International Women’s Day | 1 in 6 movies set for release in 2024 will be directed by a female, research shows

Research has shed light on the representation of female directors in the film industry, revealing that less than 1 in 6 movies set to release in 2024 will be directed solely by women. The study, conducted by NoDeposit365, analyzed 104 confirmed movie releases for the year 2024 to determine the percentage of films directed by males, females, or a combination of both.

Among the findings, only 14.4% of the movies surveyed will have female directors at the helm. This translates to a mere 15 out of the 104 films included in the analysis. Notably, two Marvel films, Madame Web directed by S.J. Clarkson and Venom 3 helmed by Kelly Marcel, are among those featuring female directors. Madame Web boasts an all-female lead cast, including Dakota Johnson, Syndey Sweeney, and Emma Roberts. Additionally, Sam Taylor-Johnson's biographical film Back to Black, chronicling the life of Amy Winehouse, is slated for release this year.

The dominance of male directors in the industry remains pronounced, with a staggering 82.7% of the upcoming titles (82 out of 104) directed by men. This majority is particularly evident in action and horror genres, with highly anticipated films like Dune: Part Two directed by Denis Villeneuve and Joker: Folie à Deux helmed by Todd Phillips.

Furthermore, only 2.8% of the analysed movies feature a collaboration between male and female directors. These include titles such as the remake of Mean Girls directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr, Kung Fu Panda 4 with Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine at the helm, and Horrorscope directed by Spencer Cohen and Anna Halberg.

Olivia King, a spokesperson from NoDeposit365, emphasized the importance of diversity in directorial roles, stating, "For a long time, filmmaking was perceived as a domain predominantly occupied by male directors, but this perception is clearly an outdated stereotype."

King continued, "The presence of women in directorial roles is crucial for establishing positive role models, considering that women constitute a significant proportion of the film industry. Although there has been a shift towards inclusivity for female directors in recent years, these findings evidence that there is still a large disparity in opportunities available to women wanting to direct feature-length films."