Author: Martha Lauzen

Indie Women: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in U.S. Independent Film, 2023-24

• Indie Women: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in U.S. Independent Film, 2023-24

EXCERPT

This year’s Indie Women study tracked the employment of behind-the-scenes women working on independently and domestically produced feature-length documentaries and narrative films screening and/or streaming at 20 high-profile film festivals in the U.S.  While these fests continue to stream/screen more narrative films with male than female directors, for the first time they selected more documentaries with female than male directors in 2023-24.  The festivals streamed/screened an average of 11 narrative films directed exclusively by men and 7 directed by women.  However, the festivals screened/streamed an average of 9 documentaries directed by at least one woman and 8 directed exclusively by men.  Women achieved historic highs working as directors (45%) and writers (45%) on documentaries, while the percentages of women working on narrative features declined in every role considered in 2023-24.  Higher percentages of women worked as directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, and cinematographers on documentaries than on narrative features.  Overall, women accounted for 44% of these behind-the-scenes individuals working on documentaries, even with 2022-23, and 32% of those working on narrative features, down from 35% in 2022-23.  The study also reports on women working as composers on independent films.  Women comprised 18% and men 82% of composers on independent features (narrative and documentary films).  Composers, who happen to be women, fared better on documentaries (24%) than on narrative features (15%).

Living Archive: The Celluloid Ceiling Documenting 26 Years of Women’s Employment in U.S. Films 

• Living Archive: The Celluloid Ceiling Documenting 26 Years of Women’s Employment in U.S. Films report

EXCERPT

Since 1998, the annual Celluloid Ceiling study has tracked women’s employment in some of the core crafts of filmmaking, including directing, writing, producing, editing, and cinematography.  It is the longest-running and most comprehensive study of women’s behind-the-scenes employment available.  The Living Archive compiles the findings from every year of the project in a single reference document.  The takeaway from this report is that while the percentages of women working in the roles considered have risen over the last quarter century, many of those gains have been meager.  The percentage of women working as editors on the 250 top grossing films increased by a single point from 20% in 1998 to 21% in 2023.  The percentage of women working as producers climbed 2 points, from 24% in 1998 to 26% in 2023.  The percentage of women working as cinematographers rose just 3 points over the last 26 years, from 4% in 1998 to 7% in 2023.  The percentage of women writers increased 4 points from 13% in 1998 to 17% in 2023.  The percentage of women working as executive producers rose 6 points from 18% in 1998 to 24% in 2023.  Directors, who have received the lion’s share of attention on industry panels and in media reports, experienced the largest increase, climbing 7 percentage points from 9% in 1998 to 16% in 2023.  The extended timeline highlighted in this report provides a sobering historical record of the unrelenting underemployment of women in the U.S. mainstream film industry.

It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top Grossing U.S. Films of 2023

• It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World report

EXCERPT

It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World has monitored portrayals of girls and women in the top 100 grossing films since 2002.  It is the longest-running and most comprehensive study of women’s representation in film available.  The percentage of females in speaking roles declined from 37% in 2022 to 35% in 2023, and the number of female characters in major roles remained the same at 38%.  The percentage of films with female protagonists contracted from 33% in 2022 to 28% in 2023.  77% of films featured more male than female characters in speaking roles. Only 18% of films had more female than male characters, and 5% of films featured equal numbers of female and male characters.  Female characters were younger than their male counterparts, experiencing a precipitous drop from their 30s to their 40s.  33% of female characters were in their 30s but only 15% were in their 40s.  The percentage of male characters in their 30s and 40s remained steady at 28%, and men didn’t experience a decline until they reached their 50s.  Females over 60 remained dramatically underrepresented, accounting for just 7% of all female characters.  Films with at least one woman director and/or writer were more likely than films with no women in these roles to feature higher percentages of females as protagonists, in major roles, and as speaking characters.

The Celluloid Ceiling: Employment of Behind-the-Scenes Women on Top Grossing U.S. Films in 2023

• The Celluloid Ceiling Report

Excerpt:

The Celluloid Ceiling has tracked women’s employment on the 250 top (domestic) grossing films for the last 26 years and provides the most comprehensive historical record of women’s employment in behind-the-scenes roles available.  Overall, women accounted for 22% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the 250 top grossing films.  This represents a decline of 2 percentage points from 24% in 2022.  Taking the long view, it represents an increase of just 5 percentage points since 1998. By role, women made up 16% of directors, 17% of writers, 26% of producers, 24% of executive producers, 21% of editors, and 7% of cinematographers working on the 250 top grossing films.  Films with at least one woman director employed substantially more women in other key behind-the-scenes roles than films with exclusively male directors.  The report also includes the percentages of women working on the 100 top grossing films.