The lack of female directors in Hollywood has become a hot topic in recent years – although, as the film and television director Lexi Alexander has pointed out, framing the discussion in this way can in fact exacerbate the problem.

"There is no lack of female directors. Repeat after me: THERE IS NO LACK OF FEMALE DIRECTORS," Alexander previously wrote in an article for IndieWire. "But there is a huge lack of people willing to give female directors opportunities. I swear, if anyone near me even so much as whispers the sentence 'Women probably don’t want to direct,' my fist will fly as a reflex action."

Last year, the Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy sparked controversy when she appeared to suggest that there were no female directors experienced enough to take on a Star Wars movie.

“We want to make sure that when we bring a female director in to do Star Wars they’re set up for success,” she told Variety. “They’re gigantic films, and you can’t come into them with essentially no experience.