Rise of New Female Directors in U.S. Film Festivals: A Positive Shift, But Challenges Remain
Recent studies shed light on a rising trend of films produced by women being showcased at American film festivals. Women are increasingly making their mark in top-tier film and television media.
Is the era of “Women in Refrigerators” coming to an end?
Historically, women have been notably absent from fields such as television, film production, and mainstream media. However, surveys reveal that over the past 15 years, the proportions of male and female directors in the cinematic mainstream have started to converge from a stark disparity in 2007, where the ratio of men to women was nearly 11:1, today’s Tribeca Film Festival boasts a higher number of female directors than their male counterparts.
This is invigorating news for the film industry. Sociological researchers who bring forth these optimistic findings often focus their studies on major American film festivals, which serve as significant platforms for both scholars and female media professionals. Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, since 2008, has been tracking and researching the “Indie Women” project, which primarily focuses on the employment of women behind the scenes in film media. After surveying over 20 major film festivals, including Atlanta Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Slamdance, Sundance, and Tribeca, Dr. Lauzen’s data indicates that the representation of women in the film industry is steadily rising, with a significant portion working in the high-end film sector. Data from 2022-2023 reveals that within just one year, the number of women in the industry increased from six-tenths that of men to seven-tenths.
ICYMI: SDSU professor Martha Lauzen, executive director of the university's Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, discusses the decline of women directors in Hollywood in her recent column for @Variety.
— San Diego State University (@SDSU) January 12, 2019
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To whom do we credit this significant progress? Dr. Lauzen’s analysis suggests that internal referrals within female networks play a crucial role. A 2018 report, co-authored with the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State, states that film and television creative teams with female content creators have twice the proportion of female directors than those led exclusively by men.
Sounds promising, right? However, it’s worth noting that the data doesn’t paint the full picture. Another vital conclusion drawn by Dr. Lauzen is: “While the percentages of women working in some roles on larger budget films have increased slightly, we are still waiting for that surge to occur.” Studies reveal that, regardless of the platform, male characters are more often defined by their occupational status and are more frequently depicted working. And what‘s more, Dr. Lauzen’s 2023 study highlights the narrowing roles for older female actresses. The percentage of female characters in their 40s was lower in 2022 (14%) than in 2015 (20%).
The vast amount of data compiled by Dr. Lauzen provides a comprehensive and intricate perspective on the employment of women behind the scenes, offering a panoramic view of the diverse facets of American society. This deserves our utmost attention.
