Women of color are underrepresented as directors of studio films, a study from USC's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative shows.- Of the 1,388 top-grossing
movies analyzed since 2007, only 18 films were directed by women of color.
Women of color remain dismally represented as directors of major studio films, despite receiving higher reviews, according to a new study from the University of Southern California's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
According to the study, the percentage of directors from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups reached a 15-year high in 2021. Nearly a third of directors were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups last year, compared to approximately 18% in 2020.
Despite overall gains in representation, the number of women of color directors did not change across the study, which looked at films from 2007 through 2021.
Of the 1,388 top-grossing movies analyzed throughout the time period, only 18 films were directed by women of color.
"This illuminates just how biased the industry is against women of color," Stacy Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, told Insider. "It's not their talent. They are being blocked and not supported."
Streaming services are outpacing traditional studios in terms of representation
Whereas traditional studios have failed to tap the talent of women of color directors, streaming services providing opportunities for them to helm a variety of projects.
Platforms like Amazon, Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max are outpacing studios in terms of representation, the study found.
Of these four streaming services, Amazon Prime ranks first in inclusion, counting 15% of its directors of original films as women of color. Disney+ ranks second with nearly 10% women of color directors, and Netflix and HBO Max are close to the same at approximately 5%.
"These platforms are giving women of color directors the opportunity to connect with audiences on more of a mass scale and more of an immediate scale," Al-Baab Kahn, a project specialist at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, told Insider. "That's why we're seeing streaming as so impactful for women of color and underrepresented directors as a whole."
Smith added that the awards shows are becoming "increasingly irrelevant" — in part because of their lack of inclusivity.
Only 3 women of color have been nominated for one of the four top directing awards from 2008 to 2022.
"We're seeing based on data where they're [young people] finding stories that resonate with them, on the streaming platforms," Smith said. "Unless they [award shows and studios] become relevant and diversify, their future doesn't look that bright. Younger generations have a very different sensibility when it comes to authenticity and inclusion and it does not align with the Academy."
She added that streaming platforms are able to provide visibility and career opportunities for women of color and other underrepresented groups in ways that traditional studios have not.
"Between Amazon and Netflix you're seeing a flooding of the market and [the streaming platforms creating the possibility for people to do what they love to do, tell stories, and transport audiences."
A new program presents a pathway to support women of color film students' careers
Alongside the report, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative announced the creation of the AI Accelerator Program, a program whose goal is to support underrepresented young creatives.
The program, which is partnering with industry titans including Jody Gerson, Kevin Feige, Halle Berry, Melina Matsoukas, will award a $25,000 scholarship to at least one woman of color film student to finish her thesis film.
Smith said many students, particularly women of color, often face "financial impediments" that prevent them from creating the projects they envision.
She said the scholarship idea stemmed from the question of how to give "a woman of color who wants to tell large scale, comic-book type, VFX-driven [visual effects] stories the resources she needs to tell her thesis film, take away her impediment altogether if it exists, and democratize that space in some capacity."
"It's pretty exhilarating," Smith said.
The scholarship recipient will not only have access to financial resources, but informational and relational support too. Per Smith, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative plans to expand the program to "continue to lift up voices" and facilitate marginalized students' careers.