Today, 16 September, the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) released its latest report, “Female Professionals in European Film Production: 2015-2024 Figures”, highlighting the persistent gender imbalance behind the camera in European cinema. Between 2020 and 2024, women made up just 27% of professionals involved in the production of European features, a figure that has grown slowly over the past decade.

The report, authored by Agnes Schneeberger, zooms in on six key categories of film production roles – directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, composers and editors – and finds that progress towards gender equality is uneven. Women are more strongly represented in producing, writing and editing, accounting for 34%, 31% and 30% of professionals in these roles, respectively. In contrast, their presence is far lower among cinematographers (14%) and composers (13%). The study also shows that women are more likely to work collaboratively, often sharing responsibilities with other professionals. However, leadership positions within these teams remain dominated by men: while female writers accounted for 31% of scripts, female-led writing teams represented just 22% of the total.

Over the ten-year period from 2015-2024, the share of female professionals increased modestly. Comparing the periods 2015-2019 and 2020-2024, the share of female directors rose by 3%, producers and screenwriters by 4%, cinematographers by 2% and composers by 4%, while the proportion of female editors increased by only 1%. Documentaries consistently showed the strongest female presence across all roles.

Extrapolating current growth trends, gender parity in European film production should be reached by 2047 if all roles are considered together. Individual roles vary widely: parity for writers could arrive by 2043, directors by 2047, composers by 2061, editors by 2074, producers by 2077, and cinematographers not until 2204.

There is, however, reason for hope: women in one role are more likely to work with other women. Female directors, for example, increase the likelihood of female-led writing and producing teams, suggesting that progress in one area could positively influence others. EAO’s findings underline that while European cinema has seen slow improvements in gender equality, systemic change is still needed to accelerate progress and create a truly inclusive industry.

The study is available to peruse here.