Celluloid Ceiling Study 2021 Fewer Women Directors On Top Films

Only 12 percent of the top 100 highest-grossing films of 2021 featured women directors at the helm, down from 16 percent in 2020. Female directors accounted for 17 percent of the top 250 highest grossers, down from 18 percent in 2020. Over 80 percent of 2021 films were directed by men, the study finds. However, women were up overall in key behind-the-scenes roles (not just directing, but also writing, executive-producing, editing, and cinematography) in 2021, at 25 percent, up from 23 percent in 2020. This can be attributed to more women with a seat at the table as executive producers and producers, per the study.

“Appearances can be deceiving. While Chloé Zhao won the Oscar last year for directing ‘Nomadland,’ and Jane Campion is a front-runner in this year’s race for ‘The Power of the Dog,’ the percentage of women directing films actually declined in 2021. Basing our perceptions of how women are faring on the well-deserved fortunes of just a few high-profile women can lead us to inaccurate conclusions about the state of women’s employment,” the San Diego Center’s founder and director Martha Lauzen noted. “Once again this year, more than 80 percent of films do not have a woman at the helm.” Related Women Directed Record Number of Films in 2020, Behind-the-Scenes Growth Remains Slow For Female Directors, 2019 Marked a Major Change in Hollywood Representation Related The 225 Best Horror Movies of All Time Quentin Tarantino’s Favorite Movies: 48 Films the Director Wants You to See
The numbers can be confounding, but here’s a concise breakdown: By role, women accounted for 17 percent of writers (even with 17 percent in 2020), 26 percent of executive producers (up from 21 percent in 2020), 32 percent of producers (up from 30 percent in 2020), 22 percent of editors (even with 22 percent in 2020), and 6 percent of cinematographers (even with 6 percent in 2020). A number of female directors received a high-profile bow from Netflix, which doesn’t release numbers for its limited theatrical windows before films head to streaming. Along with Campion’s “Power of the Dog,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Halle Berry’s “Bruised,” and Rebecca Hall’s “Passing” (the latter being directorial debuts) stand to make impressions at home. Meantime, IndieWire has rounded up all major studio releases coming out from women directors in 2022 and 2023 here.