Alliance of Women Directors (AWD)

Overview

The Alliance of Women Directors (AWD) is the US professional organization advocating for women and gender-expansive directors in film, television, commercials, and new media. Founded in 2002 and based in Los Angeles, AWD works to close the persistent gender gap in directing opportunities through industry engagement, professional community building, and public accountability. The organization maintains a searchable member database utilized by producers and production companies, runs career advancement fellowships and labs, and hosts monthly events focused on the craft of directing and navigating the business side of the industry.

AWD's mission addresses one of the most severe gender disparities in the screen industry. In 2025, women directed just 10.1% of the top 109 theatrical films (UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report), down from 15.4% in 2024 and the lowest percentage since 2018. A separate USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study found that women directed only 8.1% of the 100 top-grossing films at the US box office, with just 9 women directors out of 111 total. The ReFrame analysis found that 2025's Top 100 films included only 11 women directors, a 45% drop since 2023. These figures demonstrate that progress for women directors is not just slow but actively reversing.

Membership Costs and Requirements

Director Membership: $125/year

To qualify for AWD Director Membership, applicants must:

• Be 21 years of age or older
• Identify as a woman or gender nonbinary
• Have directed a feature film, TV episode, TV movie, documentary, commercial, web series, or short film that was selected to be aired publicly by an established film festival or distribution company
• Submit work subject to review

All work is subject to review. Former Directing Members do not need to complete the application again and can reinstate by emailing the organization.

Student Discount

A 20% discount is available for the first year of Director Membership for current or recent (within 5 years) students in a graduate or postgraduate program. Applicants must email a copy of their student ID to receive the discount code.

Ally Membership: $50/year

Ally membership is open to anyone who supports AWD's mission, regardless of gender or professional discipline. This includes industry professionals who want to know more directors, supporters who are not yet eligible for Director Membership, and film enthusiasts. Ally members must be 21+ to attend in-person events serving alcohol.

Membership Benefits

Director Member Benefits

• Inclusion in AWD's exclusive searchable database, utilized by producers and production companies to find qualified women directors
• Eligible to apply for Career Advancement Fellowships and Labs
• Participation in Career Advancement programs including Works in Progress, Social Sundays, AWD Book Club, and Virtual Readings
• Workshops, panels, and mixers (some events have limited seating)
• Discounts and waivers on film festival submissions
• Discount to AWD's annual Back to Set symposium
• Fiscal Sponsorship through AWD at a 5% rate on projects helmed by women or gender-expansive directors
• Access to online resources, discounts on industry goods and services through community partnerships
• Access to screenings and conversations hosted by studio and network partners

Ally Member Benefits

• Participation in AWD's Virtual Readings, Book Club, and Social Sundays programs
• Attendance at selected workshops and events throughout the year
• Annual in-person bash where Directing and Ally Members mingle and connect (Los Angeles area)
• Eligible for Fiscal Sponsorship through AWD on projects helmed by women or gender-expansive directors
• Select screenings and conversations hosted by studio and network partners

Career Advancement Programs

AWD's Career Advancement Programs focus on Professional Development, Community, and Advocacy for women and gender-expansive directors. Current programs include:

Black Directors Advancement Initiative (BDAI)

BDAI facilitates relationships between industry professionals and Black AWD directors for career development. The program creates structured pathways for Black women directors to access the networks, mentorship, and industry connections that lead to directing assignments.

#MentorLatinaDirectors Fellowship (#MLD)

#MLD is for current AWD Directing Members who identify as Latine and/or Indigenous. The fellowship focuses on career growth and meaningful relationships, pairing emerging Latine and Indigenous women directors with established industry mentors.

Rising Director Fellowship

A yearlong intensive that fosters 5 to 8 directors who show a substantial portfolio of work in the short form space (narrative shorts, episodic, commercials, music videos, and web content) who have yet to direct a narrative feature film. Focus is on directing a proof of concept short that can serve as a calling card for feature financing.

Virtual Readings Program

An ongoing series of staged readings over Zoom, devised to get scripts to the next level with feedback from members, industry professionals, and invited guests. The program provides constructive development support for works in progress.

Master Classes

Attendees receive hands-on, applicable information from showrunners, editors, directors of photography, and other industry professionals. Topics include prepping, directing episodes of television, pitching projects to financiers, and applying to diversity programs.

The Statistics on Women Directors

The data on women directors in 2025 provides stark context for AWD's mission:

The UCLA report also found that films directed by White women were the most likely to have budgets under $20 million, with none having budgets of $50 million or more. Women of color directed the only two films by women with budgets of $50 million or more in 2025 theatrical releases (Elio and KPop Demon Hunters). The 2025 data marks the first year where women of color (6) outnumbered White women (3) among top-grossing film directors.

Research consistently shows that films directed by women perform at or above average box office compared to equivalent male-directed productions, making the continuing disparity a combination of structural bias and risk-aversion rather than market reality.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Producers and Studios

AWD's searchable member database allows production companies to filter by genre and experience level to generate lists of compatible women directors for specific projects. The database addresses the persistent "we couldn't find any women" justification for gender-homogeneous director lists. Productions seeking qualified women directors can search the database at allianceofwomendirectors.org. When contacting directors found through the database, mention AWD as the source.

For Women and Gender-Expansive Directors

AWD Director Membership requires publicly-aired directing work (festival selection or distribution). If you meet this threshold, membership provides professional community, advocacy support, career advancement programs, fiscal sponsorship at 5%, and the network connections that support career development. The Rising Director Fellowship is specifically designed for directors with substantial short-form portfolios who have not yet directed a narrative feature. Apply through the Join page.

For Industry Allies

AWD Ally Membership at $50/year supports the organization's infrastructure while providing access to select events, Virtual Readings, Book Club, and Social Sundays. Ally members can also apply for Fiscal Sponsorship for projects helmed by women or gender-expansive directors. The AWD South branch serves members in the Southeast United States, with all members eligible for virtual events and programs regardless of location.

See Also

For the international women in film network, see Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) in this directory. For gender equity research on screen content, see Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in this directory. For AWD membership application and program details, visit allianceofwomendirectors.org.