Filmmaker Michael Moore compared the lack of female directors in Hollywood to South Africa’s apartheid, a system which forced racial segregation and denied citizenship to black people from 1948 to 1994.
Asked about the low number of female directors landing jobs at a New York Film Festival panel on Sunday, the documentary director said, “It’s a form of apartheid, folks, when a minority controls everything and the majority gets a bone thrown to them. That’s just absolutely wrong.”
During the discussion, Moore called for change, asking for the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America to address the issue.
“Women, especially men, need to say this, and say it over and over and then do something about it,” he continued. “My guild, the Writers Guild, Directors Guild, we have to fix this. This is absolutely wrong.”
Moore continued to discuss a recent USC statistic that said that only 1.9 percent of the top-grossing 100 films over the past two years were directed by women, while also slamming the industry for having predominantly white male directors.
“This is the most liberal of all industries… and for it to be so shamelessly white and male?” he asked. “I’m not saying that just because I’m a liberal making a politically correct statement. I’m saying it as a filmgoer and audience member.”
USC’s study also revealed that there were 23.3 male directors for every 1 female director since 2002.
Moore’s latest documentary, “Where to Invade Next,” is screening at New York Film Festival.