Female filmmakers and the celluloid ceiling

Watch the show and join the conversation on the Intersection website.

Of the 250 top-grossing films last year, women accounted for only 5 percent of the directors, according to a recent study. While the numbers have held steady for top behind-the-scenes jobs overall (about one in five are women), the data show a significantly decreasing presence of women as film directors. So what’s going on? In advance of the Citizen Jane Film Festival in Columbia, we explore the challenges women face climbing the ranks in Hollywood and the reasons the film business remains such a male-dominated industry.

Panelists:

Brenda Chapman, director of the animated films "Brave" and "The Prince of Egypt" (joining the program by phone)

Paula Elias, co-director of the Citizen Jane Film Festival