In what’s likely some unsurprising news, a study released Friday by the Director’s Guild of America found that white men are still overwhelmingly hired for entry-level directing jobs.
According to the AP:
Of the 479 first-time directors hired to work on TV series from 2009 to 2014, men represented 82 percent and women 18 percent, the study said. The vast majority of the first-time directors — 87 percent — were white.
The guild is – at least – aware of the problem. DGA vice president Betty Thomas, director of Doctor Doolittle and 28 Days, pinpointed the primary problem, saying that the industry, “doesn’t support diversity hiring.” “First-time TV directors are new to the game and come from all areas of the industry, including film school,” she added. “So why is a woman or minority any less qualified than anybody else?”
An excellent question Betty Thomas.
The lack of diversity has long-plagued the industry, from the dismal number of female protagonists in film (estimated at 15%) to the small number of women who have been chosen to direct major Hollywood films. 2014 was largely considered a banner year for ladies makin’ movies, especially in the indie scene, and yet according to the New York Times, the six major studios released only three movies directed by women. “It’s a number that should be a call to action,” Manohla Dargis wrote in December.
But if women and minority directors are unable to get entry-level work, and thus the experience they need to convince executives and producers, the numbers are unlikely to change any time soon.
Depressing photo via Getty