Despite years of discussion, initiatives and lobbying for parity in the film industry, women continue to struggle to achieve greater equality behind the camera.
A study by San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film looked at the 250 biggest box-office hits in the US last year, and found that only 16% of these films were directed by women – the same as in 2023.
The situation changes little when moving up the box-office rankings: women directed just 11% of the year’s 100 highest-grossing films, a figure down three points on 2023, the research points out.
And yet, whether it’s Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller “Babygirl” with Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, or Coralie Fargeat’s horror film “The Substance” starring Demi Moore, some of these feature films have won prestigious awards.
Kidman took the Volpi Cup for best actress at the recent Venice Film Festival, while the “Ghost” star won the Golden Globe for best actress in a musical/comedy, marking a first in her career.
“The stunning successes enjoyed by high-profile women in the last few years – including Greta Gerwig, Jane Campion and Chloé Zhao – have not translated into opportunities for greater numbers of women. Visibility for a few has not generated employment for many,” study author Martha Lauzen said in a statement.
Between directors, screenwriters, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers, women occupied only 23% of these positions in the 250 biggest movies of the year. This nevertheless represents an improvement on 1998 (17%).
Women stand out more in the writing field. They accounted for 20% of screenwriters working on the 250 biggest hits of 2023. This is an all-time record, according to the study, which recalls that women accounted for 17% of screenwriters in 2023 and 13% in 1998.
The majority of movies (72%) employed a maximum of five women in key roles, compared to 6% that employed a maximum of five men. Conversely, 70% of the biggest box-office hits employed a minimum of 10 men, while 8% employed 10 or more women.
Another finding of this study is that when women are at the helm of productions, they make greater use of other female professionals.
“On films with at least one woman director, women comprised 52% of writers, 27% of editors, and 34% of cinematographers. In contrast, on films with male directors, women accounted for 12% of writers, 17% of editors, and 5% of cinematographers out of the top 250 films,” the study highlights.