Study: Women directors had banner year at 2019 film festivals, but progress is slow

Good news first: 2019 was a banner year for female filmmakers and other minority directors, according to a new study from Time's Up and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.

Festivals at the top of the list for women directors and women of color directors in 2019 included the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival (the latter which is currently underway in Park City, Utah).

Despite the progress, the study found women and people of color are vastly underrepresented at film festivals worldwide, which provide an important springboard for emerging filmmakers.

The new study analyzed the demographic makeup of film directors and festival programmers and executives across the top five global film festivals and the top 10 North American film festivals.

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The numbers remain sobering. Globally, the study found that only 25% of directors in competition sections of festivals across the last three years were women.

For women of color, it only gets worse: only 8% of film directors in competition at the top five film festivals were women of color – compared to 47% white men and 17% white women.

“Despite the progress that is underway, the fact is that the voices and talent of women and people of color remain marginalized,” said Stacy L. Smith, founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in a statement. “The data in this report makes it clear that the next generation of women of color filmmakers are not being launched into the industry at the same rate as their white male peers.”

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The study also analyzed the demographics of festival programmers, who are the individuals who determine which movies gain entry to film festivals.

Representation increases with diversity among those programmers, the study found, noting that when festivals had more women of color working in gatekeeper roles, the fests were more likely to showcase underrepresented female directors.

Time's UP and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative will officially release the study at the Sundance Film Festival during a panel conversation Saturday. Panelists include Smith, Eva Longoria and director Angela Robinson.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women directors had banner year at 2019 film festivals, says study