The second iteration of The Inclusion List from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has identified the 150 most inclusive films from 2019 to 2023, adding to its initial class of 100 films by naming 50 new titles for the year 2023.
Four films from that year have made it into the Top 10 Most Inclusive Films for that timespan, according to the study released Wednesday, with A Thousand and One taking the No. 2 spot overall, Bottoms coming in seventh, The Color Purple ninth and The Blackening in 10th.
The list’s point system took into account talent both in front of and behind the camera, with a total of 20 points broken down into 10-point halves for both on-screen and off-screen inclusion. Two distinct processes were used, one for leads/co leads and the other for all speaking characters. A film could earn up to 10 points for on-screen inclusion based on the five inclusion indicators (gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability, age) across leads/co leads (up to 5 points) and all speaking characters (up to 5 points).
A Thousand and One ranks second with a score of 13.6/20, while Bottoms scores a 12.2/20. The Color Purple and The Blackening are tied with a score of 11.8/20. The highest scoring film on the list remains Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King (2022) with a 15/20.
The list also evaluated 2023 films displaying the best inclusivity across five categories: gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability, and age. It named five of the most inclusive 2023 films within each of those categories.
The 2023 films that scored the highest for the gender indicator of inclusion were A Thousand and One, You Hurt My Feelings, The Marvels, Priscilla and Barbie. A Thousand and One also scored high on the race/ethnicity list alongside 2023’s Joy Ride, The Color Purple, The Blackening and House Party. In the LGBTQ+ category, the top five films of 2023 were All of Us Strangers, Theater Camp, Bottoms, Knock at the Cabin and Saltburn. 2023 releases ranking high in the disability category included What Happens Later, John Wick: Chapter 4, Moving On, Golda and The Holdovers. Films from 2023 that scored highest in their representation of age on the big screen were Moving On, Book Club: The Next Chapter, Marlowe, The Miracle Club and Golda.
Researchers also took into consideration the race and ethnicity of crew members in the roles of director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor, composer, production designer, costume designer, casting director and assistant director.
The second Inclusion List also names 25 top achievers across inclusion metrics and 50 new winners for 2023 cinema. Released Jan. 22, the results calls attention to directors, editors and distributors involved in projects with the highest percentage of women and people of color employees who aided in the process of production from start to finish line.
RELATED: Women-Led Films Fell Close To 30% In 2023, Near A 10-Year Low, Per Study
Out of 400 evaluated directors, five were named the most inclusive: Catherine Hardwicke (Mafia Mama, Twilight), Olivia Wilde (Booksmart, Don’t Worry Darling), Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Just Mercy), Reinaldo Marcus Green (One Love, King Richard) and Kasi Lemmons (Harriet, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody).
Eight editors were noted for their work in film over the past five years, including Annette Davey (Pam & Tommy, Maid), Anne McCabe (Nightbitch, Succession), Blair McClendon (Aftersun, The Last Showgirl), Catrin Hedström (The Marvels, Candyman), Hilda Rasula (American Fiction, Our Flag Means Death), Harry Yoon (Minari, Chang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Beef), Mary Jo Markey (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and Terilyn A. Shropshire (Twisters, The Woman King).
RELATED: Hispanics & Latinos Still Invisible In Hollywood, A Trend Across 16 Years, New Study Reveals
The top distributors — companies responsible for bringing top-ranking diverse films to audiences — were listed by the quantity of how many films released: Universal (29), Sony Pictures (21), Warner Bros (18) and, for smaller distributors, A24 (14), MGM (10) and Bleecker Street (9).
A panel discussing the results featuring Smith, Sumi Parekh, Executive Director, Group Effort Initiative, Tracy Oliver, Screenwriter, Director, Producer and Showrunner, Jesse Williams, Actor, Director, Activist, Dewayne Perkins, Writer, Actor, Producer, and Amy White, Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Adobe, is set for Friday at Adobe House on the ground at the Sundance Film Festival.