As Hollywood Embraces Diversity, Jobs for Female Directors Remain Sparse

Thank you for this survey of upcoming films and we need to continue to have better ways to think about women in film. To take issue with research cited in the article, to sample only the Top Grossing 250 films as evidence of the need for more women directors is bad sampling. The TG250 sample does not tell you how many projects were directed by women; rather it is a convenience sample, one with significant side effects. If you start from the money side, as the TG250 sample does, the key inference that may be drawn is that films by women do not earn as much money as those directed by men. Is that really the message to send? It does not persuade anyone who runs a production studio that more women should be given director duties. The researchers want to make the point that not enough women are directing feature films, but that point requires a more complete sample of film production. Another commenter mentions the guilds as a source for surveying women making films and that is a much more reliable measure. Another commenter adds that director is not the only job on a film. If we are asking the studios to do better because we want more women to be making films, we need to do more to acknowledge how women already are making films.

I appreciate the insight and knowing that studios must present a Diversity & Inclusion plan prior to greenlight is also encouraging. We really need more young girls to SEE the opportunity to work behind the scenes as a Director, etc. Women in Film as an organization should be represented & marketed far beyond Hollywood. I hope that my granddaughters grow up watching more films where women who look like them are behind the camera — as well as in front of the camera.

Hollywood's record of employing female directors is pretty shameful but it's certainly not alone in its deficiency. Within world cinema the French seem to be virtually the only national movie industry that maintains a full contingent of filmmakers of the distaff persuasion.

Well, it would have been nice if there were a brief history of women directors in this piece. Or the Directors Guild stats on women members. I suppose we could also refer to women sound editors, film editors, First A.D.s, you get the picture. Some people think it's a new concept, 'oh yeah, that's a good idea, let's let some women direct' when women have been involved in the film industry long before it was an industry. The point to make is that once again, powerful men are the first choice of powerful men. Surprise.

A woman I know directed some films a while back. Some were fine, others I didn't like as much. A few of the reviews were critical and they echoed what I didn't like much either. But many fell into the "talking dog" category--not what the dog says, but that it talks at all. A number of favorable reviews focused on the fact that there was a woman director. That's something we have to get over. Because to this day, when I read a positive review of a film directed by a woman that makes the gender of the director central point, I wonder if the positive review is about the film, or about encouraging women directors.

A big part of this is Hollywood's move to make MORE AND MORE cartoons and comic book movies. The "powers" don't fund the kinds of movies women tend to direct ... or even star in.

If Hollywood were truly embracing diversity then gay actors would be cast in heterosexual roles. The double standard of heterosexual or closeted actors playing gay is a violation in itself. Let's get down to true diversity and talk about the prejudice against gay leading men.

I am so tired of reading and hearing about how rough these women have it. With their clothes that cost thousands, of $$, private planes, on and on. They only represent themselves and obtaining as much money for themselves as they can gather. Some work 15 days a year and make $20 million for that year. And I should relate to this how? These women are the less than .01%

From what I know of movie-making (I live in a movie studio town), it's all about the money and who you know, not about the quality of the project. And if you have access to money-power, you can get anything you want in moviedom's restaurant. So, gals, put together the money and the rest will follow.

Credit where credit is due: I adore the Oscar-winning treasure that is Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk). However, Shaft 2019 does not feature Ms. King but instead features the wonderful Regina Hall (Little). Unfortunately, the current lack of diversity means we have to work extra hard to make sure women and people of color (and women of color) are seen for their work and get their due credit. You can support both of these talented women by seeing either of their movies I mentioned or by checking out their back catalogs. I hope the NY Times will make the necessary corrections.