IMDb Introduces Feminist ‘F’ Rating to Indicate Movies Made by Women

Happy International Women’s Day!

The Internet Movie Database hasn’t been the most feminist of institutions in the past, fending off lawsuits to feature the age of female actresses (in an industry famed for its ageism and sexism) as well as its generally bro-centric Top 250 Films (where Logan is already the 37th best film of all time, apparently).

But this week, it has adopted the feminist ‘F’ rating to indicate movies that are written or directed by women, as well as movies that feature women in starring roles.

According to The Guardian, the ‘F’ rating was initially created by Bath Film Festival executive director Holly Tarquini.

To receive an ‘F’ rating, a movie must be written or directed by one or more female filmmakers, or feature complex female characters; ideally ones who contribute to the story. If a film meets all three of the criteria, it gets the coveted triple ‘F’ rating.

More than 21,000 titles on IMDb now include the ‘F’ rating, including Frozen, Pitch Perfect 2, Zero Dark Thirty… and Twilight. (So, it’s not a foolproof system for spotting feminist flicks.)

The ‘F’ rating isn’t prominently featured on the site at this point, but you can see all those feminist movies by searching for films with the keyword ‘F Rated’. It won't close the paygap, but it'll at least give punters an opportunity to find films from female voices; films that are often given little room to breathe elsewhere.

Photo: Universal