By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) --A new study released Friday found that female filmmakers are submitting to and being accepted into the Sundance Film Festival in significantly greater numbers than they were a decade ago, but their numbers are still well below 50 percent.
The study by the Sundance Institute and the University of Southern California's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative looked at more than 26,000 submissions and acceptances for the 2017 and 2018 festivals. It found that 28 percent of feature-length and episodic projects submitted were directed by at least one woman; 35 percent of those were ultimately accepted.
Race and ethnicity was also examined and 24.3 percent of U.S. dramatic features accepted in 2017 and 2018 were by filmmakers of color. Women of color made up a third of that percentage.
Data provided by the Sundance Institute for the 2019 festival, which is currently under way, has an even more diverse makeup. Thirty-eight percent of dramatic features had a director of color.
"This study shows us where the pipeline for women and people of color is robust and where more support is needed," said USC professor Stacy L. Smith. "The gains we saw for women over the past decade reveal that change is possible and where more support is needed."
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More