Films released in theatres score lowest on the Bechdel Test, shows data

Films released in theatres are least likely to have a meaningful speaking role for women, with nearly two-thirds failing the Bechdel Test.

To pass the Bechdel Test, a film must have at least one scene where two named women are talking to each other about something other than a man. For streaming series, the criterion was modified to at least three scenes, according to a report commissioned by Ormax Media, a media consulting firm, and Film Companion, and supported by Prime Video India, released on Thursday.

The report analysed 156 streaming and theatrical films and series, released in 2022 in eight Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, and Gujarati, to study the changes in the industry since 2021.

Only 34 per cent of theatrical films and the majority of all content across platforms and languages failed the Test in 2022. Streaming films and series performed better (chart 1).

Representation of women shows a decline even in content with a female commissioning in-charge. Figures for the Bechdel Test and women's talk time in trailers were lower in 2022 than in 2021 for such female-commissioned projects (chart 2).


 

Women hold around one-tenth of head of department (HOD) positions in the Indian media and entertainment industry, the report revealed. It analysed data across key departments, including direction, cinematography, editing, writing, and production design. Female representation across these department head roles increased marginally from 10 per cent in 2021 to 12 per cent in 2022. This has resulted in a minuscule increase — not more than three per cent — in female representation in direction, cinematography, and editing (chart 3).

When a female commissioning in-charge leads projects, the representation of female HODs increased from 17 per cent in 2021 to 22 per cent in 2022. This share of female representation fell from 8 per cent to 7 per cent when a man was the commissioning in-charge of the projects, noted the report.