2020, the year hopefully like no other, can now officially claim at least one positive. From January to December, female directors helmed an unprecedented number of films, working on an even higher percentage of the year’s most successful movies than 2019, which held the previous record.
Of the 100 highest-earning films of 2020, 16% of them were directed by women. This includes movies like Birds of Prey (directed by Cathy Yan) and Wonder Woman 1984 (directed by Patty Jenkins). The numbers come from a new study by San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, which has conducted the same study for 20 years.
16% may not seem like a particularly impressive number, and in the grand scheme of things, it could definitely stand to increase. But compared to 2019, which saw women directing only 12% of the 100 highest-grossing films, it appears to be indicative of a positive trend. Dr. Martha Lauzen, director of the Center which ran the study, put things in perspective, saying “we’ve now seen two consecutive years of growth for women who direct,” which she clarified was a departure from a rather unfortunate pattern where an upwards trend usually only lasts one year.
However, she also pointed out that, as good as the numbers are compared to previous years, 16% also means that the most popular films were still weighted over 80% in favor of male directors. That’s not to mention other positions in the films aside from director. While other jobs like producers, writers, and editors were filled by a larger percentage of women, even the highest (producers) only reached 28%. Meanwhile, the Center also noted a trend where female-directed films like The Old Guard generally saw a much higher number of women involved in the production at virtually all levels.
While the percentage itself still seems lower than it could be, it still appears to be a positive trend. Even as recently as 2018, the number was a nearly unbelievable 4%. So while it’s entirely possible that the unique properties of 2020 exerted some unusual influence on these statistics, it seems fairly clear that more women have been taking the director’s seat (whether by way of executive decisions or their own gumption) in recent years. Perhaps this will begin to tone down some of the more creative complaints against women in films and TV.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that 2020’s streaming-focused nature may have skewed the numbers as well. Popular streaming films like The Old Guard (directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood) weren’t exactly easy to measure in terms of earnings, since audiences didn’t technically pay anything directly for the movies themselves (even though women directed a substantial number of streaming films in 2020) In fact, it’s entirely possible that the percentage determined by the Center may have been higher if all of the year’s films had released conventionally. Still, the trend as it is appears to give some hopeful nods to the future. Maybe someday soon, women directors will be as prevalent as stuntwomen in films.
Source: Variety
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