AceShowbiz - Gender-Balanced Hiring has seen a decline among the 100 most popular films of 2025, according to the latest report from ReFrame, the initiative created by Sundance Institute and WIF (formerly Women in Film, Los Angeles) in collaboration with IMDbPro. This program aims to promote gender equity in film productions by awarding a ReFrame Stamp to projects that meet specific standards of gender-balanced hiring across key roles.

The 2025 report reveals that only 26 of the top 100 films earned the ReFrame Stamp, marking a decrease of four films compared to 2024. This downward trend is also reflected in the representation of women and nonbinary individuals in major creative roles such as directors and lead performers. In 2023, 20 women and nonbinary directors helmed top 100 films, which dropped to 14 in 2024, and further declined to just 11 in 2025. Similarly, women lead performers numbered 51 in 2024 but slipped to 39 in 2025, including one transgender actor.

Ethnic diversity among women in lead roles also reached its lowest point in eight years, with only seven women of color featured as leads in top films during 2025. These figures underscore a significant contraction in opportunities for women and gender-diverse people in the film industry.

Kirsten Schaffer, CEO of WIF, commented on the findings, stating, "This report's findings point to a significant divestment in women-led projects - creating a narrowing pipeline of opportunities for women and gender-diverse people across the industry." She emphasized the collective responsibility to reverse this trend by making intentional hiring decisions guided by the ReFrame criteria, which provide a clear framework for building a more equitable film industry one project at a time.

The co-founders of ReFrame, Cathy Schulman and Keri Putnam, also issued a joint statement highlighting the alarming nature of the data. They noted that the ReFrame Stamp was designed as a minimum standard for inclusion of women, nonbinary, and transgender people in key roles both in front of and behind the camera. "Instead of raising the bar, we're now seeing productions falling below it. This is not progress. This is a reversal," they said.

Regarding films with larger budgets, those exceeding $100 million, the percentage of productions receiving the ReFrame Stamp remained steady at 26 percent for 2025, consistent with the previous year. On the streaming platform side, Netflix achieved the ReFrame Stamp on at least half of its 2025 releases, demonstrating some commitment to gender-balanced hiring among major studios.

Several notable films among the top 100 earned the ReFrame Stamp this year. These include Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Oscar winner Jessie Buckley, Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt featuring Julia Roberts, the action film Ballerina by Len Wiseman starring Ana de Armas, Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love with Jennifer Lawrence, and the animated film Elio. Other stamped films include Final Destination Bloodlines by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, Freakier Friday directed by Nisha Ganatra, I Know What You Did Last Summer by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, KPop Demon Hunters from Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, and Lilo & Stitch by Dean Fleischer Camp.

Additional titles receiving the ReFrame Stamp include Materialists by Celine Song, Regretting You directed by Josh Boone, The Housemaid by Paul Feig, The Old Guard 2 helmed by Victoria Mahoney, Thunderbolts from Jake Schreier, and Wicked: For Good directed by Jon M. Chu, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

The full detailed ReFrame report can be accessed for further insights into gender representation trends and production hiring practices across the industry.