Major Hollywood studios slammed by USC Annenberg 'inclusion initiative' for 'performative' attempts to implement diversity

A report compiled by the University of Southern California Annenberg's Inclusion Initiative criticized major Hollywood studios for their "performative" pledges to hire more diverse filmmakers in the wake of George Floyd's death and public support for female filmmakers and those from marginalized communities.

According to Variety, the report found that of the 116 directors involved with the 100 top-grossing films in the United States in 2023, only 14, 12.1 percent, were women. That marked only a slight increase from the year before, and a smaller-than-expected jump from 2018, when females made up just 4.5 percent of directors.

Among the 14, just four were women of color, a stat that remained unchanged compared to 2022. Additionally, three of them were Asian, a group that is often left out from being categorized as marginalized.

Nearly a quarter of all directors involved in the 100 top-grossing domestic films last year were not white, a stat that also remained unchanged since 2022. Two were multi-racial, two were Hispanic, eight were black, and fourteen were Asian.

Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, and Disney were, in that order, the studios with the highest number of female hires, while Warner Bros, and Disney topped the list when it came to directors from marginalized groups.

"This report offers a contrast to those who might celebrate the dawning of change in Hollywood after a year in which 'Barbie' topped the box office," the study suggests. "One film or one director are simply not enough to create the sea change that is still needed behind the camera. Until studios, executives and producers alter the way they make decisions about who is qualified and available to work as a director on top-grossing films, there is little reason to believe that optimism is warranted."

As Variety reports, San Diego State University's Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film also conducted a study, and yielded similar results. It found that women comprised 22 percent of all directors, editors, writers, producers, executive producers, and cinematographers on the top 250 films last year.