Study finds 2019 was a ‘banner year’ for female filmmakers

NEW YORK, N.Y. (AP) — Women directed more of the most popular movies in 2019 than in any year before. A study released Thursday by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reports that 12 of 2019’s top 100-grossing films were helmed by women. That number is greater than researchers have recorded before. The findings suggest that some measure of change is finally coming to a film industry where inequality behind the camera has remained stubbornly persistent. The previous high in USC’s annual study was 8%, in 2008. In 2018, only 4.5% of the year’s top films were directed by women. Among the films that led the way in 2019 were “The Farewell,” “Frozen II,” “Hustlers” and “Little Women.”