Hollywood Lags on Diversity: Only 15% of Studio Films Had Nonwhite Director in Last 5 Years

While blockbusters like “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” have made headlines in recent years as flag-bearers for the push for diversity in Hollywood, studio films with nonwhite directors remain the exception rather than the rule. For the last five years, only 68 of the films given a wide release by Hollywood’s six major studios — just 15% — were directed by a person of color, according to a study by TheWrap. That’s far out of step with the U.S. population, which stands at 60% white, 18% Latino, 13% Black and 6% Asian, according to U.S. Census data from 2019. And the Motion Picture Association’s annual THEME report shows that 45% of frequent moviegoers last year were nonwhite, with 26% Latino, 9% Black and 7% Asian. TheWrap’s analysis shows no consistent progress for directors of color — with 2018 marking the best year for representation. Nonwhite filmmakers directed or co-directed 22.1% of big studio releases in 2018, including Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” But representation dropped to 16.6% last year, with films like Jordan Peele’s “Us” and Andrés Muschietti’s “It: Chapter Two.” These findings are consistent with TheWrap’s annual survey of female directors, which...

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