The British film industry is failing to make significant headway in tackling discrimination against black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers both behind and in front of the camera, according to new research.
In a report entitled Race and Ethnicity in the UK Film Industry, Dr Clive Nwonka, fellow in film at the London School of Economics, has investigated the industry’s response to the BFI diversity standards that were introduced in 2014 to try to improve the BAME presence in production crews and subject matter in British films.
The research, conducted with the co-operation of the BFI, suggested that BAME participation in the industry remained considerably lower than other under-represented groups, particularly in behind-the-camera roles. The report found that, of the 235 films between 2016 and 2019 that adhered to the diversity standards, 117, or 50%, cited race or ethnicity as a factor in their story/content, compared with 149 (63%) for gender. The gap was even more marked with employment figures: 93 projects, or 40%, cited race/ethnicity as a factor, compared with 168 (71%) for gender.
The report also pointed out a number of nuances inside the headline figures. BAME people were far less likely to be selected as main characters in films adhering to the diversity standards, while BAME experiences were far less likely to feature as part of a film’s main theme or storyline.
Moreover, a number of films passed the standards by citing race and ethnicity on-screen but offered no off-screen BAME employment. BAME individuals were twice as unlikely to get department head and key off-screen roles as the most cited under-represented group (ie, gender). There was also a wild disparity in regional terms, with no films made in the entire Midlands region that passed the diversity standards in 2016-19 containing any BAME representation in its workforce.
The diversity standards were introduced in 2014 to require film projects to satisfy a number of diversity-related criteria to be eligible for finance from the BFI Film Fund. These include characters and storylines depicting under-represented groups, department heads and “other staff” drawn from under-represented groups, as well as industry access/mentoring and audience development.
Nwonka said: “The BFI diversity standards have performed a crucial role in focusing attention on the issue, but our analysis shows that racial under-representation remains a structural condition within the sector, both on and off-screen. BAME individuals still face significant inequalities and our analysis suggests that the diversity standards are not yet robust enough to respond to the intersectional and multi-dimensional nature of racial inequality in the industry.”
Nwonka has made a number of recommendations following the report, including making race or ethnic representation compulsory in key production jobs, films over £5m budget to have stricter criteria, and a database and liaison officer to improve access for BAME industry workers.
He added: “Without more stringent criteria, the result is another 10 years of exclusion of ethnic minority individuals from the industry.”
BFI head of inclusion Jennifer Smith welcomed the report, saying: “Building on the initial findings we published in January, it reconfirms the significant barriers people of colour face in working in the film industry. We are already working to strengthen the Standards to drive more engagement with people from underrepresented ethnicities, particularly in … creative leadership roles and crews, as part of the review we are undertaking this year. More broadly, we are calling on the industry to urgently address the persistent diversity deficit across the sector, which is our collective responsibility.”
Smith pointed out that over 600 other films were made in the UK outside the Diversity Standards system, adding: “This demonstrates the lack of comprehensive diversity data available from across the industry … so we are continuing to advocate for an industry-wide system to collect self-declared diversity data for cast and crew on all film productions.”
The report follows an outspoken protest by Oscar-winning film-maker Steve McQueen, who wrote in the Observer: “The UK [film industry] is so far behind in terms of representation, it’s shameful … What I want is to see change, not hear excuses. I’m just totally exasperated about the historical lack of effort. Now is the time for real change.”
