Gender equality: data on applications and success rates by gender
for the year 2021
As part of the Icelandic Film Centre's continuing commitment to gender equality throughout the Icelandic film industry, we offer the following data on the relative percentages of grants awarded by gender of key positions – producer, screenwriter, and director. We would also like to note that increased emphasis on gender equality and representation throughout the industry is now an important component of Iceland's new film policy, which was unveiled by the Minister of Education, Science and Culture last autumn and lays down policy for the next ten years.
As part of our own internal procedures, consultants at the Icelandic Film Centre are instructed, as they read and evaluate projects, to consider the criteria laid down in the Bechdel test and whether the creative content of applications promotes well-rounded, three-dimensional female characters. Applicants, too, are encouraged to apply these same criteria to the content of their work. In addition, both consultants and applicants are committed to tracking the gender of key participants in projects, which provides the entire Icelandic film community with a clearer understanding of participation by gender so that we will be able to address imbalances in a more timely manner.
We should also remember that, relative to our Nordic and European partners, the Icelandic Film Fund is small, as is our industry. On average, we are able to support only three to four narrative features per year, in addition to a handful of documentaries, short films, and TV series. This means that our sample size is also small, and large swings in data from year to year are possible. With this in mind, the data below gives some indication of the larger picture and the positive trends in gender participation in the industry that have been emerging in recent years.
Data for the year 2021 can be
seen below. Data for previous years can be found here.
Total applications in 2021
In 2021 the Icelandic Film Fund received a total of 228 applications for various types of grants, plus an additional 7 applications that were part of a special governmental campaign intended to counteract the economic challenges to the film industry brought upon by the coronavirus pandemic.
The 228 normal applications in 2021 were an decrease from 278 the previous year. Of those 228, 138 (or 60%) were awarded grants. Further information on the 7 applications that were part of the special coronavirus campaign can be found below.
Table 1: Here you can see the total number of applications, and the percentage of those awarded grants, by type of grant.
| Type of grant | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Script grants | 121 | 73 | 60% |
| Development grants | 25 | 22 | 88% |
| Production grants | 75 | 36 | 48% |
| Special coronavirus campaign | 7 | 7 | 100% |
| Total | 228 | 138 | 60% |
Production grants by gender
Table 2: Here you can see the percentage of production or postproduction grants awarded, for different types of projects, by gender of producer.
| Narrative features | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Men | 14 | 5 | 36% |
| Women | 7 | 3 | 43% |
| Team of men and women | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Total | 25 | 11 | 44% |
| | | |
| Documentaries | | | |
| Men | 9 | 3 | 33% |
| Women | 8 | 7 | 88% |
| Team of men and women | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| Total | 20 | 12 | 60% |
| | | |
| Short films | | | |
| Men | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Women | 11 | 4 | 36% |
| Team of men and women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 16 | 6 | 38% |
| | | |
| Narrative TV series | | | |
| Men | 4 | 2 | 50% |
| Women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 75% |
| | | |
| Postproduction | | | |
| Men | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Women | - | - | - |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 6 | 1 | 17% |
Table 3: Here you can see the percentage of production or postproduction grants awarded, for different types of projects, by gender of screenwriter.
| Narrative features | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Men | 20 | 7 | 35% |
| Women | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Total | 25 | 11 | 44% |
| | | |
| Documentaries | | | |
| Men | 12 | 5 | 42% |
| Women | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| Team of men and women | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Total | 20 | 12 | 60% |
| | | |
| Short films | | | |
| Men | 6 | 2 | 33% |
| Women | 9 | 4 | 44% |
| Team of men and women | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Total | 16 | 6 | 38% |
| | | |
| Narrative TV series | | | |
| Men | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Women | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 75% |
| | | |
| Postproduction | | | |
| Men | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Women | - | - | - |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 6 | 1 | 17% |
Table 4: Here you can see the percentage of production or postproduction grants awarded, for different types of projects, by gender of director.
| Narrative features | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Men | 20 | 6 | 30% |
| Women | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 25 | 11 | 44% |
| | | |
| Documentaries | | | |
| Men | 14 | 7 | 50% |
| Women | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Total | 20 | 12 | 60% |
| | | |
| Short films | | | |
| Men | 6 | 2 | 33% |
| Women | 10 | 4 | 40% |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 16 | 6 | 38% |
| | | |
| Narrative TV series | | | |
| Men | 6 | 4 | 67% |
| Women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 75% |
| | | |
| Postproduction | | | |
| Men | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Women | - | - | - |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 6 | 1 | 17% |
Development grants by gender
Table 5: Here you can see the percentage of development grants awarded, for different types of projects, by gender of producer.
| Narrative features | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Men | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Women | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| | | |
| Documentaries | | | |
| Men | 7 | 5 | 71% |
| Women | 9 | 8 | 89% |
| Team of men and women | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Total | 19 | 16 | 84% |
| | | | |
| Narrative TV series | | | |
| Men | - | - | - |
| Women | - | - | - |
| Team of men and women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 100% |
Table 6: Here you can see the percentage of development grants awarded, for different types of projects, by gender of screenwriter.
| Narrative features | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Men | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| | | |
| Documentaries | | | |
| Men | 12 | 10 | 83% |
| Women | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| Team of men and women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 19 | 16 | 84% |
| | | | |
| Narrative TV series | | | |
| Men | - | - | - |
| Women | - | - | - |
| Team of men and women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 100% |
Table 7: Here you can see the percentage of development grants awarded, for different types of projects, by gender of director.
| Narrative features | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Men | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| | | |
| Documentaries | | | |
| Men | 12 | 10 | 83% |
| Women | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| Team of men and women | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 19 | 16 | 84% |
| | | | |
| Narrative TV series | | | |
| Men | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Women | - | - | - |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| | 1 | 1 | 100% |
Script grants by gender
Table 8: Here you can see the percentage of script grants awarded, for different types of projects, by gender of screenwriter.
| Narrative features | Applications | Awarded | Success rate |
| Men | 52 | 27 | 52% |
| Women | 14 | 11 | 79% |
| Team of men and women | - | - | - |
| Total | 66 | 38 | 58% |
| | | | |
| Documentaries |
|
|
|
| Men | 5 | 3 | 60% |
| Women | 5 | 4 | 80% |
| Team of men and women | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Total | 12 | 9 | 75% |
| | | | |
| Narrative TV series |
|
| |
| Men | 20 | 10 | 50% |
| Women | 14 | 10 | 71% |
| Team of men and women | 9 | 6 | 67% |
| Total | 43 | 26 | 60% |
