New Research Cites Most Inclusive Films, Studios, and Producers

The Woman King is being crowned in the latest research from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a think tank dedicated to studying diversity and inclusion in entertainment. Snubbed by the Oscars despite scoring a 94% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and being named among the top 10 films of the year by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic about women warriors in the African kingdom of Dahomey tops The Inclusion List, described as a “first of its kind ranking system” that “celebrates the films, filmmakers, and companies who are supporting inclusion on screen and behind-the-camera.” The Woman King reigns supreme in the Top 100 Inclusive Films section of the data-driven list, which offers a quantitative assessment of hiring practices across almost 400 movies as well as more than 900 producers, over 350 directors, and 16 distributors.

Rather than relying on “subjective decision-making,” The Inclusion List “draws solely from data to create a cast and crew score based on actual hiring practices and story elements.” A research team scored 376 films released in theaters across 20 inclusion indicators ranking gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability, and age representation for cast in leading and all speaking roles. A crew score was determined by assessing gender and race/ethnicity across 10 positions behind the scenes: director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor, composer, costume designer, production designer, casting director, and first assistant director.

The Top 100 Inclusive Film list considers titles from 2019 to 2022 and assigns them a cumulative score based on cast and crew inclusion. The Woman King scored 14 out of 20. Rounding out the top five films on the list are Lulu Wang’s The Farewell (13.6), Janicza Bravo’s Zola (13.2), Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet (13), and Advait Chandan’s Laal Singh Chaddha (13). Four of the five top films are helmed by women of color, a group that’s historically been — and remains — underrepresented and underappreciated in Hollywood, a fact that Prince-Bythewood has spoken out about. The writer-director told People that she would “never get over” The Woman King’s absence at the Oscars “because what happened was egregious and ... it speaks to such a bigger issue in our industry.”

A Black woman has never been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars and just one title helmed by a Black woman has received a nod for Best Picture (Ava DuVernay’s Selma).

Of course, this lack of recognition by the Academy is not due to a lack of quality films helmed by women of color. As USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative founder Dr. Stacy Smith notes in a press release, “films from women and women of color directors on the list earned the highest average score on Metacritic [a website that aggregates reviews]. These women are excluded from the industry when we know that they are some of the top performers, telling some of the strongest and most compelling stories. This is a list that celebrates women of color in an industry that doesn’t.”

In addition to the Top 100 Inclusive Films section, The Inclusion List also features a list of the Top Inclusive Distributors and the Top 8 Inclusive Producers.

Universal Pictures leads Studio Distributors with a score of 201.6 out of 480, with titles such as Harriet and Queen & Slim on The Inclusion List. A24 comes in at No. 1 on the Independent Distributors List with 81.4 out of 180 thanks to Inclusion List titles such as Aftersun and Minari.

Will Packer and the former president of Will Packer Films, MACRO Film Studios president James Lopez, top the Producers list, scoring 37.8 out of 80 apiece. They share credits on four films on The Inclusion List: Little, The Photograph, Beast, and What Men Want.

Assembled to “show the world just who is doing it best when it comes to representation in theatrically released films,” The Inclusion List offers an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of those who have proven their commitment to “ushering in a new era for inclusion through the choices they have made and the stories they have told,” Smith explains. The teams behind the films on the list and the individuals and companies that made the cut aren’t just talking the talk, doing the bare minimum of what’s expected of them in 2023 and feigning interest in representation. Their presence on the list says more than any publicist-approved statement in support of diversity and equity ever could.

As Smith’s own research shows, we have a long, arduous road ahead when it comes to ensuring better representation on screen and behind the scenes. Still, it’s impossible to overstate just how much the landscape has evolved in recent years: Movements like #MeToo, Time’s Up, and #OscarsSoWhite have inspired a seismic shift, transforming how people view — and talk about — not just Hollywood, but the world. “Inclusivity” and “representation” are common parlance. Institutional racism and consent are, at long last, a part of public consciousness. The industry is absolutely still rife with racism and misogyny, but this fact is now routinely called out in headlines, talk shows, online discourse, and lecture halls, and at festivals stateside and abroad. As much as some folks would love to stifle this conversation and maintain the (deeply problematic) status quo, its volume is only intensifying.

So yes, things are getting better, but as reporter Maureen Ryan writes in her upcoming book Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, “the bar was set in hell” — there was, and remains, ample room for improvement.

The films, producers, and studios on The Inclusion List demonstrate that change is indeed possible — and it’s already happening. The projects, individuals, and companies it honors are embracing inclusivity and making art that reflects the world we live in. Their existence proves that it’s possible to do better.

Smith has devoted decades to studying the numbers and holding Hollywood accountable, though it wasn’t until the 2018 Oscars that her work went mainstream. The night’s Best Actress winner, Frances McDormand, concluded her acceptance speech with these parting words: "I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider." Smith pioneered the idea, a provision that actors and actresses can add to their contracts requiring productions to hire an inclusive cast and crew.

Suddenly, an international audience was Googling “inclusion rider,” learning about how Smith and her colleagues were working toward making Hollywood more inclusive — and encountering stats about the lack of women and people of color on screen and behind the scenes that proved just how badly interventions such as the inclusion rider were needed. Hollywood also took notice: Industry heavyweights such as Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan, and Ben Affleck committed to using the rider.

While Smith’s work has caught Hollywood’s attention, many other individuals and organizations are working to improve access and inclusion in Hollywood as well — Dr. Darnell Hunt and Outfest, to name just a couple. The former, a UCLA professor, is behind the annual Hollywood Diversity Report, which explores diversity in relation to profit in the entertainment industry. The latter is a nonprofit organization that offers visibility to diverse LGBTQIA+ stories.

The Inclusion List was designed to “allow the public to understand who has taken inclusion seriously and been a driving force for industry change,” and its contents and the style of presentation reflect that. Far from being bogged down by esoteric jargon, the research is presented in a clear, concise, and accessible fashion. Light on text while remaining heavy on information, The Inclusion List also incorporates photos. Decision-makers in the industry can use it as a resource to see which titles, producers, and studios are leading the charge — and more importantly, why they are considered leaders in this arena. They’ll be able to check out how points were earned — for example, if at least 6.4% of speaking characters were LGBTQ, and if a woman or person of color was credited as an editor. The Inclusion List can serve as a helpful tool in determining areas for improvement. Professors and students studying film and the entertainment industry will also benefit from it, as will film lovers with an interest in supporting inclusive content.

You can check out The Inclusion List — and get some ideas about what to watch tonight — here.