The percentage of female directors on the top 100 grossing movies fell in 2021 after achieving record highs in 2020.
Hollywood made history in 2020, fielding a record number of films from female directors. But after achieving that milestone, the film business found itself regressing in 2021 with women comprising 17% of directors on the top 250 grossing movies, down from 18% the previous year. The picture grows darker when the focus narrows to the top 100 most popular movies at the box office — women comprised 12% of directors on those films, down from 16% in 2020. The research is the product of a report entitled the Celluloid Ceiling, which is produced annually by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. It comes as female filmmakers like Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Lost Daughter”) have achieved notable critical successes this year and are seen as awards contenders. It also is being released after several female filmmakers like Chloé Zhao (“Eternals”) and Nia DaCosta (“Candyman”) directed movies that topped box office charts when they were released. But researchers say those achievements remain the exception to the rule. “Appearances can be deceiving,” Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film and the report’s author, said. “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.
