Charlize Theron‘s The Old Guard broke new ground by hiring a post-production team made up of 85 percent women.
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who became the first black woman to front a comic-book-inspired film, told The Hollywood Reporter the decision was a major step for the entertainment industry.
She notes such a high rate of female inclusion “very rarely happens on any movie, but on an action film, I guarantee you that’s never happened before”.
“When you look at the resumes of a lot of really talented women, they are not as long or as extensive as a lot of men in the same position,” Prince-Bythewood adds. “But I know for a fact that it doesn’t have to do with talent, it has to do with opportunity… There are so many women out there who are so good at what they do, but they just haven’t gotten the chance. Their being on my crew, being a part of the film, makes the film better.”
The women behind the camera include Terilyn A. Shropshire, the first black woman to edit a comic-book-themed movie, while the special effects supervisor, Sara Bennett, is one of only two black woman ever to win an Oscar for the category, for the 2014 film Ex Machina.
The Old Guard focuses on a team of immortal fighters and debuted on Netflix last month (July 2020).
