Author: Martha Lauzen

Indie Women: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in U.S. Independent Film, 2024-25

• Indie Women: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in U.S. Independent Film, 2024-25

EXCERPT

This year’s Indie Women report tracked the employment of behind-the-scenes women working on independently and domestically produced feature-length documentaries and narrative features screening and/or streaming at 20 high-profile film festivals in the U.S.  Overall, gender inequality widened in 2024-25 with the fests screening/streaming almost twice as many narrative features directed by men as by women over the last year.  The fests considered featured an average of 13 films directed by men and 7 by women.  In 2023-24, the ratio was 11 to 7.  In addition, after two consecutive years in which the fests streamed/screened equal or slightly higher numbers of documentary features directed by women, that trend reversed in 2024-25 with docs directed by men outnumbering those by women, 12 to 10.  Women were more likely to direct, write, produce, edit, and shoot documentaries than narrative features.  Women comprised 45% of individuals working in these roles on documentaries but 33% on narrative features.  This difference is especially evident for women working as directors (41% documentaries, 32% narrative features), editors (38% documentaries, 27% narrative features), and cinematographers (22% documentaries, 13% narrative features).  The study also reports the percentages of women working as composers.  Women comprised 15% and men 85% of composers on independent features (narrative and documentary films) in 2024-25, down from 18% in 2023-24.  Composers, who happen to be women, fared slightly better on documentaries (16%) than on narrative features (14%).

Living Archive: The Celluloid Ceiling Documenting 27 Years of Women’s Employment in U.S. Films 

• Living Archive: The Celluloid Ceiling Documenting 27 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 most of the percentages of women working in the roles considered have risen over the last quarter century, many of the increases have been meager. For example, the percentage of women working as producers climbed 3 points, from 24% in 1998 to 27% in 2024. The percentage of women working as executive producers rose 4 points from 18% in 1998 to 22% in 2024. The percentage of women writers increased 7 points from 13% in 1998 to 20% in 2024. The percentage of women directors climbed 7 points from 9% in 1998 to 16% in 2024. The percentage of women cinematographers rose 8 points, from 4% in 1998 to 12% in 2024. The percentage of women working as editors on the top 250 grossing films in 2024 remained unchanged at 20%, the same percentage as in 1998. The extended timeline highlighted in this report provides a sobering historical record of the unrelenting underemployment of women in the mainstream film industry.

It’s a Man’s Celluloid World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top Grossing U.S. Films of 2024

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

EXCERPT:

In 2024, the percentage of top grossing films featuring female protagonists equaled the percentage of films with male protagonists.  42% of the 100 top domestic grossing films had female protagonists and 42% had male protagonists.  16% of films featured ensembles.  The percentages of female characters in speaking roles increased only 2 percentage points, from 35% in 2023 to 37% in 2024.  The percentage of major female characters rose a single percentage point, from 38% in 2023 to 39% in 2024.  Ageism remains an issue.  The percentage of female characters plummeted from 35% in their 30s to 16% in their 40s.  In stark contrast, the percentage of male characters increased as they moved from their 30s (25%) to their 40s (31%).  More than twice as many male characters as females were 50 and older.   Now in its 23rd year, It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World is the longest-running and most comprehensive project examining women’s representation in film available.

The Celluloid Ceiling: Employment of Behind-the-Scenes Women on Top Grossing U.S. Films in 2024

• The Celluloid Ceiling Report

The Celluloid Ceiling has tracked women’s employment in films for the last 27 years and provides the longest-running and most comprehensive historical record of women’s behind-the-scenes representation in U.S. films available. Overall, women comprised just 23% of directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the 250 top films of 2024.  Taking the long view, this represents an increase of just 6 percentage points from 17% in 1998.  By role, women accounted for 27% of producers, 22% of executive producers, 20% of editors, 20% of writers, 16% of directors, and 12% of cinematographers working on the 250 top films.  The study also tracked the numbers of women working as composers in 2024.  Women accounted for 9% of composers working on the 250 top 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.