Outside of the massive amounts of films ready to be devoured at the Sundance Film Festival, there were many filmmakers and stars talking about a new initiative created by the Time’s Up movement, dubbed the 4% Challenge. And in the short time since the creation of the movement, some of the biggest names in the film industry have stepped up to the plate to accept this challenge that will, hopefully, lead to more major films with female directors.
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As announced in a speech by Tessa Thompson during the weekend, the 4% Challenge encourages Hollywood figures to make the declaration that over the next 18 months, they will announce a film that will be made by a female director. The title of the challenge comes from the statistic that only 4% of the directors of the 1,200 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2018 were women.
Joining Thompson in accepting the challenge are names like Nina Jacobson, Paul Feig, Amy Schumer, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Constance Wu, Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, J.J. Abrams and his production shingle Bad Robot, and Jordan Peele. Obviously, this is just a shortened list (you can find the full list, as of this writing, below).
Having a formal announcement at this year’s Sundance Film Festival seems fitting, as a recent study of the event has come back with the determination that Sundance is one of the best pipelines for female filmmakers out there. Unlike some of the other major festivals, such as Venice, the Utah event puts an emphasis on recognizing female filmmakers with a significant percentage of its submissions and selected films being made by women directors.
Here are all the names (so far) that have committed to the accepting the 4% Challenge from the Time’s Up movement:
Alex Saks and Page Fifty-Four Pictures
Amber Tamblyn
Amy Baer and Gidden Media
Amy Pascal
Amy Schumer
Angela Robinson
Armie Hammer
Arianne Phillips
Brie Larson
Bryce Dallas Howard
Caitriona Balfe
Cassian Elwes
Constance Wu
Eva Longoria
Franklin Leonard
Gloria Calderón Kellett
Heather Matarazzo
J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot
Jamie Patricof
Janet Mock
Jenno Topping
Jess Wu Calder and Keith Calder
Joe Pokaski
John Legend, Ty Stiklorius and Mike Jackson
Jordan Horowitz
Jordan Peele
Josh Gad
Judah Friedlander
Jurnee Smollett
Jussie Smollett
Kerry Washington
Kumail Nanjiani
Lena Waithe
Liz Hannah
Liza Chasin
Lucy Fisher and Doug Wick
Lynette Howell
Matthew Cherry
Mel Eslyn
Misha Green
Nico Santos
Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson
Olivia Wilde
Paul Feig
Rachel Brosnahan
Rashida Jones
Reese Witherspoon
Rosie Perez
Sarah Ann Masse
Steven Canals
Teri Weinberg
Tracee Ellis Ross
Warren Leight
Win Rosenfeld
Zazie Beetz
Zoe Kazan
“Because only 4% of the top 100 studio films over the last DECADE have been directed by women, #TIMESUP is initiating a challenge, the 4% challenge, and I intend to take it: I commit to working with a female director in the next 18 months.” –@TessaThompson_x #TIMESUPX2 pic.twitter.com/GjsuqeryKj
— TIME'S UP (@TIMESUPNOW) January 26, 2019
