First-Time Directors Still Have Limited Opportunities in Hollywood, New UCLA Study Reports (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor A new study by UCLA Center for Scholars & Storytellers shows systemic discrimination and limited access to opportunities exist against first-time directors, with only 23.4% working on major feature films in the last 12 years.

Commissioned by Lionsgate and its commitment to the inclusive content space, the study examines some of the persistent biases hindering the industry’s progress toward achieving its stated diversity and inclusion goals.

Compiled from a list of the top 100 films per year from 2010-2021 (based on domestic box office for each year; 1200 films total), the study also shows that while more women and people of color have been hired as directors recently, the rate of overall hiring in the experienced director pool continues. “The mission of the Lionsgate Inclusive Content team is to help the Motion Picture Group release a more diverse and inclusive film slate, because the data shows that more inclusive content is more commercial content,” said Kamala Avila-Salmon, head of inclusive content at Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.

In its analyses of both the first-time director pool and the experienced director pool, the study found that, strikingly, the racial and gender composition was not significantly different between the two pools.