New Study Reveals Movies Directed by Women and People of Color Plateaued in 2024

Women directors made notable contributions to filmmaking in 2024, but the numbers show the industry still has a long way to go in terms of equal representation. Films such as The Fire Inside by Rachel Morrison, Babygirl by Halina Reijn, and The Substance by Coralie Fargeat showcased exceptional talent, yet women remained underrepresented behind the camera.

According to studies from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film and USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, progress for female directors has plateaued, with minimal gains compared to previous years.

In 2024, women accounted for only 16% of directors for the 250 highest-grossing films, matching the 2023 percentage. The numbers dropped further for the top 100 films, where women directed just 11%, a decrease from 2023.

Similarly, USC’s report found that women helmed 13.4% of the top 100 movies in 2024, slightly up from 12.1% in 2023. These figures highlight how rare opportunities remain for women to take on leadership roles in the industry.

A key issue is the limited support for female-directed films, particularly from major studios. Many works by women, such as Love Lies Bleeding by Rose Glass and La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher, were released by indie labels rather than major studios.

Streaming hits like Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour also fell outside box office analyses, further underscoring the challenge of visibility for female filmmakers.

Martha Lauzen, who authored the Center’s Celluloid Ceiling report, emphasized the disparity, noting, “The success of high-profile women like Greta Gerwig and Chloé Zhao has not translated into widespread opportunities for others. Visibility for a few hasn’t led to employment for many.”

USC’s study echoed these concerns, showing that despite modest increases since 2007, women still face barriers. Dr. Stacy L. Smith of USC pointed out, “Women directors are still significantly outnumbered and rarely get repeated opportunities behind the camera. Hollywood cannot be satisfied with these numbers when there’s so much work left to do.”

The situation for directors of color also reflects the industry’s slow pace of change. In 2024, 24.1% of directors came from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, up slightly from 22.4% in 2023 but far below the 41.6% representation of these groups in the U.S. population.

Women of color, who directed 5.3% of top-grossing films in 2024, received the highest critics’ scores across an 18-year analysis but still saw the fewest opportunities to direct.

The reports also revealed that no major studio has hired 10 or more women of color to direct films in the last 18 years. Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Studios lead in this area, with seven and six hires, respectively, since 2007. However, other companies, like STX Entertainment, have hired none.

Despite some gains in areas like cinematography and screenwriting, women remained underrepresented across key production roles. Films directed by women were more likely to employ other women in significant behind-the-scenes positions, but the overall numbers were still low. For instance, 70% of films had teams of 10 or more men in these roles, while only 8% had 10 or more women.

While movies like Barbie and Nomadland proved that women can deliver blockbuster hits and critical successes, those achievements have yet to translate into broad industry changes. Both Lauzen and Smith agree that systemic shifts are needed to ensure women and people of color have more opportunities to lead and succeed in Hollywood.

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