The Directors Network (TDN), a talent agency for freelance directors and cinematographers, has signed director and still photographer Judy Starkman whose body of work includes documentary and real people fare. Headed by Jeff Lewis, TDN has also signed DP Rainer Lipski….London-based production house Colonel Blimp, best known for its music videos and music-related content, has secured Nathan James as marketing and development rep. He comes over from Partizan where he headed up repping duties for the animation division. Prior to Partizan, James held posts at Cut+Run, Pagan Films and Bullet….DP Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, BVK, has joined WME for exclusive representation in features, television and commercials….New York Office has signed DP Pat Notaro for commercial, music video, TV and feature representation….Innovative Artists has signed still photography duo Elevendy for film and commercial work. Elevendy specializes in effect-driven shoots and celebrity talent. They’ve recently wrapped the “Jane Bond” project with Alison Haislip as part of Comic Con 2011…
USC Annenberg Report: Female Protagonists Reach Parity With Men In Top-Grossing Films Of 2024
For the first time in recent history, the percentage of top-grossing films featuring female protagonists equaled the percentage of films with male protagonists, according to a pair of annual studies released Tuesday.
Movies like "Wicked,""Inside Out 2" and "The Substance" lifted Hollywood's theatrical releases to gender parity in leading roles in 2024. Of the 100 top domestic grossing films in 2024, 42% had female protagonists, and 42% had male protagonists, according to a report issued by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which also released its annual study Tuesday, found that 54% of the top 100 films at the box office in 2024 featured girls and women as protagonists. That's a massive jump from just the year prior, when 30% of films featured women in lead roles. In 2007, when the USC annual study began, that figure was just 20%.
"This is the first time we can say that gender equality has been reached in top-grossing films," Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, said in a statement.
"In 2024, three of the top five films had a girl or woman in a leading role, as did five of the top 10 films — including the number one film of the year, Disney's 'Inside Out 2,'" added Smith. "We have always known that female-identified leads would make money. This is not the result of an economic awakening but is due to a number of different constituencies and efforts — at advocacy groups, at studios, through DEI initiatives — to assert the need for equality on screen."
Other metrics suggested the gains in leading roles masked still-endemic disparity throughout Hollywood. The percentage of female characters in speaking roles... Read More