The Third Austrian Film Gender Report: An Overview and Future Inquiries

The Third Austrian Film Gender Report was released in April 2024 by Austrian Film Institute and involves the funding data from eleven Austrian funding bodies, including the Austrian Film Fund (ÖFI). As could be read in the OTS press release, it amounts to € 105 million, which went to a total of 1,139 projects in cinema and TV, for the period between 2020 and 2021. In addition to the funding data, 401 feature films with an Austrian theatrical release within the timeframe 2012-2021 were analyzed. The analysis is focused on detecting, describing, in other words, quantifying and qualifying gender differences in Austrian film industry. The report investigates not only gender, but also, to a certain degree, class/race/ethnicity/disability/age imbalances as reflected in on-screen representations. Documentary films were analyzed for the first time. Some of the most interesting findings of the report are as follows:

Half of the documentaries directed by women

Looking at feature films as a whole, the proportion of films directed by women has risen to just over a third since the last report made in 2021. This report included the funding data for the period 2017-2019 and fiction films made between 2012 and 2019.Only one in five fiction feature films were made by predominantly female core crews, compared to one in four feature films in previous years. According to the authors of the report, it was promising to see that almost half of the documentaries were directed by women.

“Women show independent female characters more often“

Birgit Moldaschl BA, ÖFI project manager for the Film Gender Report, made this claim in the OTS press release as she pointed to the encouraging evidence in female-directed feature films with a theatrical release 2012-2021. 58% of the main characters in these films were women, compared to only 44% in male-directed films. Based on the report, eight out of ten female-led films passed the Bechdel-Wallace test, which was the case for only one in two male-led films. The Bechdel test measures the representation of women in film and other fiction. It inquires whether at least two female characters appear in a film and whether they discuss about anything other than a man.

Rich and educated overrepresented

More than a quarter of the main characters in contemporary Austrian feature films belonged to the upper class, a proportion more than twice as high as the Austrian population, the report suggests. This finding underlines that almost every second main character had a university degree. The question which the authors of the report pose is whether this is a reflection of Austrian filmmakers` experiences.

Migrants as main characters mostly underrepresented and poor

13% of the main characters in feature films had a migrant background. In contrast, the proportion of migrants in the Austrian population is twice as high at 26%. Based on the findings of the report, the characters were also disproportionately often from the lower classes.

Documentary film: men explain the world and male realities take center stage

Women were less likely to be speakers or experts in documentaries than men. Only a tenth of films released in 2012-2021 deal with female life situations. Although more than half (56%) of the subjects in current documentary films are female, they had significantly less to say. As the data suggest, only a third of the total speaking time was given to women. What´s more, imbalance was reflected in biographical documentaries as well. Only one in five biopics released in cinemas in 2012-2021 placed women at center stage.

The age range in which female actors find job shorter than that of male actors

For the films analyzed between 2012 and 2021 for the purpose of the Third Austrian Film Gender Report, the real age of the actors central to the plot was determined. The comparison between male and female actors showed, according to the authors of the study, that the vast majority of female and male actors are in the younger and middle adult age range. Based on the Second Austrian Film Gender Report, the age distribution looks as follows: child is considered to be bellow 13, adolescent 13-20, young adult 21-44, adult 45-60, and senior citizen above 60. For the films analyzed in the report, the real age of the actors central to the film plot was determined. The comparison between male and female actors showed that the vast majority of female and male actors are in the younger and middle adult age range. In contrast, both very young and older actors are in the minority in Austrian films. The gender comparison shows, based on the report findings, that female actors are slightly more likely to fall into the young adulthood range, while the age of male actors is more widely distributed. The age range in which female actors get jobs in Austrian film industry thus appears to be shorter than that of male actors.

More diversity in female-driven films?

The Second Austrian Film Gender Report has already established that more diversity is detected in female-driven films. One of the key findings was that the analyzed films that were female-driven and produced between 2012 and 2019 portray a pluralistic society and underrepresented groups in ways which go beyond the damaging stereotypical representations. Accordingly, these films entail less sexism and provide more reflection on discrimination in society than those made by all-male crews. In the hindsight, would it be too optimistic to see more aged actresses in lead roles in Austrian feature films in the years to come? With an ever increasing number of documentary films made by female directors, it seems reasonable to expect to see more experienced female subjects as experts or interviewing partners provided with more speaking time than is currently the case. Given the statistics and analyses provided by both Austrian Gender Film Reports, documentary film could be a medium which accelarates the needed social change. This remains to be closely observed in the years to come.

Written by: Dr. Asja Makarević

Image credit: Ron Lach from Pexels (Canva.com)