Spike Jonze Lists Female Cinematographers He Wants to Work With in the Future

Spike Jonze has joined forces with Free The Work to create a video playlist listing the women cinematographers he wants to work with in the future. Jonze has worked with several female DPs in the past, including Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Zoë White, Mego Lin, and Ellen Kuras. While all four of the director’s feature films have been shot by men (Lance Acord handled Jonze’s first three features and Hoyte van Hoytema stepped in for “Her”), Jonze has collaborated with White, Lin, and Kuras on various advertisements. Kuras worked with Jonze on his famous 2006 Adidas commercial.

As for the women cinematographers Jonze is eyeing for the future, the director’s wish list includes Natasha Braier (“The Rover,” “The Neon Demon,” “Honey Boy”), Daisy Zhou (check out her Nike Vogue commercial), Rina Yang (the cinematographer behind Sephora’s “We Belong to Something Beautiful” advertisement), Maryse Alberti (“Velvet Goldmine,” “The Wrestler,” “Creed”), and Polly Morgan (“The Intervention,” “Lucy in the Sky,” “A Quiet Place: Part II”).

Jonze has yet to announce any narrative feature follow-ups to “Her,” but his next movie is a Beastie Boys documentary that will be released in IMAX and on Apple TV+ in April. The documentary, titled “Beastie Boys Story,” was shot by Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who earned great acclaim on films such as “Palo Alto,” “Teen Spirit,” and “The Sun Is Also a Star.” The documentary will have a limited IMAX engagement beginning April, followed by a global Apple TV+ launch on April 24.

Photo ; Shutterstock

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Clearly 2019 was a year of progress for women, but there’s still a long way to go.

Number Of Female Protagonists Increases

The biggest gains for women were in the percentage of top films with female protagonists in 2019. The percentage of female protagonists rose significantly from 31% in 2018 to 40% in 2019 according to a new study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. The study examined more than 2,300 characters from the top 100 grossing films of last year. Box office hits including Captain Marvel, Little Women and Frozen 2 contributed to these gains in the number of sole female protagonists in studio features. Male protagonists were featured in 43% of the films, and the remaining 17% had a combination of male and female protagonists.

Men Dominate Behind The Scenes

Another report by San Diego State examined the gender balance in the behind the scenes workers on the top 100 grossing films of 2019. Men have long dominated the director, writer, producer, executive producer, editor and cinematographer roles, and 2019 was no exception. Women comprised only 20% of these roles, although this was up from 16% in 2018. Only 12 of the top 100 films had female directors.

Women of Color Severely Underrepresented In Directors’ Chairs

Another study by the USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examined both gender and racial disparities in the director’s chair. According to this study, four women of color helmed a top 100 movie in 2019. Stacy Smith, USC professor and study author, cautions against celebrating the record number of women of color in the director’s chair. She explains, “Less than 1% of all directors across 13 years were women of color. In fact, only 13 women [from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups] have directed a top film in 13 years.”

Female Directors Less Likely To Obtain Nominations

Despite getting equal (or better) critical acclaim, women don’t seem to get recognition when it comes time for nominations for key awards. Smith notes, “Recognition from peers and other industry members can provide a critical boost to a director’s career. The public prominence that can result from a high-profile nomination can also create new role models for aspiring filmmakers or students.” 

Yet after examining the gender of director nominations across the last 13 years for the four major awards shows, the researchers found that 95% of nominations went to male directors. Only 5% went to women, and only one of these was a woman of color (Ava DuVernay). 

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Photo Source :EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP

Only 5 Female DirectorS have been nominated for an Oscar in 100 years.

From left to right

Lina Wertmuller, "Seven Beauties" (1976)  •  The first woman ever nominated in the category was this Italian director for a drama about an Italian solider who deserted the army during WWII and is sent a German prison camp. She lost to John G. Avildsen for "Rocky."

Jane Campion, "The Piano" (1993)  •  The Australian director won an Oscar for her original screenplay for the period drama but lost the directing prize to Steven Spielberg for "Schindler's List."

Sofia Coppola, "Lost in Translation" (2003)  •  The daughter of Oscar-winning "The Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola picked up her first nomination for the quiet Japan-set character study, but lost to Peter Jackson for "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King."

Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker" (2009)  •  Bigelow not only scored a nomination, but managed to defeat her ex-husband James Cameron, whose "Avatar" scored Best Picture.

Greta Gerwig, "Lady Bird" (2017)  •  The indie actress wrote and directed this feature, her first as solo director, based on her upbringing in Pasadena, Calif. But Guillermo del Toro took the prize for "The Shape of Water."

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Photographs Getty Images