‘A Thousand and One,’ ‘The Woman King,’ ‘Barbie’ Top Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Adobe’s Latest Film List
Ahead of the Oscar nominations being unveiled, USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and the Adobe Foundation have released a new edition of their Inclusion List, with a focus on movies.
The top-scoring movies for supporting gender inclusion on screen and behind the cameras were A Thousand and One, You Hurt My Feelings, The Marvels, Priscilla and Barbie. For race and ethnicity, the top-scoring movies were Joy Ride, A Thousand and One, The Color Purple, House Party and The Blackening.
In an earlier Inclusions List, 476 theatrically released movies from 2019 to 2023 were analyzed, with on screen and behind-the-camera data used to determine the 150 most inclusive films in that four-year period. The latest Inclusion List builds on that ranking with a new set of films from 2023.
“Our goal with the Inclusion List is to celebrate those who are showcasing and working with exceptional talent from all backgrounds. In the second year of its release, the newest iteration of the Inclusion List spotlights films, filmmakers, and distributors who clearly demonstrate that inclusion is a part of great entertainment,” Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Anneberg Inclusion List, said in a statement.
For LGBTQ+-themed movies, the top-rated films were All of Us Strangers, Theater Camp, Bottoms, Knock at the Cabin and Saltburn. And the ranking system for representation and inclusion also scored disability and cited What Happens Later, John Wick: Chapter 4, Moving On, Golda and The Holdovers for their out-performance.
Elsewhere, the top-scoring films for representation of people aged 65 years and older on screen were Book Club: The Next Chapter, Moving On, Marlowe, The Miracle Club and Golda. The top-scoring directors having the most women and people of color working behind the camera were Catherine Hardwicke (Mafia Mamma), Olivia Wilde (Booksmart, Don’t Worry Darling), Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi), Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) and Kasi Lemmons (Harriet).
The editors most often cited for work on inclusive movies were Annette Davey (Together, Together), Terilyn A. Shropshire (The Woman King), Hilda Rasula (American Fiction), Catrin Hedstrom (The Marvels), Blair McClendon (Aftersun), Harry Yoon (Minari), Anne McCabe (Dear Evan Hansen) and Mary Jo Markey (The Eyes of Tammy Faye).
“By celebrating these artists, our goal was to showcase the voices behind the stories that bring inclusive stories to audiences,” Dr. Smith added.
The Inclusion List aims to use real-world data and movie making experiences to encourage more inclusive, equitable opportunities in Hollywood. In overall rankings, the league table for inclusive films was led by The Women King in first place, followed by A Thousand and One and Harriet in third place.
And the ranking for studio distributors, which gets inclusive movies to film lovers, put Universal Pictures on top, followed by Sony in second place and then Warner Bros.
