Eight top female, trans and nonbinary creatives are coming together to support the Proof of Concept Accelerator, which exists to bring to life projects about people from those backgrounds.
Chloé Zhao, Emma Corrin, Eva Longoria, Greta Gerwig, Jane Campion, Janicza Bravo, Lily Gladstone and Lilly Wachowski will form the eight-person selection committee for the fund, which was launched in December by Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Stacy L. Smith, and Dirty Films’ Cate Blanchett and Coco Francini. The program is supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity.
“We are profoundly grateful for the partnership of these members of the Proof of Concept selection committee, made up of not only some of the most talented and prolific storytellers working toda,y but those who are also dedicated to creating change in our industry and our world,” Blanchett, Francini and Smith said in a joint statement. “By extending a hand to this next generation,...
Chloé Zhao, Emma Corrin, Eva Longoria, Greta Gerwig, Jane Campion, Janicza Bravo, Lily Gladstone and Lilly Wachowski will form the eight-person selection committee for the fund, which was launched in December by Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Stacy L. Smith, and Dirty Films’ Cate Blanchett and Coco Francini. The program is supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity.
“We are profoundly grateful for the partnership of these members of the Proof of Concept selection committee, made up of not only some of the most talented and prolific storytellers working toda,y but those who are also dedicated to creating change in our industry and our world,” Blanchett, Francini and Smith said in a joint statement. “By extending a hand to this next generation,...
- 3/25/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is lending her voice to a Netflix nature docuseries highlighting species surviving amid the climate crisis.
Four-part Netflix series “Our Living World” hails from Freeborne Media and Wild Space productions, the Emmy-winning team behind “Our Great National Parks.” The series uses cinematic wildlife photography, macro close-ups, underwater tapestries, and digital effects to capture the tallest and oldest tree in the forest to the smallest egg in a salmon’s spawning pool and every organism in between. Cuttlefish, beavers, rhinos, crabs, dragonflies, flying foxes, and more are featured in nature action shots.
The official synopsis reads: “Spanning continents and oceans, fueled by wind and water and fire, this network allows the densest forests to impact the coldest glaciers, and the deepest oceans to feed the hottest deserts. But with Earth now changing at unprecedented speeds due to human activity, our living world’s network is malfunctioning – and it will take all creatures,...
Four-part Netflix series “Our Living World” hails from Freeborne Media and Wild Space productions, the Emmy-winning team behind “Our Great National Parks.” The series uses cinematic wildlife photography, macro close-ups, underwater tapestries, and digital effects to capture the tallest and oldest tree in the forest to the smallest egg in a salmon’s spawning pool and every organism in between. Cuttlefish, beavers, rhinos, crabs, dragonflies, flying foxes, and more are featured in nature action shots.
The official synopsis reads: “Spanning continents and oceans, fueled by wind and water and fire, this network allows the densest forests to impact the coldest glaciers, and the deepest oceans to feed the hottest deserts. But with Earth now changing at unprecedented speeds due to human activity, our living world’s network is malfunctioning – and it will take all creatures,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Of the 19.5 million people who tuned into the Oscars on Sunday, 60.3 percent were female, according to Nielsen. While women (and girls age 2+) made up the significant majority of the audience for the 96th Academy Awards (as per usual), it was their lowest percentage since 2016 (58.4 percent female). Yes, even with “Barbie” in the (Dream)house.
Last year’s Academy Awards, also hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, were watched by 18.8 million viewers; 61.1 percent of them were female. The 2022 Oscars, hosted by three women — Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer — skewed 61.0 percent female. The host-less 2021 program skewed 62.7 percent female; those were the first Covid-impacted Oscars and they settled for all-time low viewership.
The 2021 Oscars remain the high-water mark for representation among nominees, according to the annual study by USC’s Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and Adobe Foundation. “Nomadland” won Best Picture that year, Best Actress for Frances McDormand, and Best Director for Chloé Zhao.
Last year’s Academy Awards, also hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, were watched by 18.8 million viewers; 61.1 percent of them were female. The 2022 Oscars, hosted by three women — Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer — skewed 61.0 percent female. The host-less 2021 program skewed 62.7 percent female; those were the first Covid-impacted Oscars and they settled for all-time low viewership.
The 2021 Oscars remain the high-water mark for representation among nominees, according to the annual study by USC’s Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and Adobe Foundation. “Nomadland” won Best Picture that year, Best Actress for Frances McDormand, and Best Director for Chloé Zhao.
- 3/12/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
New data on inclusion at the Oscars has found that the percentage of nominees across 19 feature categories who are women and people of colour falls far below proportional representation.
The ’Inclusion List: Oscars Edition’ from researcher Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is the latest update on a website launched last year to look at the gender, race/ethnicity of the nominees and winners spanning the 96-year history of the Academy Awards.
The study found that this season’s crop of nominees is at best equal to or falls behind high water marks established in previous years.
Some...
The ’Inclusion List: Oscars Edition’ from researcher Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is the latest update on a website launched last year to look at the gender, race/ethnicity of the nominees and winners spanning the 96-year history of the Academy Awards.
The study found that this season’s crop of nominees is at best equal to or falls behind high water marks established in previous years.
Some...
- 3/6/2024
- ScreenDaily
Progress, but not perfect.
Thirty-two percent of the 2024 Oscar nominees are women, tying the all-time high first reached in 2021, a new study by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and Adobe Foundation has found.
Twenty percent of nominees in the 19 categories (the ones related to feature-film awards) they examined were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. That ranks third all-time, behind 2021’s 24 percent and 2019’s 21 percent. Women of color hold 5.7 percent of the nominations in 2024; the all-time high was again in 2021, with 11 percent.
“The study reveals how often the Academy Awards recognize the talent and work of women and people of color,” Dr. Smith said in a statement sent to media. “For those who want to say that the Awards are improving, it is critical to note that in 2024, the percentage of women and people of color nominated for awards in feature categories still falls far below proportional representation.
Thirty-two percent of the 2024 Oscar nominees are women, tying the all-time high first reached in 2021, a new study by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and Adobe Foundation has found.
Twenty percent of nominees in the 19 categories (the ones related to feature-film awards) they examined were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. That ranks third all-time, behind 2021’s 24 percent and 2019’s 21 percent. Women of color hold 5.7 percent of the nominations in 2024; the all-time high was again in 2021, with 11 percent.
“The study reveals how often the Academy Awards recognize the talent and work of women and people of color,” Dr. Smith said in a statement sent to media. “For those who want to say that the Awards are improving, it is critical to note that in 2024, the percentage of women and people of color nominated for awards in feature categories still falls far below proportional representation.
- 3/6/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Dune: Part Two, The Regime and Spaceman.
Dune: Part Two premiere
Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem and Denis Villeneuve walked the carpet on Sunday for the New York premiere of their sci-fi sequel.
Anya Taylor-Joy, Souheila Yacoub, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve, Austin Butler, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh and Léa Seydoux Zendaya Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux
Spaceman special screening
Netflix hosted a special screening of Spaceman on Monday with stars Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Isabella Rossellini, Kunal Nayyar and director Johan Renck.
Johan Renck, Carey Mulligan, Adam Sandler, Isabella Rossellini and Kunal Nayyar
The Regime premiere
Kate Winslet joined costars Guillaume Gallienne and Andrea Riseborough...
Dune: Part Two premiere
Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem and Denis Villeneuve walked the carpet on Sunday for the New York premiere of their sci-fi sequel.
Anya Taylor-Joy, Souheila Yacoub, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve, Austin Butler, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh and Léa Seydoux Zendaya Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux
Spaceman special screening
Netflix hosted a special screening of Spaceman on Monday with stars Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Isabella Rossellini, Kunal Nayyar and director Johan Renck.
Johan Renck, Carey Mulligan, Adam Sandler, Isabella Rossellini and Kunal Nayyar
The Regime premiere
Kate Winslet joined costars Guillaume Gallienne and Andrea Riseborough...
- 3/1/2024
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone and Emmy nominee Emma Corrin are set to kick off “Live in Front of a Student Audience,” a new conversation series hosted by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder and director of USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
The series will officially launch on Feb. 22 with Gladstone discussing her portrayal of Mollie Kyle in Apple Original Films’ “Killers of the Flower Moon,” followed by a discussion on Feb. 26 with Corrin, who follows up her Emmy-nominated turn as Princess Diana on “The Crown” with roles in “Murder at the End of the World” and “Deadpool 3.”
As indicated by the series’ title, Dr. Smith will host the interviews live in front of a student audience on USC’s campus and the footage will also serve as a filmed podcast for the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s digital channels.
In a statement explaining the impetus for the series,...
The series will officially launch on Feb. 22 with Gladstone discussing her portrayal of Mollie Kyle in Apple Original Films’ “Killers of the Flower Moon,” followed by a discussion on Feb. 26 with Corrin, who follows up her Emmy-nominated turn as Princess Diana on “The Crown” with roles in “Murder at the End of the World” and “Deadpool 3.”
As indicated by the series’ title, Dr. Smith will host the interviews live in front of a student audience on USC’s campus and the footage will also serve as a filmed podcast for the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s digital channels.
In a statement explaining the impetus for the series,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Barbie may have rescued the box office in 2023, but she could not tip the balance for representation of women in films.
Even as state legislatures consider restricting or eliminating Dei initiatives at public institutions, the percentage of women, women of color and women 45+ in films released in North America in 2023 plummeted to lows not seen in almost a decade. That’s according to the results of a study released this morning by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. In fact, those percentages are the worst since 2014, despite Barbie.
“It is a difficult lesson but one that must be restated: One film does not represent progress across the industry and cannot bear the burden of lifting the industry to inclusion,” wrote the study’s authors Katherine L. Neff, Dr. Stacy L. Smith & Dr. Katherine Pieper.
USC Annenberg analyzed “the gender identity, racial/ethnicity, and age of leads/co leads across the 100 top-grossing...
Even as state legislatures consider restricting or eliminating Dei initiatives at public institutions, the percentage of women, women of color and women 45+ in films released in North America in 2023 plummeted to lows not seen in almost a decade. That’s according to the results of a study released this morning by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. In fact, those percentages are the worst since 2014, despite Barbie.
“It is a difficult lesson but one that must be restated: One film does not represent progress across the industry and cannot bear the burden of lifting the industry to inclusion,” wrote the study’s authors Katherine L. Neff, Dr. Stacy L. Smith & Dr. Katherine Pieper.
USC Annenberg analyzed “the gender identity, racial/ethnicity, and age of leads/co leads across the 100 top-grossing...
- 2/21/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Although Barbie won the box office last year, a demographic analysis of the rest of 2023’s releases indicates that Hollywood is still investing primarily in male-centered movies.
Just 30 percent of the top 100 films of 2023 featured a female lead or co-lead, the lowest share in a decade, according to the latest research brief from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. AI2 has compiled this data annually since 2007 (which, at 20 percent, featured the lowest-ever percentage of women protagonists), and last year’s mark is a substantial drop from 2022’s record-high of 44 percent.
“This is a catastrophic step back for girls and women in film,” AI2 founder Stacy L. Smith said in a statement. “These numbers are more than just a metric of how often girls and women are in protagonist roles. They represent the career opportunities offered to women in the industry…. Even by looking at the films that were moved to 2024 because of the strike,...
Just 30 percent of the top 100 films of 2023 featured a female lead or co-lead, the lowest share in a decade, according to the latest research brief from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. AI2 has compiled this data annually since 2007 (which, at 20 percent, featured the lowest-ever percentage of women protagonists), and last year’s mark is a substantial drop from 2022’s record-high of 44 percent.
“This is a catastrophic step back for girls and women in film,” AI2 founder Stacy L. Smith said in a statement. “These numbers are more than just a metric of how often girls and women are in protagonist roles. They represent the career opportunities offered to women in the industry…. Even by looking at the films that were moved to 2024 because of the strike,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Even with Barbie as the year’s biggest domestic earner, the representation of women in hit films took a “catastrophic step back” in 2023, according to one of the authors of a report on diversity and inclusion in North American theatrical releases.
According to the latest annual report from the Los Angeles-based USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, only 30 of the 100 top-grossing films of last year had a girl or woman in a lead or co-lead role, compared to 44 in 2022. The 2023 representation level was the same as the level recorded in 2010.
The report shows a modest increase, however, in the on-screen ethnic diversity of successful films,...
According to the latest annual report from the Los Angeles-based USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, only 30 of the 100 top-grossing films of last year had a girl or woman in a lead or co-lead role, compared to 44 in 2022. The 2023 representation level was the same as the level recorded in 2010.
The report shows a modest increase, however, in the on-screen ethnic diversity of successful films,...
- 2/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Study Reveals Most Inclusive Episodic TV Programming; Greg Berlanti, Ava DuVernay Top Producers List
Just in time for Monday’s Emmy awards, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Dr. Stacy L. Smith, along with the the Adobe Foundation, have unveiled The Inclusion List for episodic programming, which recognizes the most inclusive series in broadcast, cable and streaming.
Following a similar effort for films, the list analyzes on-screen and behind-the-camera personnel from more than 500 programs to determine the 100 most inclusive broadcast and cable series from the 2021-22 broadcast season, as well as streaming series from 2021 to 2023. The project also recognizes 20 producers responsible for the most inclusive content.
“The goal of the Inclusion List is to recognize the stories and storytellers who are taking inclusion seriously and whose content reflects their values,” said Dr. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. “With today’s release of the Inclusion List for broadcast/cable and streaming series, we are excited to acknowledge the creative voices championing inclusion across the spectrum of episodic content.
Following a similar effort for films, the list analyzes on-screen and behind-the-camera personnel from more than 500 programs to determine the 100 most inclusive broadcast and cable series from the 2021-22 broadcast season, as well as streaming series from 2021 to 2023. The project also recognizes 20 producers responsible for the most inclusive content.
“The goal of the Inclusion List is to recognize the stories and storytellers who are taking inclusion seriously and whose content reflects their values,” said Dr. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. “With today’s release of the Inclusion List for broadcast/cable and streaming series, we are excited to acknowledge the creative voices championing inclusion across the spectrum of episodic content.
- 1/11/2024
- by Pat Saperstein and Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
The highest-grossing movie of 2023 was directed by a woman – but equal opportunity for women behind the camera is as elusive as ever, caution San Diego State’s Martha Lauzen and Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Stacy L. Smith.
The academics’ latest respective industry progress reports pour cold water on any premature celebrations prompted by the high-profile successes of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, the year’s top box office performer, and of Celine Song’s Past Lives, which received the highest Metacritic score.
While Annenberg’s “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” surveys the 100 top-grossing movies annually and the Sdsu Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s “The Celluloid Ceiling” additionally widens the aperture to the top 250 releases, both conclude that women consistently account for a slim minority of directors working each year. (The two reports’ exact numbers differ slightly: Among the top 100 films of 2023, Annenberg calculated that women represented 12.1 percent of helmers,...
The academics’ latest respective industry progress reports pour cold water on any premature celebrations prompted by the high-profile successes of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, the year’s top box office performer, and of Celine Song’s Past Lives, which received the highest Metacritic score.
While Annenberg’s “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” surveys the 100 top-grossing movies annually and the Sdsu Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s “The Celluloid Ceiling” additionally widens the aperture to the top 250 releases, both conclude that women consistently account for a slim minority of directors working each year. (The two reports’ exact numbers differ slightly: Among the top 100 films of 2023, Annenberg calculated that women represented 12.1 percent of helmers,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hollywood’s efforts to improve diversity among filmmakers were disparaged as “performative acts” in a new report detailing the still-scant directing opportunities afforded to women and people of color.
Per Variety, the new “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” report from Dr. Stacy L. Smith at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that, of the 116 directors attached to the 100 highest-grossing films of 2023, just 14 were women. That 12.1 percent figure is up from last year’s nine percent — though it’s not even a 10 percent increase from the 4.5 percent of female directors...
Per Variety, the new “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” report from Dr. Stacy L. Smith at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that, of the 116 directors attached to the 100 highest-grossing films of 2023, just 14 were women. That 12.1 percent figure is up from last year’s nine percent — though it’s not even a 10 percent increase from the 4.5 percent of female directors...
- 1/2/2024
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Netflix supporting Proof Of Concept initiative to challenge barriers in funding, mentorship, exposure.
Cate Blanchett and her Dirty Films partner Coco Francini have teamed up with Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative to launch the Proof of Concept Accelerator Program to identify the next generation of filmmakers whose stories promote the perspectives of women, trans, and non-binary people.
The initiative is supported by Netflix and is designed to challenge what the founders call “the three most significant barriers these directors face as they navigate the industry”: funding, mentorship, and exposure.
Up to eight filmmakers will be selected for the inaugural group,...
Cate Blanchett and her Dirty Films partner Coco Francini have teamed up with Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative to launch the Proof of Concept Accelerator Program to identify the next generation of filmmakers whose stories promote the perspectives of women, trans, and non-binary people.
The initiative is supported by Netflix and is designed to challenge what the founders call “the three most significant barriers these directors face as they navigate the industry”: funding, mentorship, and exposure.
Up to eight filmmakers will be selected for the inaugural group,...
- 12/15/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
In the ever-evolving landscape of film and television, the representation of diverse voices has been a persistent challenge. A recent report from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative paints a stark picture: of the directors across 1,600 top-grossing movies, a mere 6% were women, and less than a third of all speaking characters were girls, women, trans, or non-binary individuals. The glaring disparity not only limits on-screen representation but also curtails career opportunities for women, trans, and non-binary storytellers.
Enter Proof of Concept, the initiative launched today as the brainchild of Cate Blanchett, her Dirty Films producing partner Coco Francini and Smith in collaboration with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. This program is designed to address the trifecta of challenges facing these directors: funding, mentorship, and exposure.
Blanchett, Francini and Andrew Upton’s Dirty Films is an independent film, TV and podcast production company that most recently produced Christos...
Enter Proof of Concept, the initiative launched today as the brainchild of Cate Blanchett, her Dirty Films producing partner Coco Francini and Smith in collaboration with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. This program is designed to address the trifecta of challenges facing these directors: funding, mentorship, and exposure.
Blanchett, Francini and Andrew Upton’s Dirty Films is an independent film, TV and podcast production company that most recently produced Christos...
- 12/14/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Cate Blanchett and Coco Francini, who are partners in Dirty Films, along with Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative have launched the Proof of Concept Accelerator Program.
Supported by Netflix, the program’s goal is to identify the next generation of filmmaking talent whose stories promote the perspectives of women, trans, and nonbinary people.
According to the latest annual report from Smith and Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, 6% of directors across 1,600 top-grossing movies were women and less than one-third of all speaking characters on screen in those movies were girls, women, trans or non-binary people. This lack of inclusion behind the camera and on screen means there are limited career opportunities for women, trans, and non-binary storytellers and those who want to bring their stories to the screen.
Proof of Concept challenges the three most significant barriers these directors face as they navigate the industry: funding, mentorship, and exposure.
Supported by Netflix, the program’s goal is to identify the next generation of filmmaking talent whose stories promote the perspectives of women, trans, and nonbinary people.
According to the latest annual report from Smith and Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, 6% of directors across 1,600 top-grossing movies were women and less than one-third of all speaking characters on screen in those movies were girls, women, trans or non-binary people. This lack of inclusion behind the camera and on screen means there are limited career opportunities for women, trans, and non-binary storytellers and those who want to bring their stories to the screen.
Proof of Concept challenges the three most significant barriers these directors face as they navigate the industry: funding, mentorship, and exposure.
- 12/14/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Latinos are the second largest racial/ethnic group (behind non-Hispanic white people) in the United States, accounting for about half of the nation’s population growth over the past two decades. Nineteen percent of Americans (62.1 million) are Latino – not that you could tell by watching American movies.
According to the latest study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, just 5.5% of speaking characters on the big screen are Hispanic or Latino – a proportion that has not significantly changed in the past 16 years, even as the U.S. Hispanic population grew 23% just in the past decade. Even fewer – 4.4% – were leads or co-leads (less than 1%, or 8 actors total, were Afro-Latino), and 2.6% were born in the United States. Only four U.S.-born Latinos starred in more than one movie since 2007 (none were men); the actor with the most lead roles was Cameron Diaz, a white Latina who retired about a decade ago.
AI2’s study,...
According to the latest study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, just 5.5% of speaking characters on the big screen are Hispanic or Latino – a proportion that has not significantly changed in the past 16 years, even as the U.S. Hispanic population grew 23% just in the past decade. Even fewer – 4.4% – were leads or co-leads (less than 1%, or 8 actors total, were Afro-Latino), and 2.6% were born in the United States. Only four U.S.-born Latinos starred in more than one movie since 2007 (none were men); the actor with the most lead roles was Cameron Diaz, a white Latina who retired about a decade ago.
AI2’s study,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new study released by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative covering the top films from 2007 to 2022 has found that Hispanic/Latino representation both in front of the camera and behind has not improved in 16 years. And even when the community lands prominent roles, they’re usually stereotyped as immigrants or as having low income.
The initiative’s study, released Monday, examined 1,600 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2022 and more than 62,000 speaking characters. It found that there was not one year during that span that all film distributors released at least one movie with a Latino or Hispanic lead/co-lead.
Four of the seven biggest distributors had fewer than 10 films in 16 years with a Hispanic/Latino lead. Warner Bros had had worst record among the studios, per the study, with only three movies featuring a Hispanic/Latino lead or co-lead in the 16-year time frame.
Courtesy of The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
When Hispanics...
The initiative’s study, released Monday, examined 1,600 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2022 and more than 62,000 speaking characters. It found that there was not one year during that span that all film distributors released at least one movie with a Latino or Hispanic lead/co-lead.
Four of the seven biggest distributors had fewer than 10 films in 16 years with a Hispanic/Latino lead. Warner Bros had had worst record among the studios, per the study, with only three movies featuring a Hispanic/Latino lead or co-lead in the 16-year time frame.
Courtesy of The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
When Hispanics...
- 11/6/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
A new report from Professor Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examines Native American representation across 1,600 of the top-earning films from 2007 to 2022.
The results are not encouraging. Less than one-quarter of one percent (<0.25%) of all speaking roles were Native American characters. While Native Americans represent 1.3% of the U.S. population, none of the 16 years studied did the percentage cross 1%. There was just a single film with a Native actor in the leading role. 65% of all Native American-speaking roles were all but irrelevant to the plot. Just 34.6% featured Native characters in secondary roles.
The study evaluates every speaking or named character—more than 62,000 roles—to understand how many Native American roles appeared on screen. The authors stipulated that Native characters must have U.S. origins to be included in the analysis. Additionally, the study assessed how often Native actors worked across the sample of movies.
Most of the...
The results are not encouraging. Less than one-quarter of one percent (<0.25%) of all speaking roles were Native American characters. While Native Americans represent 1.3% of the U.S. population, none of the 16 years studied did the percentage cross 1%. There was just a single film with a Native actor in the leading role. 65% of all Native American-speaking roles were all but irrelevant to the plot. Just 34.6% featured Native characters in secondary roles.
The study evaluates every speaking or named character—more than 62,000 roles—to understand how many Native American roles appeared on screen. The authors stipulated that Native characters must have U.S. origins to be included in the analysis. Additionally, the study assessed how often Native actors worked across the sample of movies.
Most of the...
- 10/17/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
As the Native American star of a major Hollywood movie, Killers of the Flower Moon’s leading lady Lily Gladstone will be in rare company, but just how rare?
That’s what the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative set out to analyze in its latest research brief, using its long-running data collection on the 100 highest-grossing theatrical movies from 2007 to 2022. The group found that among those 1,600 films, there was just one Native American lead character: Dani Moonstar, played by Blu Hunt, from the 2020 superhero ensemble film The New Mutants. (The 2022 sleeper hit Prey, starring Amber Midthunder as a young Comanche woman who singlehandedly defeats the Predator, received a streaming-only domestic release and as such was not included in the research.)
Native Americans represent just 1.3% of the real-life population, according to the U.S. Census, and even less onscreen (0.25% — not 25%, but 0.25% — of speaking characters). What’s more, only 99 of these 133 Native American movie roles...
That’s what the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative set out to analyze in its latest research brief, using its long-running data collection on the 100 highest-grossing theatrical movies from 2007 to 2022. The group found that among those 1,600 films, there was just one Native American lead character: Dani Moonstar, played by Blu Hunt, from the 2020 superhero ensemble film The New Mutants. (The 2022 sleeper hit Prey, starring Amber Midthunder as a young Comanche woman who singlehandedly defeats the Predator, received a streaming-only domestic release and as such was not included in the research.)
Native Americans represent just 1.3% of the real-life population, according to the U.S. Census, and even less onscreen (0.25% — not 25%, but 0.25% — of speaking characters). What’s more, only 99 of these 133 Native American movie roles...
- 10/17/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As Hispanic Heritage Month continues in the United States, a new report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative assesses the state of Hispanic and Latino representation in Hollywood’s top-grossing films.
The full study will be released next month, examining 1,600 top-grossing films released from 2007 to 2022 and more than 69,000 speaking characters, with qualitative data about how those Latino and Hispanic characters are presented in films, including whether they “stereotype or stigmatize” the community. It’s the third study analyzing Hispanic and Latino representation from the Initiative’s researchers, led by founder Dr. Stacy L. Smith.
According to the report, Hispanic/Latino actors filled just 10 leading or co-lead roles across last year’s 100 top-grossing films, and eight of those 10 roles went to Hispanic/Latina actors. In the 16-year span studied, just 76 actors filled lead or co-lead roles; 44 were Hispanic/Latina; and five were Hispanic/Latinas aged 45 and older.
Overall, the study showed...
The full study will be released next month, examining 1,600 top-grossing films released from 2007 to 2022 and more than 69,000 speaking characters, with qualitative data about how those Latino and Hispanic characters are presented in films, including whether they “stereotype or stigmatize” the community. It’s the third study analyzing Hispanic and Latino representation from the Initiative’s researchers, led by founder Dr. Stacy L. Smith.
According to the report, Hispanic/Latino actors filled just 10 leading or co-lead roles across last year’s 100 top-grossing films, and eight of those 10 roles went to Hispanic/Latina actors. In the 16-year span studied, just 76 actors filled lead or co-lead roles; 44 were Hispanic/Latina; and five were Hispanic/Latinas aged 45 and older.
Overall, the study showed...
- 10/9/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
The 2023 Variety Gotham Week Expo kicked off in New York City on Thursday with a series of panels focused on diversity and inclusion.
The first panel of the day was “Deep Dive: The Inclusion List” with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation. Panelists included Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, “Nomadland” producer Mollye Asher, and Amy White, global head of corporate social responsibility at Adobe and the executive director of the Adobe Foundation Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Dr. Katherine Pieper, program director at the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, served as the moderator.
Dr. Smith led off by discussing the findings of the Initiative’s latest research study, which she said found that “women of color, internationally, are making more money than white men at the box office. It’s not a significant difference, but it is the only difference.” She also said that...
The first panel of the day was “Deep Dive: The Inclusion List” with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation. Panelists included Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, “Nomadland” producer Mollye Asher, and Amy White, global head of corporate social responsibility at Adobe and the executive director of the Adobe Foundation Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Dr. Katherine Pieper, program director at the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, served as the moderator.
Dr. Smith led off by discussing the findings of the Initiative’s latest research study, which she said found that “women of color, internationally, are making more money than white men at the box office. It’s not a significant difference, but it is the only difference.” She also said that...
- 10/4/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
What makes a box office winner? Conventional wisdom, inferred by the business decisions of studios and distributors, is that movies starring white male protagonists — the most relatable of human beings — are the most reliable guarantor of high ticket grosses. As such, those are the films in which companies place the lion’s share of their investments, lavishing them with the biggest budgets and marketing spends and the broadest theatrical distribution.
But are those high-dollar commitments actually the predictors of, and not merely reactions to, box office success? This is the question that the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative investigates in its new research brief, which examined the protagonists, budgets, marketing spends and distribution densities of the 126 highest-grossing live-action non-ensemble movies of 2021 and 2022 in order to determine whether a protagonist’s demographic identity has anything to do with a movie’s financial performance.
Although movies starring white men indeed grossed the most both domestically and internationally,...
But are those high-dollar commitments actually the predictors of, and not merely reactions to, box office success? This is the question that the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative investigates in its new research brief, which examined the protagonists, budgets, marketing spends and distribution densities of the 126 highest-grossing live-action non-ensemble movies of 2021 and 2022 in order to determine whether a protagonist’s demographic identity has anything to do with a movie’s financial performance.
Although movies starring white men indeed grossed the most both domestically and internationally,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Studio Support Matters More Than Gender or Race for Blockbuster Movie Success, Annenberg Study Finds
Dr. Stacy L. Smith’s annual USC Annenberg research study concerning the correlation between onscreen inclusivity and box office success again debunks certain conventional wisdom about who can lead a blockbuster. The core findings of the study show that studio resources and backing are more important than whether a given film is headlined by a white guy or a Black woman. One big reason why “Barbie” broke out with $1.4 billion this summer is that Warner Bros. Discovery treated it like an A-level tentpole release. That isn’t always the case for films headlined by “not a white guy” actors.
The study, by Dr. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, updates and extends the group’s previous economic analyses. Examining 126 top-grossing, live-action, single-led films from 2021 and 2022, the report overviews differences in box office earnings alongside factors that contribute to success, such as a film’s budget, marketing costs, and distribution density.
The study, by Dr. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, updates and extends the group’s previous economic analyses. Examining 126 top-grossing, live-action, single-led films from 2021 and 2022, the report overviews differences in box office earnings alongside factors that contribute to success, such as a film’s budget, marketing costs, and distribution density.
- 10/3/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
A new study by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has found little improvement in casting among marginalized groups in Hollywood’s most popular films, this despite years of advocacy for more representative characters on the big screen.
The study, released Thursday, examined characters’ genders, race/ethnicities, LGBTQ+ identities and those with disabilities for the 1,600 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2022, spanning 69,858 speaking roles.
While 2022 films saw increases in characters onscreen among women and girls as well as among underrepresented racial ethnic groups, overall those numbers were static over time, specifically among the former group, which despite seeing a 16-year high in leading or co-leading roles in 2022 (44%) saw almost no change since 2007 in the percentage of female-identified speaking characters (34.6% in 2022 compared with 29.9% in ’07).
The study found that only 15% of 2022’s top 100 films featured a cast that was gender-balanced, or featured girls and women in 45-54.9% of speaking roles.
“It is clear that the...
The study, released Thursday, examined characters’ genders, race/ethnicities, LGBTQ+ identities and those with disabilities for the 1,600 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2022, spanning 69,858 speaking roles.
While 2022 films saw increases in characters onscreen among women and girls as well as among underrepresented racial ethnic groups, overall those numbers were static over time, specifically among the former group, which despite seeing a 16-year high in leading or co-leading roles in 2022 (44%) saw almost no change since 2007 in the percentage of female-identified speaking characters (34.6% in 2022 compared with 29.9% in ’07).
The study found that only 15% of 2022’s top 100 films featured a cast that was gender-balanced, or featured girls and women in 45-54.9% of speaking roles.
“It is clear that the...
- 8/17/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has released its signature comprehensive report on the diversity of movies in front of and behind the camera.
Analyzing the 100 highest-grossing movies at the box office each year since 2007, AI2’s sample size has now reached 1,600 titles and 69,858 speaking characters. Over 16 years, the researchers found little change in the percentage of characters from nonwhite groups of every race and ethnicity except one: Asians represented 15.9 percent of characters in 2022’s top movies – up from 3.4 percent in 2007 (over a decade before Crazy Rich Asians ushered in an unprecedented era of visibility). But overall, nonwhite characters remained slightly underrepresented onscreen, with a 38.3 percent share compared to 41.1 percent of the U.S. population in real life. In 2007, 13 of the top 100 movies featured a lead or co-lead of color. Last year the tally was 31, slightly down from the 16-year high of 37 films the year prior.
Analyzing the 100 highest-grossing movies at the box office each year since 2007, AI2’s sample size has now reached 1,600 titles and 69,858 speaking characters. Over 16 years, the researchers found little change in the percentage of characters from nonwhite groups of every race and ethnicity except one: Asians represented 15.9 percent of characters in 2022’s top movies – up from 3.4 percent in 2007 (over a decade before Crazy Rich Asians ushered in an unprecedented era of visibility). But overall, nonwhite characters remained slightly underrepresented onscreen, with a 38.3 percent share compared to 41.1 percent of the U.S. population in real life. In 2007, 13 of the top 100 movies featured a lead or co-lead of color. Last year the tally was 31, slightly down from the 16-year high of 37 films the year prior.
- 8/17/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The annual report from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that Universal’s “Bros” accounted for 80% of the transgender characters in the 100 top-grossing movies of 2022.
According to the study, just 87 of 4,169 speaking or named characters (2.1%) in 2022 movies were LGBTQ+. Of that number, five characters identified as transgender and four of them appeared in “Bros.”
Written by and starring Billy Eichner, the film made history as the first gay rom-com to be given a wide theatrical release by a major studio and featured a cast almost exclusively made up of LGBTQ actors. The film was released in September 2022 and despite disappointing box office returns (“Bros” earned just $14.7 million worldwide), qualified under the Annenberg researchers’ criteria.
Authored by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Dr. Katherine Pieper and Sam Wheeler, the study assessed a total of 69,858 speaking characters covering the 1,600 top films from 2007 to 2022, examining the inclusion factors of gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identity and characters with disabilities,...
According to the study, just 87 of 4,169 speaking or named characters (2.1%) in 2022 movies were LGBTQ+. Of that number, five characters identified as transgender and four of them appeared in “Bros.”
Written by and starring Billy Eichner, the film made history as the first gay rom-com to be given a wide theatrical release by a major studio and featured a cast almost exclusively made up of LGBTQ actors. The film was released in September 2022 and despite disappointing box office returns (“Bros” earned just $14.7 million worldwide), qualified under the Annenberg researchers’ criteria.
Authored by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Dr. Katherine Pieper and Sam Wheeler, the study assessed a total of 69,858 speaking characters covering the 1,600 top films from 2007 to 2022, examining the inclusion factors of gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identity and characters with disabilities,...
- 8/17/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
The University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released its annual report Thursday on Hollywood’s track record on including women and people of color in front of and behind the camera, and the data shows little improvement in 2022.
The study, led by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, examined the top 100 grossing films in each year from 2007 to 2022, covering 69,858 speaking roles. While the female share of leading roles rose to a record 44% in 2022, the share of overall speaking roles stood at just 34.6%, marking no improvement from 2021 and only 4.7 percentage points higher than 2007.
In addition, only 15% of the top films surveyed in 2022 had a speaking role female share of at least 45%, same as in 2007.
“It is clear that the entertainment industry has little desire or motivation to improve casting processes in a way that creates meaningful change for girls and women,” Smith said. “The lack of progress is particularly disappointing following decades of activism and advocacy.
The study, led by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, examined the top 100 grossing films in each year from 2007 to 2022, covering 69,858 speaking roles. While the female share of leading roles rose to a record 44% in 2022, the share of overall speaking roles stood at just 34.6%, marking no improvement from 2021 and only 4.7 percentage points higher than 2007.
In addition, only 15% of the top films surveyed in 2022 had a speaking role female share of at least 45%, same as in 2007.
“It is clear that the entertainment industry has little desire or motivation to improve casting processes in a way that creates meaningful change for girls and women,” Smith said. “The lack of progress is particularly disappointing following decades of activism and advocacy.
- 8/17/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Mental health is on the minds of medical professionals, policy makers, parents, and advocates these days. Yet a new study reveals that one area where little has changed for mental health is popular movies.
The new report, from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is the third in a series examining mental health representation in popular films. The study, “Mental Health Conditions Across 300 Popular Films,” was also supported by Dr. Christine Yu Moutier and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The new research examines the prevalence and portrayals of mental health conditions across the 100 top-grossing films from 2022, comparing the new findings to the Initiative’s previous studies covering 2016 and 2019.
You can read the full report here
Only 2.1% of the 3,815 speaking characters examined in 2022 were shown with a mental health condition. This is consistent with the findings from 2016 (1.7%) and 2019 (1.5%), and reveals that there has been no change over time.
The new report, from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is the third in a series examining mental health representation in popular films. The study, “Mental Health Conditions Across 300 Popular Films,” was also supported by Dr. Christine Yu Moutier and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The new research examines the prevalence and portrayals of mental health conditions across the 100 top-grossing films from 2022, comparing the new findings to the Initiative’s previous studies covering 2016 and 2019.
You can read the full report here
Only 2.1% of the 3,815 speaking characters examined in 2022 were shown with a mental health condition. This is consistent with the findings from 2016 (1.7%) and 2019 (1.5%), and reveals that there has been no change over time.
- 6/29/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Eva Longoria put Hollywood on notice during her Kering Women in Motion talk at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
The “Desperate Housewives” alum, who was joined by University of Southern California Annenberg professor and researcher Dr. Stacy L. Smith, is making her feature directorial debut with “Flamin’ Hot,” an inspirational story about a Frito-Lay janitor who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The film won an audience award at the SXSW Film Festival.
As a female director, a first-time director and a Latina director, Longoria said she “felt the weight of my community” and “the weight of every female director” when production started on “Flamin’ Hot.” Speaking with Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, Longoria noted that Hollywood does not play fair when it comes to films directed by women flopping versus male directors. There can be no margin of error for a director like Longoria, as one flop could cost her another directorial gig,...
The “Desperate Housewives” alum, who was joined by University of Southern California Annenberg professor and researcher Dr. Stacy L. Smith, is making her feature directorial debut with “Flamin’ Hot,” an inspirational story about a Frito-Lay janitor who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The film won an audience award at the SXSW Film Festival.
As a female director, a first-time director and a Latina director, Longoria said she “felt the weight of my community” and “the weight of every female director” when production started on “Flamin’ Hot.” Speaking with Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, Longoria noted that Hollywood does not play fair when it comes to films directed by women flopping versus male directors. There can be no margin of error for a director like Longoria, as one flop could cost her another directorial gig,...
- 5/23/2023
- by Zack Sharf and Elizabeth Wagmeister
- Variety Film + TV
The Inclusion List, courtesy of Dr. L Stacy Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation, will show the world who is doing best in terms of representation in theatrically released movies.
Appearing at www.Inclusionlist.org, The Inclusion List is a new, data-driven ranking that provides the 100 most inclusive theatrical releases from 2019 to 2022. Topping the list among all such movies was Gina Prince-Bythewood’s acclaimed and crowd-pleasing “The Woman King.”
The Inclusion List, appearing at www.inclusionlist.org, is a new data-driven ranking that provides the titles of the 100 most inclusive theatrically released films from 2019 to 2022. The website also highlights the top distributors associated with the movies on the list, names eight individuals as the top producers and highlights two top directors for inclusion across the time evaluated.
Also Read:
‘City on Fire’ Star John Cameron Mitchell Was Cast in the First Attempt at...
Appearing at www.Inclusionlist.org, The Inclusion List is a new, data-driven ranking that provides the 100 most inclusive theatrical releases from 2019 to 2022. Topping the list among all such movies was Gina Prince-Bythewood’s acclaimed and crowd-pleasing “The Woman King.”
The Inclusion List, appearing at www.inclusionlist.org, is a new data-driven ranking that provides the titles of the 100 most inclusive theatrically released films from 2019 to 2022. The website also highlights the top distributors associated with the movies on the list, names eight individuals as the top producers and highlights two top directors for inclusion across the time evaluated.
Also Read:
‘City on Fire’ Star John Cameron Mitchell Was Cast in the First Attempt at...
- 5/18/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Today, Dr. L Stacy Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation, debuts a new, first-of-its kind ranking system, The Inclusion List, to show the world just who is doing it best when it comes to representation in theatrically-released films.
The Inclusion List, appearing at www.inclusionlist.org, is a new data-driven ranking that provides the titles of the 100 most inclusive theatrically-released films from 2019 to 2022. The website also highlights the top distributors associated with the movies on the list, names eight individuals as the top producers and showcases two top directors for inclusion across the time frame evaluated.
“With The Inclusion List, our goal is to celebrate the films, filmmakers, and companies who are supporting inclusion on screen and behind-the-camera,” said Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Founder. “This is the first rigorous, quantitative assessment of hiring practices across almost 400 movies and more than 900 producers,...
The Inclusion List, appearing at www.inclusionlist.org, is a new data-driven ranking that provides the titles of the 100 most inclusive theatrically-released films from 2019 to 2022. The website also highlights the top distributors associated with the movies on the list, names eight individuals as the top producers and showcases two top directors for inclusion across the time frame evaluated.
“With The Inclusion List, our goal is to celebrate the films, filmmakers, and companies who are supporting inclusion on screen and behind-the-camera,” said Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Founder. “This is the first rigorous, quantitative assessment of hiring practices across almost 400 movies and more than 900 producers,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Variety has announced the initial lineup for the Kering Women in Motion talks at the Cannes Film Festival. Moderated by Variety’s Chief Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, this year’s talks include some of the most important women working in cinema and offers a mix between up-and-coming talent and iconic figures such as Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh.
On Thursday, May 18, playwright, actor and philanthropist Jeremy O. Harris, who stars in Directors’ Fortnight premiere “The Sweet East,” will kick off the Women in Motion series to discuss female representation in his work.
Following Harris’ talk, actress and director Katie Holmes will speak about her work as a director and how the industry has changed in its approach to female directors since she first began working in television.
On Saturday, May 20, actress and producer Blanchett will be joined by Dirty Films producer Coco Francini to discuss their film company and their role...
On Thursday, May 18, playwright, actor and philanthropist Jeremy O. Harris, who stars in Directors’ Fortnight premiere “The Sweet East,” will kick off the Women in Motion series to discuss female representation in his work.
Following Harris’ talk, actress and director Katie Holmes will speak about her work as a director and how the industry has changed in its approach to female directors since she first began working in television.
On Saturday, May 20, actress and producer Blanchett will be joined by Dirty Films producer Coco Francini to discuss their film company and their role...
- 5/17/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has achieved gender equity in leading on-screen roles, a new USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative report reveals.
Between 2018 and 2021, 55% of all Netflix original films and series featured a girl or woman as the lead or co-lead, per the study, with films and series from 2020 and 2021 signaling notable benchmarks for year-over-year representation for women and people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Leading roles for people of color also saw an increase in representation with nearly half (47%) of the streamer’s films and series featuring a lead or co-lead from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group in 2020 and 2021.
There are still strides to make, however: the study found persistent gaps in representation in Latinx, Middle Eastern/North African, Indigenous and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities, as well as characters with disabilities.
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Behind the camera, the...
Between 2018 and 2021, 55% of all Netflix original films and series featured a girl or woman as the lead or co-lead, per the study, with films and series from 2020 and 2021 signaling notable benchmarks for year-over-year representation for women and people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Leading roles for people of color also saw an increase in representation with nearly half (47%) of the streamer’s films and series featuring a lead or co-lead from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group in 2020 and 2021.
There are still strides to make, however: the study found persistent gaps in representation in Latinx, Middle Eastern/North African, Indigenous and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities, as well as characters with disabilities.
Also Read:
‘The Crown’ Season 6: Prince William and Kate’s Romance Blossoms in First Look (Photos)
Behind the camera, the...
- 4/27/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Onscreen representation for women of color and female-identifying leads increased marginally from 2021 to 2022, according to a new study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
The report found that girls and women of color led or co-led 16 of the top-grossing theatrical releases of 2022, a 5 increase from the year before. Women at large headlined 44 of these films, reflecting a minor 3 jump from 41 in 2021. The study pointed out that this year’s top films did not match the U.S. Census threshold, which counts about half of the population as female-identifying.
However, these numbers are significant in context of the entire survey, which looked at 100 films per year from 2007 to 2022 – or 1,600 films total.
Also Read:
Robert Townsend Says Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘Woman King’ Oscars Snub Is an Opportunity for Growth
In 2007, only one of these films starred a woman of color versus 16 films in 2022. The study noted that two movies starred nonbinary...
The report found that girls and women of color led or co-led 16 of the top-grossing theatrical releases of 2022, a 5 increase from the year before. Women at large headlined 44 of these films, reflecting a minor 3 jump from 41 in 2021. The study pointed out that this year’s top films did not match the U.S. Census threshold, which counts about half of the population as female-identifying.
However, these numbers are significant in context of the entire survey, which looked at 100 films per year from 2007 to 2022 – or 1,600 films total.
Also Read:
Robert Townsend Says Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘Woman King’ Oscars Snub Is an Opportunity for Growth
In 2007, only one of these films starred a woman of color versus 16 films in 2022. The study noted that two movies starred nonbinary...
- 2/16/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
The latest Hollywood diversity study actually has some positive news to report: Popular movies starring women of color hit a 16-year high in 2022, according to USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
The research group’s annual breakdown of the demographics of movie leads has added the latest yearly batch of 100 domestic top-grossing films, making “Inequality Across 1,600 Popular Films: Examining Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age of Leads/Co-Leads From 2007 to 2022” its biggest yet.
The headline — which AI2 noted was ironic given the much-noted shutouts of Black women leads in this year’s Oscars race — is that 16 percent of the 100 most popular movies last year starred women from a historically excluded race or ethnicity, outnumbering the number of movies led or co-led by men of color (14). It should be noted that the 16-film tally does not include the two movies driven by actors who identify as non-binary — Glass Onion (Janelle Monáe) and Bodies Bodies Bodies...
The research group’s annual breakdown of the demographics of movie leads has added the latest yearly batch of 100 domestic top-grossing films, making “Inequality Across 1,600 Popular Films: Examining Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age of Leads/Co-Leads From 2007 to 2022” its biggest yet.
The headline — which AI2 noted was ironic given the much-noted shutouts of Black women leads in this year’s Oscars race — is that 16 percent of the 100 most popular movies last year starred women from a historically excluded race or ethnicity, outnumbering the number of movies led or co-led by men of color (14). It should be noted that the 16-film tally does not include the two movies driven by actors who identify as non-binary — Glass Onion (Janelle Monáe) and Bodies Bodies Bodies...
- 2/16/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As awards season moves forward, the discussion surrounding how creatives of color and their projects are repeatedly snubbed by awards bodies continues, most recently and notably including Viola Davis’ “The Woman King”; but a new study from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has noticed an increase for women of color in leading roles across the top-grossing movies of 2022.
Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative conducted a new research study examining the gender, race, ethnicity and age of lead and co-lead actors across the 100 top-grossing movies each year from 2007 to 2022, in the Inequality Across 1,600 Popular Films: Examining Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Age of Leads/Co-Leads From 2007 to 2022 study.
The study found that throughout 2022, women of color were either leads or co-leads in a total of 16 of the 100 top-grossing films. This is an increase from 2021, which totaled 11. The 16-year study discovered that 2022 had the highest number of underrepresented women and...
Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative conducted a new research study examining the gender, race, ethnicity and age of lead and co-lead actors across the 100 top-grossing movies each year from 2007 to 2022, in the Inequality Across 1,600 Popular Films: Examining Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Age of Leads/Co-Leads From 2007 to 2022 study.
The study found that throughout 2022, women of color were either leads or co-leads in a total of 16 of the 100 top-grossing films. This is an increase from 2021, which totaled 11. The 16-year study discovered that 2022 had the highest number of underrepresented women and...
- 2/16/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
USC Annenberg and San Diego State University have both released end-of-year diversity reports looking at behind the scenes representation of 2022’s biggest movies. And the results found that Hollywood severely backslid over the past year.
Both studies — USC Annenberg Inclusion Initative’s “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” report and the San Diego State Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s “Celluloid Ceiling” report — looked at the number of women who directed the top 100 films of the year. This year, just 10 women — Olivia Newman (“Where the Crawdads Sing”), Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Olivia Wilde (“Don’t Worry Darling”), Jessica M. Thompson (“The Invitation”), Kat Coiro (“Marry Me”), Rosalind Ross (“Father Stu”), Halina Reijn (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”), Kasi Lemmons (“Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody”), Chinonye Chukwu (“Till”) and Maria Schrader (“She Said”) — helmed one of the top 100 highest grossing film’s at the domestic box office this year,...
Both studies — USC Annenberg Inclusion Initative’s “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” report and the San Diego State Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s “Celluloid Ceiling” report — looked at the number of women who directed the top 100 films of the year. This year, just 10 women — Olivia Newman (“Where the Crawdads Sing”), Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Olivia Wilde (“Don’t Worry Darling”), Jessica M. Thompson (“The Invitation”), Kat Coiro (“Marry Me”), Rosalind Ross (“Father Stu”), Halina Reijn (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”), Kasi Lemmons (“Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody”), Chinonye Chukwu (“Till”) and Maria Schrader (“She Said”) — helmed one of the top 100 highest grossing film’s at the domestic box office this year,...
- 1/2/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Hollywood employed fewer female filmmakers and directors from underrepresented communities to make its biggest films in 2022, according to a new study by USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative.
The USC Annenberg report found that of the 111 directors hired to make the 100 top-grossing movies last year, just 9 were women. That was down from 12.7 in 2021. At the same time, the number of Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino and multi-racial and multi-ethnic moviemakers also fell from 27.3 in 2021 to 20.7 in 2022. Women of color accounted for a mere 2.7 of directors of the top 100 movies last year. The declines come as the movie business, and particularly the major studios that call the shots, have been under pressure to provide more opportunities to female artists and people of color in the wake of social justice and advocacy movements such as #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite.
Female employment in the film business was also the focus of a second study, dubbed “Celluloid Ceiling,...
The USC Annenberg report found that of the 111 directors hired to make the 100 top-grossing movies last year, just 9 were women. That was down from 12.7 in 2021. At the same time, the number of Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino and multi-racial and multi-ethnic moviemakers also fell from 27.3 in 2021 to 20.7 in 2022. Women of color accounted for a mere 2.7 of directors of the top 100 movies last year. The declines come as the movie business, and particularly the major studios that call the shots, have been under pressure to provide more opportunities to female artists and people of color in the wake of social justice and advocacy movements such as #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite.
Female employment in the film business was also the focus of a second study, dubbed “Celluloid Ceiling,...
- 1/2/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
As 2023 dawns, two major academic organizations that measure the progress of inclusion in Hollywood are looking back at the track record for 2022 in film.
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s latest “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” report analyzes the gender and race/ethnicity of the directors behind last year’s 100 highest-grossing movies in the U.S., while the San Diego State Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s most recent “Celluloid Ceiling” report examined the employment of women in key behind-the-scenes roles in both the 100 and 250 top-grossing movies at the domestic box office.
In the one category shared by both studies — percentage of women directors among top 100 films – the schools came up with slightly different counts (possibly because of the criteria each group uses to compile its Box Office Mojo sampling). Sdsu reported that 11 percent of 2022’s helmers...
As 2023 dawns, two major academic organizations that measure the progress of inclusion in Hollywood are looking back at the track record for 2022 in film.
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s latest “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” report analyzes the gender and race/ethnicity of the directors behind last year’s 100 highest-grossing movies in the U.S., while the San Diego State Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s most recent “Celluloid Ceiling” report examined the employment of women in key behind-the-scenes roles in both the 100 and 250 top-grossing movies at the domestic box office.
In the one category shared by both studies — percentage of women directors among top 100 films – the schools came up with slightly different counts (possibly because of the criteria each group uses to compile its Box Office Mojo sampling). Sdsu reported that 11 percent of 2022’s helmers...
- 1/2/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new report released by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative investigates the portrayal of Muslim characters in TV, revealing that not only are Muslims nearly absent from episodic content, but they are still stereotyped in negative ways.
The report, titled “Erased or Extremists: The Stereotypical View of Muslims in Popular Episodic Series” comes from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with support from Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed and his production company Left Handed Films, the Ford Foundation and Pillars Fund.
The 2022 study explores quantitative and qualitative aspects of Muslim representation in 200 top-rated television shows from 2018 and 2019 aired in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, ultimately highlighting a disheartening reality. The full report is available here.
In 2021, Variety exclusively unveiled the coalition’s plans to address this issue head on with the creation of The Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, which outlines recommendations to the...
The report, titled “Erased or Extremists: The Stereotypical View of Muslims in Popular Episodic Series” comes from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with support from Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed and his production company Left Handed Films, the Ford Foundation and Pillars Fund.
The 2022 study explores quantitative and qualitative aspects of Muslim representation in 200 top-rated television shows from 2018 and 2019 aired in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, ultimately highlighting a disheartening reality. The full report is available here.
In 2021, Variety exclusively unveiled the coalition’s plans to address this issue head on with the creation of The Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, which outlines recommendations to the...
- 9/7/2022
- by Al-Baab Khan, Dr. Stacy L. Smith and Dr. Katherine Pieper
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has turned its eye to a quantitative and qualitative study of Muslim portrayals on television, and the verdict shows there is still vast room for improvement.
Erased or Extremists: The Stereotypical View of Muslims in Popular Episodic Series, conducted with support from Riz Ahmed and his banner Left Handed Films, the Ford Foundation and the Pillars Fund, analyzed the first three episodes from the 100 highest-rated shows in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand from 2018 and 2019. The 200-series sampling yielded one Muslim speaking character for every 90 non-Muslims (a 2 percent share in 2018 and less than 1 percent the following year). These Muslim characters came from a total of 16 shows (8 percent).
“Muslims make up 25 of the world’s population yet were only 1.1 of characters in popular television series,” said AI2’s Al-Baab Khan, lead author of the study. “Not...
USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has turned its eye to a quantitative and qualitative study of Muslim portrayals on television, and the verdict shows there is still vast room for improvement.
Erased or Extremists: The Stereotypical View of Muslims in Popular Episodic Series, conducted with support from Riz Ahmed and his banner Left Handed Films, the Ford Foundation and the Pillars Fund, analyzed the first three episodes from the 100 highest-rated shows in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand from 2018 and 2019. The 200-series sampling yielded one Muslim speaking character for every 90 non-Muslims (a 2 percent share in 2018 and less than 1 percent the following year). These Muslim characters came from a total of 16 shows (8 percent).
“Muslims make up 25 of the world’s population yet were only 1.1 of characters in popular television series,” said AI2’s Al-Baab Khan, lead author of the study. “Not...
- 9/7/2022
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, known for its oft-critical reports on Hollywood’s hiring practices and portrayals of underrepresented groups, is launching a “new focus” that will measure the film and TV industry’s depictions of a wide range of political issues, including abortion, gun violence, voting, marriage equality and interracial relationships.
The new approach comes in response to the Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade and concerns that other long-held rights also might be in danger.
“With the curtailing of reproductive rights, it is not only necessary to find legal solutions to protect marginalized communities, but it is essential to educate and inform audiences about these topics,” said Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. “Entertainment has a unique ability to reach viewers and provide that education. Our goal is to illuminate how many opportunities there are to use storytelling as a tool to expand...
The new approach comes in response to the Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade and concerns that other long-held rights also might be in danger.
“With the curtailing of reproductive rights, it is not only necessary to find legal solutions to protect marginalized communities, but it is essential to educate and inform audiences about these topics,” said Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. “Entertainment has a unique ability to reach viewers and provide that education. Our goal is to illuminate how many opportunities there are to use storytelling as a tool to expand...
- 8/17/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Launches 25K Student Film Grant for Stories About Reproductive Rights
Click here to read the full article.
USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is expanding its research focus from analyses of demographic diversity (i.e. gender, race/ethnicity, disability, sexuality and age) to address how entertainment narratives handle topical issues, including reproductive health, voting and gun violence.
“With the curtailing of reproductive rights, it is not only necessary to find legal solutions to protect marginalized communities, but it is essential to educate and inform audiences about these topics,” AI2 founder Stacy L. Smith said in a statement. “Entertainment has a unique ability to reach viewers and provide that education. Our goal is to illuminate how many opportunities there are to use storytelling as a tool to expand the conversation and create substantial attitude and policy change.”
As with past AI2 studies, the Initiative intends to include solutions and suggested best practices for storytellers and content creators as part of this work.
USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is expanding its research focus from analyses of demographic diversity (i.e. gender, race/ethnicity, disability, sexuality and age) to address how entertainment narratives handle topical issues, including reproductive health, voting and gun violence.
“With the curtailing of reproductive rights, it is not only necessary to find legal solutions to protect marginalized communities, but it is essential to educate and inform audiences about these topics,” AI2 founder Stacy L. Smith said in a statement. “Entertainment has a unique ability to reach viewers and provide that education. Our goal is to illuminate how many opportunities there are to use storytelling as a tool to expand the conversation and create substantial attitude and policy change.”
As with past AI2 studies, the Initiative intends to include solutions and suggested best practices for storytellers and content creators as part of this work.
- 8/17/2022
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has partnered with Snap on a program to boost one female student filmmaker of color during her senior year.
The Snap Originals Annenberg Inclusion Award will give the winning filmmaker 25,000 for her senior thesis film. A panel of Snap advisors will mentor her throughout her senior year, and she will shadow a working filmmaker on the set of a Snap Original production. At the end of the program, she’ll also be allowed to pitch a short-form unscripted series for the company’s mobile platform for her to direct. Applications will open this month, and the winner will be announced prior to the coming school year.
“The next wave of filmmakers has the opportunity to change the world in new ways through mobile-first storytelling, marrying their incredible passion for truth and authenticity with innovative cinematic perspectives and technology,...
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has partnered with Snap on a program to boost one female student filmmaker of color during her senior year.
The Snap Originals Annenberg Inclusion Award will give the winning filmmaker 25,000 for her senior thesis film. A panel of Snap advisors will mentor her throughout her senior year, and she will shadow a working filmmaker on the set of a Snap Original production. At the end of the program, she’ll also be allowed to pitch a short-form unscripted series for the company’s mobile platform for her to direct. Applications will open this month, and the winner will be announced prior to the coming school year.
“The next wave of filmmakers has the opportunity to change the world in new ways through mobile-first storytelling, marrying their incredible passion for truth and authenticity with innovative cinematic perspectives and technology,...
- 7/14/2022
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
More than four months after Spotify faced backlash for allowing Covid-19 misinformation to spread on its exclusive podcast with Joe Rogan, the audio giant is forming an outside council to help guide the company on its content and safety policies.
The Spotify Safety Advisory Council is tasked with helping the company “evolve its policies and products in a safe way while making sure we respect creator expression,” according to an announcement shared on Monday. Though the council will offer recommendations, it will not make “enforcement decisions” about specific content or creators, allowing Spotify to remain the arbiter of its content policies and disputes.
The formation of an outside council follows similar efforts from social media companies like Facebook, which launched its Oversight Board in 2020 to review specific cases and make decisions on whether to uphold or reverse penalties and other policy decisions implemented by Facebook.
More than four months after Spotify faced backlash for allowing Covid-19 misinformation to spread on its exclusive podcast with Joe Rogan, the audio giant is forming an outside council to help guide the company on its content and safety policies.
The Spotify Safety Advisory Council is tasked with helping the company “evolve its policies and products in a safe way while making sure we respect creator expression,” according to an announcement shared on Monday. Though the council will offer recommendations, it will not make “enforcement decisions” about specific content or creators, allowing Spotify to remain the arbiter of its content policies and disputes.
The formation of an outside council follows similar efforts from social media companies like Facebook, which launched its Oversight Board in 2020 to review specific cases and make decisions on whether to uphold or reverse penalties and other policy decisions implemented by Facebook.
- 6/14/2022
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The subject of teenage depression is generally played for high-octane drama in showbiz. In 2017, “13 Reasons Why” fell under rapid-fire controversy for its inclusion of a graphic suicide scene, which was ultimately removed by Netflix. Conversely, in Hulu’s true crime miniseries “The Girl From Plainville,” the pinnacle suicide scene is kept off-camera. And then there’s “Euphoria,” HBO’s Emmy-winning, millennial-targeted juggernaut charting the disease of addiction in Rue (Zendaya), whose rampant substance abuse-cum-debilitating anxiety is punctuated by police chases, drug lords and toxic teenage love triangles.
But depression isn’t always — or even most of the time — the stuff of season-ending cliffhangers. It’s dull, weighty. It is as heavy as a rock chained to one’s ankle. In the United States, rates of adolescent depression have climbed to epidemic proportions.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 of adolescents reported having a major depressive episode in...
But depression isn’t always — or even most of the time — the stuff of season-ending cliffhangers. It’s dull, weighty. It is as heavy as a rock chained to one’s ankle. In the United States, rates of adolescent depression have climbed to epidemic proportions.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 of adolescents reported having a major depressive episode in...
- 5/19/2022
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
The positive portrayal of mental health issues is lacking in Hollywood, and the majority of portrayals tend to stigmatize mental health conditions, according to a new study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Per the report — titled “Mental Health Conditions Across 200 Popular Films” — only 1.5 of all speaking or named characters in cinema were depicted with a mental health condition.
The research — which was led by Dr. Stacy L. Smith and New York Times best-selling author and the Initiative’s newly appointed Chief Well-Being Advisor Jay Shetty, in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention — examined the 100 top-grossing movies of 2019 and compared the findings with the Initiative’s last report, which was conducted with the same number of films in 2016.
The update revealed no significant change, with 1.7 of speaking or named characters in film experiencing mental illness in 2016. Despite this, around a fifth of the U.S. population live with a mental health condition,...
The research — which was led by Dr. Stacy L. Smith and New York Times best-selling author and the Initiative’s newly appointed Chief Well-Being Advisor Jay Shetty, in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention — examined the 100 top-grossing movies of 2019 and compared the findings with the Initiative’s last report, which was conducted with the same number of films in 2016.
The update revealed no significant change, with 1.7 of speaking or named characters in film experiencing mental illness in 2016. Despite this, around a fifth of the U.S. population live with a mental health condition,...
- 5/4/2022
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- The Wrap
Women and actors of color made slight gains as the leads of the top-grossing films of 2021, according to a new study released Monday from Stacy L. Smith’s USC Anennberg Inclusion Initiative.
Across the 100 top-grossing films of 2021, 41% of movies had a female lead/co-lead, a rebound from 36% in 2020 and slightly below the peak of 43% in 2019. 2021 demonstrates the progress made since 2007, when the percentage of films with a female lead/co-lead was 20%. However, popular films still do not present girls and women as leads/co-leads on par with their share of the U.S. population.
“The advocacy and activism surrounding girls and women on screen in films has been at a fever pitch for more than 10 years,” Smith said in a statement. “While the industry reckons with the fallout of the pandemic and the evolving theatrical market, decision-makers must be wary that the progress they have made can stagnate or even reverse.
Across the 100 top-grossing films of 2021, 41% of movies had a female lead/co-lead, a rebound from 36% in 2020 and slightly below the peak of 43% in 2019. 2021 demonstrates the progress made since 2007, when the percentage of films with a female lead/co-lead was 20%. However, popular films still do not present girls and women as leads/co-leads on par with their share of the U.S. population.
“The advocacy and activism surrounding girls and women on screen in films has been at a fever pitch for more than 10 years,” Smith said in a statement. “While the industry reckons with the fallout of the pandemic and the evolving theatrical market, decision-makers must be wary that the progress they have made can stagnate or even reverse.
- 3/14/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
There are more films than ever before with amazing visual effects work, but a new study titled Invisible in Visual Effects finds that women’s credits in that area have remained flat over the past few years.
The study from Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Women in Animation looked at 400 top-grossing films from 2016 to 2019, finding that women received 21.6% of VFX credits — a ratio of 3.6 men to every one woman working in VFX. The percentage varied little over the period, with 20.8% of credits awarded to women in 2016 and 22.6% of credits in 2019.
The low percentage of women in the field means they haven’t been represented in the effects awards landscape either — only one woman has won the Oscar for visual effects. More women have won at the Visual Effects Society Awards, though the total is still only 9.3% of winners.
The study proposes several ways to increase women’s participation in visual effects,...
The study from Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Women in Animation looked at 400 top-grossing films from 2016 to 2019, finding that women received 21.6% of VFX credits — a ratio of 3.6 men to every one woman working in VFX. The percentage varied little over the period, with 20.8% of credits awarded to women in 2016 and 22.6% of credits in 2019.
The low percentage of women in the field means they haven’t been represented in the effects awards landscape either — only one woman has won the Oscar for visual effects. More women have won at the Visual Effects Society Awards, though the total is still only 9.3% of winners.
The study proposes several ways to increase women’s participation in visual effects,...
- 11/8/2021
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
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