Film Inclusion Report Says Rhetoric Doesn't Equal Results

Despite enthusiastic discourse around diversity in film, a report from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released this week says when it comes to the numbers, little has changed. The most popular movies are still largely the domain of white, straight, able-bodied men, both in front of the camera and behind.

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Despite enthusiastic discourse around diversity in film, a report from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released this week says when it comes to the numbers, little has changed. The most popular movies are still largely the domain of white, straight, able-bodied men, both in front of the camera and behind.

The percentage of female characters with speaking parts in the top 100 films has remained largely unchanged at or around 30 percent over the past decade, according to the report released. And in survey of the top 100 films of 2017, a year in which the top three were the female-led “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Wonder Woman,” only 33 featured women in a lead or co-lead. Four of those were from an underrepresented group, and five were over the age of 45.