This year, Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey and Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984 wowed blockbuster fans, and not simply because the movies feature super-heroines directed by women. In 2020, following the annual "Celluloid Ceiling" study at University of California at San Diego, it was found that 16% of the year's highest-grossing films were signed by members of the "fairer sex." It's a 7% increase from 2019, and 4% from 2018. This consecutive two-year jump in women directors behind high-earning films is unexpected, says researcher Martha Lauzen, who directed the study. Thankfully, 2021 should be no exception, already boasting a number of highly-anticipated projects like the next two Marvel films — slated for March 24, Eternals, by Chloe Zhao, who also directed Nomadland and Black Widow by Cate Shortland. Nevertheless, gender parity is still not a given. The study indicates that men continue to dominate the film world, with 70% of new releases featuring fewer than 5 women in important behind-the-scenes roles — director, screenwriter, producer, editor, or director of photography.
In order to tackle the disparity, more progressive initiatives are being put in place. On the set of The Morning Show, a series on sexism in television launched on Apple TV+ in 2019, women made up 50% of production roles. In France, at the last Festival de Cannes, the selection committee counted more women than men for the first time in its history. For its 40th edition, which was held virtually from January 28th to February 3rd, Sundance Film Festival marked a new chapter thanks to new director Tabitha Jackson — not only the first woman, but also the first Black film professional to front the prestigious indie festival.