A new study by the Canadian Directors Guild reveals that the local film and television industry remains predominantly white and male.
A description of voluntary self-identification among DGC members found that 82.8% of Guild members were white. Another 18.3% identify as black, indigenous or black.
This is a significant shortfall compared to the 27 percent of Canadians who consider themselves members of the BIPOC minority. And 2.5% of DGC members who responded to the census identify as black Canadians, another significant underrepresentation as black Canadians make up about 3.5% of the total population.
Census results also showed that women made up 46.5% of respondents, compared to 53.4% who identified as men. At the same time, DGC’s own membership records indicate that the total guild is 42.4% female and 57.5% male.
These results indicate that women were more likely to identify themselves as part of the census than men, which reduced their actual representation in the DGC. The census allowed DGC members to voluntarily identify themselves on a wide range of demographic measures, including age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability status.
The description also included members in creative and logistical roles such as direction, design, localization, accounting, production and editing. DGC President Warren P. Sonoda said the census results will help the guild build a strong foundation among its membership to ensure it better reflects the diversity of histories and audiences in Canada.
“The description gives us an accountability benchmark that tells us whether our inclusion efforts are coming to an end,” he said in a statement. RT Thorne, chairman of the DGC BIPOC membership committee, said in a statement that the Guild was seeking a data-driven approach to ensure greater diversity as the Canadian industry moves towards a global market for original content.
“Moving to greater representation in our union will help meet demand and create more opportunities for our entire industry,” said Thorne.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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