Despite equal representation of male and female filmmakers at this yearโs Sundance Film Festival, a new study shows there has been little change in the number of women working as directors and producers at the independent-film showcase over the past decade.
But women still fare better behind the camera in independent film than in studio productions.
The Sundance Institute and Women in Film commissioned the study last year and announced the results Monday in Park City, Utah.
Researchers at the University of Southern Californiaโs Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism examined gender disparity in American narrative and documentary films shown at Sundance from 2002 to 2012.
Study director Stacy L. Smith and her team assessed the gender of more than 11,000 directors, writers, producers, cinematographers and editors of the 820 narrative and documentary films shown over this period and found that women represent less than one-third of those filmmakers.
โThere has been no sustained or meaningful change across the last 11 years in the percentage of directors or producers at the Sundance Film Festival,โ Smith said.
There are more women working in documentary films than narrative films, but Smith said the research finds that โas commerce moves in, females move out.โ
The study found that female directors comprise a norm of 22.2 percent of narrative competition films and 14.5 percent of premieres and other non-competition films at Sundance over the past 11 years. During the same period, female directors made up only 4.4 percent of the top-grossing Hollywood films, a ratio of more than 15 male directors for every female. Of those women, though, more than 40 percent had come through the filmmaking programs of the Sundance Institute.
Women and men participate in the instituteโs programs in almost equal number, Smith said.
Female filmmakers find more equal representation in the documentary sphere, comprising nearly half of those represented at Sundance from 2002 to 2012.
Finally, the study found that films directed by women employ greater numbers of women behind the camera than those made by men.
The Sundance Institute and Women in Film aim to use the results of this study to create mentoring and support programs to increase the number of women working behind the camera in American filmmaking.
Edelman Global CCO Judy John Named AICP Next Awards Judging Chair
Judy John, global chief creative officer at global communications firm Edelman, has been named as the 2025 AICP Next Awards judging chair. In this role, John has assembled a roster of jury presidents who will, in turn, select judges for all AICP Next Awards categories.
โIโm thrilled and honored to be named AICP Next Awards judging chair,โ said John. โIโve served as a Next jury president, and I know the caliber of work thatโs entered and the level of talent judging that work. The Next Awards are special, as they recognize achievements through the lens of boundary-breaking innovations in marketing. Like great art, this work creates awe in the viewer, and reflects the times and culture in which it was created. The fact that the honored work is preserved in The Museum of Modern Artโs Department of Filmโs archives for future generations adds a whole other level of significance.โ
โJudyโs career in many ways reflects the DNA of the Next Awards, in that she is a globally-recognized expert in creating work using a wide range of techniques, media platforms and content formats,โ said Matt Miller, president and CEO of AICP. โHer complete fluency in the current marketing communications landscape makes her an ideal judging chairperson. Weโre delighted that she is serving in this role.โ
The AICP Next Awards is much more than an awards competition; itโs also a platform for examining work through thought leadership and analysis. The entry deadline for the AICP Next Awards, along with the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the Commercial and the AICP Post Awards, is Wed., February 26. Details can be found here.
Two new categories are joining the Next Awards this year, for... Read More