from this racial group (7%) than non Asian directors (5.9% vs. 2%, respectively).
  • 54.8% of casting directors were white women, 27.4% were white men, 15.6% underrepresented women and 2.2% underrepresented men.
  • Underrepresented female casters were associated with films that featured more underrepresented characters on screen (45.8%) than films without an underrepresented female caster attached (30.7%).

Inclusion Initiative

Of the top 1,300 films from 2007-2019:

  • 2019 was the highest number and percentage of women directors (n=12, 10.7%) across the 13-year sample. Ten of the 12 women directors in 2019 did not appear previously in the sample of top-grossing helmers.
  • Only 70 directing jobs were filled by women. Some women worked more than once, bringing the total number of individual women directors to 57. In comparison, 696 unique male directors worked across the 13-year time frame. This computed to a gender ratio of 12.2 men hired to every 1 woman.
  • Only 88 (6%) of the 1,447 directors were Black. Eighty were men (90.9%) and 8 were women (9.1%). The 8 directing jobs were held by 7 different women: Gina Prince-Bythewood, Kasi Lemmons, Melina Matsoukas, Sanaa Hamri, Stella Meghie, Tina Gordon, and Ava DuVernay.
  • 53 (4%) Hispanic/Latino directors worked. Fifty of these directors were men and only 3 were women.
  • 48 or 3% of directors were Asian. Only 3 directing jobs have been filled by 2 Asian women.

Inclusion Initiative

Of the top 200 films 2018-2019:

  • Women represented 15.1% of directors, 17.4% of writers, and 18% of studio heads.
  • People of color made up 14.4% of directors, 13.9% of writers, and 9% of studio heads.
  • People of color accounted for the majority of domestic ticket sales for six of the top 10 films in 2018. In 2019, minorities bought the majority of tickets for eight of the top 10 films, as well as half of the tickets for a ninth top 10 film.

UCLA

At Berlinale, Cannes, Sundance, TIFF, and Venice from 2017-2019:

Film Directors

  • A total of 289 narrative competition movies were programmed with 303 directors attached. 25% of competition directors were women and 75% men.
  • In 2019, 32% of narrative film directors were female. 21% percent were in 2018, and 24% in 2017.
  • 35% of helmers were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. 65% of narrative competition directors were white.
  • Nearly half (47%) of all narrative competition directors were white males, followed by 27% who were underrepresented males. White female directors were roughly a sixth of all helmers (17%) and women of color were only 8%.

Executives & Programmers

  • The five festivals were run by 10 individuals, 7 males and 3 females. Only 1 of the 10 executives were from an underrepresented racial group (10%).
  • Turning to top programmers or selection committees, a full 47% were female and 53% were male as of 2019. Only 21% of programmers were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups across these prestigious distribution platforms — 7% of programmers were men of color and 14% were women of color.

At Sundance, TIFF, New York Film Festival, SXSW, Telluride, Tribeca, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and Slamdance from 2017-2019: 

Film Directors

  • 71% of directors were male and 29% were female. A significant increase or 6 percentage point gain was observed from 2017 (25%) to 2019 (31%).
  • 62% of directors were white and 38% were underrepresented. There was a significant increase in underrepresented directors over time. 2019 had a higher percentage of underrepresented directors (40%) than did 2017 (35%).
  • Nearly half of all directors (45%) were white men, 26% were underrepresented men, 17% were white women, and 12% were women of color.
  • In terms of change over time, the percentage of white male directors has decreased 7 percentage points from 2017 (49%) to 2019 (42%). Yet, a concomitant significant increase was not observed for underrepresented male directors, white female directors, or 3 underrepresented female directors.
  • The three top North American film festivals for female directors of narrative features across 3 years were Tribeca (35% female directors), Sundance (34% female directors), and SXSW (33% female directors).
  • The top three festivals for women of color directors were as follows: Toronto (14% WOC directors), Seattle (14% WOC directors), and Palm Springs (13% WOC directors).

Executives & Programmers

  • 50% of the top executives were males and 50% were females. These were Executive Directors, Directors of Programming, and Artistic Directors running the film festivals.
  • 85% were white and 15% were underrepresented. Only one top executive was a woman of color.
  • Of 236 individual programmers, 74% were Caucasian and 26% were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. 44% of programming teams were comprised of women. When these factors are crossed, the resulting statistics are as follows: white males 43%, white females 31%, underrepresented males 13%, underrepresented females 13%.

At the above film festivals from 2017-2019:

  • The percentage of women of color directors increased as women of color programmers increased.
  • When no women of color worked as programmers, 4% of directors were women of color. When three or more women of color were programmers, 13% of directors were women of color.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • A full 89.4%  of the 113 directors were male and 10.6% were female. This calculates into a gender ratio of 8.4 males to every 1 female.
  • The female directors were: Anna Boden, Gail Mancuso, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Lee, Jill Culton, Kasi Lemmons, Lorene Scafaria, Marielle Heller, Melina Matsoukas, Olivia Wilde, Roxann Dawson, and Tina Gordon.

Of the top-grossing 1,300 films from 2007-2019:

  • 4.8% of directors were women.
  • 2019 had a significantly higher percentage (10.6%) of female directors than 2018 (4.5%) or 2007 (2.7%).
  • The female director working the most frequently over the sample time frame was Anne Fletcher with 4 films, followed by Lana Wachowski with 3. Ava DuVernay worked on two movies, as did Catherine Hardwicke, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Lee, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Julie Anne Robinson, Nancy Meyers, and Phyllida Lloyd.
  • Universal Pictures had the most female directors attached to the films they distributed (15 women), followed by Warner Bros. (13 women) and Sony Pictures Entertainment (11 women).
  • The company with the worst track record for distributing films helmed by female directors was Paramount Pictures, which had only 3 pictures out of 134 movies distributed from 2007-2019 directed by a woman.
  • Only 13 women from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups have directed any of the 1,300 top movies. This is less than 1% of all directing jobs, whereas white males held 82.5% of jobs, underrepresented males 12.6% of jobs, and white females 3.9% of jobs. The ratio of white male directors to underrepresented female directors was 92 to 1.
  • Only two underrepresented female directors — Ava DuVernay and Jennifer Yuh Nelson — have helmed more than one movie across the sample. Four of the women of color were added to the list in 2019 (Kasi Lemmons, Melina Matsoukas, Roxann Dawson, Tina Gordon).
  • No company has distributed the stories of more than 4 underrepresented female directors across 13 years.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • Women comprised 20% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers.
  • Women fared best as producers (26%), followed by editors (23%), writers (20%), executive producers (19%), directors (12%), and cinematographers (2%).
  • Women comprised 6% of composers. 94% of films had no female composers.
  • Women accounted for 31% of music supervisors. 82% of films had no female music supervisors.
  • Women comprised 3% of sound designers. 97% of films had no female sound designers.
  • Women accounted for 9% of supervising sound editors. 91% of films had no female supervising sound editors.
  • Women comprised 15% of production designers. 85% of films had no female production designers.
  • Women accounted for 34% of art directors. 66% of films had no female art directors.
  • Women accounted for 4% of special effects supervisors. 97% of films had no female special effects supervisors.
  • Women comprised 5% of visual effects supervisors. 88% of films had no female visual effects supervisors.

Top-grossing 250 films:

  • Women comprised 21% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers.
  • Women fared best as producers (27%), followed by editors (23%), executive producers (21%), writers (19%), directors (13%), and cinematographers (5%).
  • Almost one third or 31% of films employed 0 or 1 woman in the roles considered. 45% of films employed 2 to 5 women, 22% employed 6 to 9 women, and 2% employed 10 or more women. In contrast, 1% of films employed 0 or 1 man in the roles considered, 5% employed 2 to 5 men, 25% employed 6 to 9 men, and the remaining majority (69%) employed 10 or more men.
  • 85% of films had no women directors, 73% had no women writers, 44% had no women executive producers, 31% had no women producers, 72% had no women editors, and 95% had no women cinematographers.
  • Women comprised 6% of composers. 94% of films had no female composers
  • Women accounted for 40% of music supervisors. 74% of films had no female music supervisors.
  • Women accounted for 9% of supervising sound editors. 92% of films had no female supervising sound editors.
  • Women comprised 4% of sound designers. 97% of films had no female sound designers.
  • Women accounted for 23% of production designers. 80% of films had no female production designers.
  • Women comprised 31% of art directors. 71% of films had no female art directors.
  • Women accounted for 4% of special effects supervisors. 98% of films had no female special effects supervisors.
  • Women comprised 6% of visual effects supervisors. 89% of films had no female visual effects supervisors.

Top-grossing 500 films:

  • Women comprised 23% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers.
  • 31% of films employed no or 1 woman in the roles considered. 47% of films employed 2 to 5 women. 17% of films employed 6 to 9 women, and 5% employed 10 or more women. In contrast, 1% of films employed no or 1 man. 8% of films employed 2 to 5 men. 28% employed 6 to 9 men, and the majority or 63% employed 10 or more men.
  • By genre, the largest percentage of women, relative to men, worked on documentaries (27%), followed by comedies (25%), dramas (24%), animated features (23%), science fiction features (21%), horror features (17%), and action films (14%).
  • Women fared best as producers (29%), followed by editors (22%), executive producers (22%), writers (20%), directors (14%), and cinematographers (6%).
  • Women comprised 7% of composers. 93% of films had no female composers.
  • Women accounted for 43% of music supervisors. 76% of films had no female music supervisors.
  • Women comprised 5% of sound designers. 97% of films had no female
    sound designers.
  • Women accounted for 10% of supervising sound editors. 92% of films had no female supervising sound editors.
  • Women comprised 25% of production designers. 81% of films had no female production designers.
  • Women accounted for 32% of art directors. 76% of films had no female art directors.
  • Women comprised 3% of special effects supervisors. 99% of films had no female special effects supervisors.
  • Women accounted for 6% of visual effects supervisors. 91% of films had no female visual effects supervisors.
  • On films with at least one female director, women comprised 59% of writers. On films with exclusively male directors, women accounted for 13% of writers.
  • On films with at least one female director, women comprised 43% of editors. On films with exclusively male directors, women accounted for 19% of editors.
  • On films with at least one female director, women comprised 21% of cinematographers. On films with exclusively male directors, women accounted for 2% of cinematographers.
  • On films with at least one female director, women comprised 16% of composers. On films with exclusively male directors, women accounted for 6% of composers.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Of the indie films screening at U.S. festivals 2018-2019:

  • The percentages of women working as directors, writers, producers, executive producers, and editors on independent films reached historic highs.
  • Women comprised 33% of directors, 32% of writers, 37% of producers, 32% of executive producers, 29% of editors, and 16% of cinematographers.
  • Overall, women comprised 32% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers.
  • 83% of the films had no women cinematographers, 73% had no women writers, 69% had no women editors, 65% had no women directors, 62% had no women executive producers, and 32% had no women producers.
  • Overall, high-profile U.S. festivals screened about twice as many films (documentaries and narrative features) directed by men as by women. The festivals screened an average of 29 films by male directors and an average of 15 by female directors.
  • Festivals screened an average of 14 narrative films directed by men, compared to an average of 6 films directed by at least one woman.
  • Fests screened an average of 15 documentaries directed by men versus an average of 9 docs directed by at least one woman.
  • Women accounted for 35% of those working in key behind-the-scenes roles on documentaries versus 29% of those working on narrative features.
  • On films with at least one female director, women comprised 72% of writers, 45% of editors, and 27% of cinematographers.
  • On films directed exclusively by men, women represented 11% of writers, 21% of editors, and 10% of cinematographers.
  • 32% of the films considered employed 0 or 1 woman, 45% employed 2 to 5 women, 17% employed 6 to 9 women, and 6% employed 10 or more women.
  • 10% of the films employed 0 or 1 man, 26% employed 2 to 5 men, 34% employed 6 to 9 men, and 29% employed 10 or more men.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Of all U.S.-based Netflix films 2018-2019:

  • Of the 130 directors examined, 76.9% were men and 23.1% were women. Netflix fictional films featured a substantially higher percentage of women directors than top-grossing fictional films (2018=4.5%, 2019=10.7%).
  • Only 25.2% of screenwriters were women, which did not meaningfully vary by year. Netflix films (25.2%) were more likely than top-grossing movies (16.7%) to have women screenwriters overall and in 2018 (27.5% vs. 13.7%).
  • Of the 431 producers evaluated, only 29% were women. Only 19% of producers were women across 200 top-grossing films, with 21.5% in 2019 and 16.6% in 2018. As such, Netflix was substantially higher than the industry norm on hiring women producers to carry film projects to completion.
  • Netflix films with at least one woman director attached were far more likely than those films without to feature girls and women as leads/co leads (75.9% vs. 40.2%), main cast (49% vs. 37%) and speaking characters (45.9% vs. 33.7%). The same pattern held with women writers and producers.
  • Only 16.9% of film directors were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The proportion of underrepresented directors across the 2-year Netflix sample did not differ meaningfully from top-grossing films (20.5%).
  • Of film screenwriters, 16.4% were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. From 2018 (13.9%) to 2019 (19%), writers of color credits on Netflix movies significantly increased. While no difference emerged in 2018, Netflix hired more underrepresented writers in 2019 (19%) than did top-grossing films (13.2%).
  • Of the 431 Netflix film producers, 13% were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. Netflix (10.6%) featured significantly fewer producers of color than did top-grossing films (19%) in 2019. No difference was observed in 2018 (Netflix=14.7%, TG=11.3%).
  • While Netflix did not differ from the wider industry, the percentage of underrepresented directors, writers, and producers of Netflix content were substantially below proportional representation with the U.S. population.
  • Films with one or more underrepresented directors attached were more likely than those without to feature underrepresented leads/co leads (86.4% vs. 25%), main cast (68.1% vs. 29.2%), and speaking characters (67.1% vs. 31.2%). A similar pattern emerged for underrepresented screenwriters.
  • Roughly two-thirds of Netflix film directors were white men (66.2%) across two years, followed by 16.9% of directors who were white women, 10.8% who were underrepresented men, and 6.2% who were underrepresented women.
  • Netflix featured fewer underrepresented men as directors than top-grossing movies (18.3%) across two years. Netflix did outperform top-grossing films in the percentage of underrepresented women helmers in 2018 (5.6% vs. <1%).
  • Of Netflix screenwriters, 62.2% were white men, 21.4% were white women, 12.4% were underrepresented men and 4% were underrepresented women.
  • Turning to Netflix film producers, 63.6% were white men, 23.4% were white women, 7.4% were underrepresented men, and 5.6% were underrepresented women.
  • Netflix (6.1%) had fewer underrepresented male producers in 2019 than top-grossing films (14.2%).
  • Together, the above-the-line findings revealed that few opportunities to direct, write and produce Netflix movies were given to women of color. All of the data points for women of color were in the single digits (4-6%) and reflect the broader industry norm of exclusion.

Inclusion Initiative

Of the top 100 films 2009-2019:

  • Black girls and women are 6.5% of the US population, but only 3.7% of leads/co-leads.
  • 19.0% of Black leading ladies have a dark skin tone.
  • Most Black leading ladies (57.1%) are depicted with hairstyles that conform to European standards of beauty as opposed to natural Black hairstyles.
  • Black girls and women are 6.5% of the US population, 6.1% of all characters, and 5.7% of leading characters.
  • Black female characters and other female characters of color are less likely to be portrayed as working in a service job (a common racialized media stereotype) than white female characters (7.5% and 11.8% compared to 15.2%).
  • Black women are more likely to be depicted as working in a STEM occupation than other women of color and white women (14.3% compared to 9.6% and 9.6%, respectively).
  • Black women are just as likely as white women to be shown as a leader (41.3% and 43.1%).
  • Black female characters are far more likely to be shown as “smart” than white female characters or other female characters of color (54.1% compared to 44.2% and 42.6%, respectively).
  • Black women (69.1%) are more likely than white women (52.3%) or other women of color (50.7%) to be depicted as hard working.
  • Black women (13.5%) and other women of color (14.8%) are more likely to be depicted as partially/fully nude than white women (9.0%).
  • Other women of color (56.9%) and white women (51.2%) are significantly more likely to be depicted as attractive than Black women (41.4%).
  • Black female characters are more likely to be shown as violent than white female characters (29.3% compared to 24.6%) and twice as likely to be violent as other female characters of color (14.8%).
  • White women (27.2%) are more likely to be depicted as being in a romantic relationship than Black women (22.7%) or other women of color (25.9%).
  • White women (16.9%) are more likely to have at least one sexual partner in films compared with Black women (13.3%) and other women of color (14.8%).

Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Of the top 1,300 films 2007-2019:

  • A total of 1,447 directors were credited. Of these, 3.5% were API. Forty-seven API directors were men and only 3 were women. Jennifer Yuh Nelson was credited twice on the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise and Loveleen Tandan on “Slumdog Millionaire.”
  • Not one API woman received sole directing credit of a live action film.
  • Only 2.5% of the 3,952 credited film producers were Asian or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. 85.7% were men and only 14.3% were women.
  • Only 3.3% of casting directors were API. 84.9% of the casters were API women and only 15.1% were API men.
  • Films with an API director attached featured more API leads/co leads then those films without an API director attached. A similar but less pronounced pattern emerged with producers (API Producer=8.9%, No API producer=3%). The presence of an API casting director was not associated with the prevalence of API leads and co leads.
  • Films with an API director (21.5%) or caster (14.3%) depicted more API cast than films without an API director (5.4%) or caster (5.4%). The prevalence of an API producer (yes=8.7%, no=5.8%) was not associated with API speaking or named characters on screen.
  • We assessed all film executives (n=202) that were part of the senior leadership across 8 film and streaming companies (i.e., Amazon Studios, Lionsgate, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Company including 20th Century, and Warner Bros.). 6.4% of all executives were from the API community. None were at the pinnacle of power as Chairs or CEOs. Just under 6% were at the President or C-suite level and 7 were Executive or Senior Vice Presidents (EVPs/SPVs). Just over half (61.5%) of the executives were women.

Inclusion Initiative

Of the top 1,300 films 2007-2019:

  • A total of 1,447 directors were credited. Hispanic/Latino directors represented 4.2% (n=61) of all helmers.
  • Only 3 Hispanic women or Latinas have directed a top film over the past 13 years (i.e., Patricia Riggen, Melina Matsoukas, Roxann Dawson). The ratio of white male directors to Hispanic female or Latina directors was 200 to 1. In terms of Afro-Latinos, only 2 were credited across the 1,300 movies: Steven Caple Jr., Melina Matsoukas.
  • The 61 Hispanic/Latino directors were reduced to 35 unique helmers. One director made six top-grossing movies, the most across the sample. Five directors helmed a total of four movies each.
  • A total of 3,953 “Produced by” credits were evaluated. Overall, 3% (n=119) of producers were Hispanic/Latino. The majority of Hispanic/Latino producers were men (78.1%, n=93) while less than one-quarter (21.9%, n=26) were women. This is a ratio of 3.6 male Hispanic/Latino producers to every one Hispanic/Latina producer. Hispanic/Latina producers represented less than 1% (0.7%) of all producers.
  • Out of 2,014 casting directors, 3.3% (n=66) were Hispanic/Latino. The majority of Hispanic/Latino casting directors were women: 74.2% (n=49) in total, compared to 25.8% (n=17) who were men.
  • Films with a Hispanic/Latino director were more likely to include Hispanic/Latino characters, as 13.9% of all characters were Hispanic/Latino across these films. Movies with a non-Hispanic/Latino director had casts that included Hispanic/Latino characters in 4.7% of all speaking roles.
  • Looking at 300 top grossing films from 2017-2019, nearly half of the films (47.1%) with Hispanic/Latino directors had one or more Hispanic/Latino actors in a top-billed role, compared to 26.5% of films by non-Hispanic/Latino directors.
  • Films with a Hispanic/Latino casting director were more likely to feature Hispanic/Latino characters than those without Hispanic/Latino casting directors: 10.6% vs. 4.8%. Less than half (41.7%) of 300 recent films (2017-2019) cast by Hispanic/Latino casting directors had top-billed Hispanic/Latino actors, compared to 26.5% of films cast by non-Hispanic/Latino casting directors.
  • For top-billed talent across 300 popular recent movies (2017-2019) a different picture emerged. Slightly more than one-third (34.2%) of films with Hispanic/Latino producers had top roles held by Hispanic/Latino actors, compared to 26.7% of movies without a Hispanic/Latino producer.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 100 films:

  • 36.8% (n=7) of Hispanic/Latino producers were women.
  • 5.9% (n=8) of casting directors were Hispanic/Latino.

Inclusion Initiative

Top-grossing 400 films 2016-2019:

  • A total of 103,972 individuals were credited for a variety of VFX positions. 21.6% (n=22,489) were women.
  • In title cards, 84.8% of VFX credits were assigned to men, compared to 15.2% to women. In the main unit, 71.2% of credits were held by men versus 28.8% by women. Three-quarters of credits in second units/locations went to men and 25% to women. Finally, 78.6% of post-production VFX credits were assigned to men and 21.4% to women.
  • Only 16.2% of leadership positions were filled by women. Less than one-fifth of the women were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups (15.9%), which increased meaningfully from 2016 (13.8%) to 2019 (19%). Overall, 2.5% of all leadership roles were held by women of color.
  • Of the 1,497 credits for VFX supervisor, only 2.9% were held by women. Thirty-five of the women VFX supervisors were white and only 7 were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. Thus, the ratio of male VFX supervisors to women of color VFX supervisors is 208 to 1.
  • Of the 1,217 VFX producers, 46.7% were women. Only 70 women VFX producers were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The gender ratio is 9.3 men to every 1 woman of color.
  • 23% of VFX editors were women. 76.9% were white and 23.1% were women of color.
  • Of the 383 animation supervisor credits, only 14 or 3.7% were women. Not one was a woman of color.
  • Only one woman, from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group, was credited as lighting supervisor. 765 individuals held the compositing supervisor post, 7.4% being women. Only 10 or 1.3% of compositing supervisors were women of color.
  • All 6 credited 3-D supervisors were men. 802 CG supervisors received credits; 3.5% were women; 19 of these women were white (2.4% of CG supervisors) and only 9 were women of color (1.1% of CG supervisors).
  • With roles that lead to compositing supervisor, women were credited in 21.2% of compositing roles and 17% of art positions. Yet, only 7.4% of all compositing supervisors were women, and a mere 1.3% were women of color.
  • With roles that lead to CG supervisor, women filled anywhere from 13.9% to 21.5% of credits across environment, lighting, layout, effects, animation, assets, and matchmove positions. As noted earlier, 3.7% of animation supervisors and 2% of lighting supervisors were women. This suggests that the initial drop off for women comes as they move into departmental supervision roles, as only 3.5% of CG supervisors were women, with 1.1% of these credits earned by women of color. Women earned 17.9% of all technical credits (e.g., software development, technology & research, technical support).
  • Nearly two-thirds (64.5%) of production coordinators were women, while 53.2% of production manager credits were assigned to women. Additionally, 60.9% of supervising producers, 57.1% of additional producers, 56.2% of associate producers, and 50.7% of line producers were women. 46.5% of VFX producer credits went to women, as did 39.9% of executive producer credits.
  • 416 people were identified as belonging to the executive ranks across 60 VFX companies. 73.1% were men and 26.9% were women. Only 5.5% were women of color.
  • Of the 80 executives at the highest position across companies 11.2% were women. Just one of these 9 women was a woman of color.
  • Of the 60 companies, 35% did not include a woman in an executive role. This figure increased to 75% when women of color were considered.
  • Companies were placed in three tiers based on the number of times they appeared in the 400-film sample: top (20 companies), middle (18 companies), and lowest (22 companies). Women were most likely to work in the executive ranks at the top VFX companies evaluated: 30% of the executives at the top 20 companies were women, compared to 24.8% at the middle tier and 21.4% in the lowest tier. For underrepresented women, however, there was no difference by company tier. Fewer than 10% of executives were women of color across all three tiers: top tier (6.2%); middle tier (4.8%); lowest tier (4.8%).
  • Companies were sorted into three categories: those that were U.S.-only, those that operated only outside the U.S. (International), and those that operated both in the U.S. and internationally. Most companies operate both in the U.S. and internationally, and 28.4% of executives in these organizations were women. This was significantly more than companies that only operated internationally (22.5%), but not different than U.S.-only companies (30.4%).
  • Companies with both U.S. and international operations employed the highest percentage of women of color in executive roles (6.7%), though this was not significantly greater than U.S.-only (4.4%) or International (2.7%) companies.

Inclusion Initiative

Of the 14 A-category festivals that held an edition:

  • Just two of 223 films (0.9%) came from Black filmmakers.
  • Only two of 233 directors (0.86%) to work on the competition films were Black.
  • 21.52% of main competition films at the major festivals were directed by women.
  • 7.62% were from Arab directors, and 21.08% from Asian directors.

Screen Daily

Employed screenwriters:

  • 26.5% were women; 20.2% were BIPOC.
  • 20.2 % were white women; 7.2% were BIPOC women; 13% were BIPOC men.

WGA West

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