NYWIFT Blog

Cynthia’s Picks: Sundance Bound, Annenberg Study, Celluloid Ceiling

Sundance Bound: We are thrilled to see so many NYWIFT members headed to Sundance with films this year! We’ll be announcing a panel in Park City soon – stay tuned for more info.

Annenberg Study: For the first time in over a decade, both the number and percentage of women working as directors on some of Hollywood’s biggest feature films have increased according to the latest study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. 12 women directed one of the top 100 films in 2019. While certainly not representative of the overall population, this is the first time we have seen a notable shift in hiring practices. Progress. 

Celluloid Ceiling:  Meanwhile, the latest Celluloid Ceiling Report from Dr. Martha Lauzen and the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University found that women are still largely unrepresented in more than just the director’s chair. Of the top 250 grossing films last year, 85% had no women directors; 73% had no women writers; 44% had no women executive producers; 31% had no women producers; 71% had no women editors, and 95% had no women cinematographers, with 31% having no women or only one woman working in any of those roles.

PUBLISHED BY

Cynthia Lopez

Cynthia Lopez Cynthia Lopez is the Executive Director of New York Women in Film & Television and an award-winning media strategist.

View all posts by Cynthia Lopez

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