Women Filmmakers Perform Strongly At The UK Box Office

Films written and/or directed by women performed strongly at the UK box office between 2010 and 2012, according to new research released by the British Film Institute (BFI).
The research into UK films between 2010-2012 indicated that a high percentage of the most successful independent British films had a female screenwriter and/or director attached.
However, women remain underrepresented in writing and directing roles in the UK film industry in general.
In all UK independent films released between 2010 and 2012, 11.4% of the directors and 16.1% of the writers were women.
For the top 20 UK independent films over the same period, 18.2% of the directors and 37% of the writers were female. And for profitable UK independent films, 30% of the writers were female.
Successful women writers and directors working in the UK independent sector over the period included Jane Goldman (The Woman in Black and Kick-Ass), Phyllida Lloyd and Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady), Debbie Isitt (Nativity 2), and Dania Pasquini and Jame English (StreetDance 3D and StreetDance 2 3D).
Women filmmakers also saw success on UK films that were financed by studios in the US, including Sarah Smith (Arthur Christmas), Susanna White and Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang), Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class) and Lone Scherfig (One Day).
The research also showed that many successful female writers and directors were attached to more than one project over the period. Many of the directors also had directing credits in other dramatic media, including television and theatre.
The report also showed that films with female writers or directors were more likely to have female producers or executive producers.
The announcement follows Creative Skillset's 2012 Employment Census 2012, which showed that employment of women in the creative media industries has grown by almost 16,000 since 2009, with representation rising from 27% to 36% of the total workforce.
This shows positive growth for the representation of women within the industry, as between 2006 and 2009, the figure fell from 38% to 27%. In 2012, women made up 46% of the total film workforce (not including freelancers).
Maria Miller, Culture Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, said: "This is encouraging news and highlights the skill and talent of women working in the film industry today whose work both excites and inspires audiences. The creative industries underpin this country’s economic growth and are increasingly front and centre in representing Britain on the world stage.
"Of course, there is still a long way to go to address under-representation across the sector in general but with the number of women being employed within the creative industries growing year by year I know we can look forward to a future for film where the talent of women can shine."
(CD/MH)