• GLAAD: LGBTQ Series Regulars on Broadcast TV Hit All-Time High

    The percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast television in the 2019-2020 season has reached a record high of 10.2%, according to GLAAD's annual "Where We Are on TV" report," up from 8.8% in the previous season. That's 90 out of 879 series regulars on broadcast scripted primetime TV. The study also found that LGBTQ […]

  • Hollywood Blockbusters Featured Record Number of Lead Roles for Women, People of Color in 2018

    Hollywood movies offered up more meaty roles for women and people of color in 2018, a sign that public pressure on the film business to become more inclusive appears to be yielding results. "Black Panther" and "Crazy Rich Asians" may have generated the lion's share of press attention for shattering barriers, but they were just […]

  • Latino Community Largely Ignored in Hollywood Films, New Study Finds

    Only 3% of the top 100 grossing films from 2007 to 2018 featured Latino actors in lead or co-lead roles, according to a new study conducted by USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative in partnership with the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP).What’s more, only 4.5% of all speaking characters across all films were Latino, despite the demographic representing the largest ethnic group in America. Latinos make up 18.3% of the U.S. population, and according to the study, 77% of the 50 U.S. states and 2 territories have populations with a higher percentage of Latinos than what is currently seen in Hollywood films.The study also dove into an analysis of the stereotypes of the speaking roles Latinos often get in film, finding their roles are typically portraying characters who are poor, isolated or criminals.Also Read: Lost City of Gold: How Hollywood Can Win Latinx Audiences“The Latino community has not been prioritized, and it is imperative that we shed light on the glaring reality of Latino representation in film,” NALIP executive director Ben Lopez said. “NALIP has positioned itself to be the elegant solution to this complex problem through our commitment to building the pipeline of Latino talent and sustainable development in the industry. [Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Director Dr. Stacy Smith’s] research must guide decision-makers to the conclusion that there is immense value in collaborating with and investing in the Latino community.”And the representation of speaking roles for Latinos in film has not improved in the last 10 years.It doesn’t get any better behind the camera either. When looking at 1,200 of the top-grossing films from 2007 to 2018, the study found that 4% of the U.S. directors were Latino. In the same batch of films during that period, one out of every 1,335 was a Latina.The Oscars recently have seemingly pointed to more representation, or at least recognition, behind the camera. Five of the last winners of the best director Oscar have been Mexican: Alfonso Cuarón (2018, 2013), Guillermo del Toro (2017) and Alejandro Iñárritu (2014, 2015). The study, however, puts an emphasis on Latino-American filmmakers.Of the 28 solo directors, the study found that in those 1,200 films between 2007 and 2018, 71% were international and 29% were from the U.S. Of the 3,616 producers across the same 1,200 films, it found that only 3% were Latino.Also Read: Female and Nonwhite TV Writer Hiring Is Up in 2019 Despite Fight With Agencies, WGA Says“These findings reinforce not only the lack of employment opportunities for Latino actors, directors, producers, and casting directors, but the reality of a narrow range of stories and characters that individuals from this group inhabit on screen,” the study reads. “The message that popular films send to viewers is thus one that excludes and misrepresents Latino individuals. While the findings also reveal that there has been no meaningful change in the last decade, such historical inertia need not inform the future.”The Inclusion Initiative, along with NALIP, also laid out a number of ways that Hollywood could work to improve Latino representation in film — including better casting starting with even the smaller roles; building a pipeline for writers, directors and producers; and increasing resources and investment from the broader ecosystem to support Latino filmmakers and creators.In response to the USC Annenberg study, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, which is behind the “Fast & Furious” films, issued a statement about their Global Talent Development & Inclusion department established in Jan. 2017 and their commitment to diversifying. The company’s full statement is below:We want to thank Dr. Stacy Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, NALIP and Wise Entertainment for conducting this study and for encouraging the industry to recognize and address areas of representation where we can – and must – do better.As the studio behind the internationally successful Fast & Furious franchise, and proud home to one of the most diverse rosters of creative talent in the industry, we have a commitment and strong track record of responding to the need to cast and tell stories that reflect our global audience.  The results of this study highlight how much more work needs to be done and are precisely what motivated the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group to establish the Global Talent Development & Inclusion (GTDI) department in January 2017.Led by industry veteran Janine Jones-Clark and reporting directly to Chairman Donna Langley, GTDI is focused on strategically driving inclusion in front of and behind the camera, as well as within the Studio’s workforce.  Over the past two and a half years the team has launched diversity-focused Director and Composer initiatives, which joined our industry-leading Writers’ pipeline and development program.  Together, they are driving real results, with program alumni actively working on UFEG content and projects.In addition, we are currently working with our creative partners on designing a Producers’ initiative with a specific Latinx focus and we look forward to sharing more details on this effort in the coming weeks.Read original story Latino Community Largely Ignored in Hollywood Films, New Study Finds At TheWrap

  • Scarlett Johansson: 'I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal'

    After pulling out of a role where she was set to play a transmasculine man last year, actress Scarlett Johansson says she can play ‘any person’ she wants.

  • Lena Waithe calls out Will Smith, Denzel Washington for not doing more to support black-led films

    The writer/producer/actress behind the upcoming thriller "Queen & Slim" was speaking about whether getting movies made by black directors into theaters will soon be easier.

  • Are movie ratings sexist? 'The Hustle' stars Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson think so

    Actresses sound off on the "extremely unfair" gender gap in comedy and bring the receipts.

  • Marvel Studios plans to reveal one of its characters is gay

    Marvel Studios plans to reveal one of its characters is gay

  • How 'Shazam' became Hollywood's most diverse superhero movie yet

    DC's latest movie features the first multicultural family in a studio superhero film.

  • Defending 'Miss Daisy': Writer Alfred Uhry reflects on controversial Best Picture 30 years later

    As the ascension of "Green Book" this year stirs comparisons, the writer of the much-debated Best Picture winner defends his work 30 years later.

  • How 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' is a breakthrough for Disney diversity

    From the early years to the Disney Renaissance to the Golden Age of Pixar, Disney has set the industry standard for animation — but when it comes to diversity and inclusiveness onscreen, there has been, shall we say, a learning curve. Over the last 10 years, Disney has committed to better representation in its animated features, and movies like Moana and Coco — in addition to being excellent films — have been rightly praised for their cultural sensitivity, nontraditional protagonists, and innovative storytelling. Watch to find out how Ralph Breaks the Internet, the Oscar-nominated sequel to Wreck it Ralph, makes major strides towards equal representation, and shows just how far Disney has come.

  • Spike Lee on his long road from 'Do the Right Thing' to 'BlacKkKlansman'

    Spike Lee is accustomed to being ahead of the curve. Lee remained “on it” over the subsequent three decades, using his status as Hollywood’s pre-eminent black director to address interracial romance in Jungle Fever, black activism in Get on the Bus and black representation in movies and television in Bamboozled. Having helped pave the way for that diversity of new voices (think directors like Allen Hughes, Ava DuVernay and Dee Rees) Lee’s own career ebbed and flowed.

  • How 'Black Panther' and 'Aquaman' changed the face of superhero cinema forever

    With "Black Panther" leading the way, the cinematic superhero universe is more diverse than ever, and that's a wonderful thing.

  • From Yalitza Aparicio to Shameik Moore, 15 young actors of color transforming Hollywood

    Meet the new generation of talent helping Hollywood become younger and more inclusive.

  • Diversity in Hollywood: The future is now

    For all of its stumbles and stubbornness, the film industry really is changing. But will we get a Hollywood ending?

  • Diversity in Hollywood 2019: Crossroads at the Oscars

    This year's ceremony will prove a litmus test to see how far Hollywood has really come in embracing diversity.

  • Diversity in Hollywood 2019: Why it's time for change and 5 possible solutions

    A more diverse Hollywood actually benefits both studios and filmgoers in many ways. Here are the statistics to back that up.

  • Diversity in Hollywood 2019: By the numbers

    A look at the shocking statistics that show how far Hollywood has come in recent years... and how far the industry still needs to go.

  • Diversity in Hollywood 2019: Where we are, how far we have to go and how we can get there

    Half the audience of mainstream films is underrepresented onscreen. Here's our in-depth look at how Hollywood has changed in the wake of #OscarsSoWhite and #TimesUp and how much more work is left to do.

  • Family films have twice as many male as female characters, says new study (exclusive)

    The Geena Davis Institute looked at race and gender in 10 years of family films.