The problem with the way we talk about Woody Allen is not in accidentally saying he is good when he is bad, or bad when he is good—either as a man or as a filmmaker. No, the problem is in giving him the keys to the kingdom of moviemaking. The problem with Allen is his power. The same power that enables him to make artistic choices, and to remain the be-all-and-end-all of “what his movies mean,” also empowers him to do whatever he likes, including abuse vulnerable people.

ithout staff or funding, and with the pressing demands of life and work, the 50/50 meetings fell off, but loose-knit connections remained, aided by dial-up e-mail. And that community, says Coolidge, “gave rise to all these new communities now.” Many a young woman in the film trade, upon encountering someone from the group, has been heard to remark, with awe, “You were at Miramar?”

Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, who co-founded Sony Pictures Classics and often usher Sundance movies to Oscar success, said they have produced films by 59 female filmmakers, but that a lot of those filmmakers have struggled to find success elsewhere. “I don’t think women have been given those opportunities after their experience with us from all these other companies, and I think it’s right to stand up and say they deserve more attention than they were given,” Barker said.

Ms. Witherspoon marvels at how the business is changing. A few years ago, she said, prospects were dim for actresses over age 40. She hopes she can help change that in her new role. “You get older and the phone does stop ringing,” she said. “It’s systemic, because the people who are writing the stories aren’t 40-year-old women. You write what you know. Well, there were no 40-year-old female screenwriters, and now women of color are writing screenplays and getting them made at big studios.

From the outset, female cinematographers were considered an outlandish sight. Women held many jobs in the silent film industry, but mostly the less visible roles such as writing and editing. Although, cinematography was barely two decades old magazines found the idea of a woman operating a camera to be at best a novelty, and at worst, freakish. “How many of you have ever heard of a woman camera man?” asked Picture Play in 1916. “That such a person exists will doubtless be a surprise to the majority of people in the film business, as well as those outside it.”

"She said: 'You and I are going to be tied together. We're going to be favoured nations and we're going to make the same thing, you are going to make that amount. Fast forward to last week, we're making five times what we asked for." Spencer, one of the stars of Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures, said she is happy to be part of the conversation, and was emotional as she had not had a chance to process the news. "Now I want to go to what the men are making," she added. "I want to get there."

Hundreds of salaries have been entered into the spreadsheet, which asks writers to “help us achieve parity by sharing any info you are willing to”. Contributors have entered data points including their job title, gender, whether or not they are a person of color, and how much they were paid per episode. Though the Guardian is not able to verify the salary data, the document offers some insight into possible pay disparities. According to the spreadsheet, for example, a white male co-executive producer earned $25,000 per episode on a show, while a non-white female co-executive producer working on a show produced by the same studio and airing on the same network earned $10,000 per episode.

It was a better day for women in Hollywood Tuesday, after the Academy Awards nominations were announced and women's names turned up in categories where they have rarely been seen, such as best director and best cinematographer. Progress? Maybe. It was at least a hopeful sign to those agitating for more equity for women in an industry staggering under multiple scandals throwing harsh light on how women are treated unfairly in opportunities, paychecks and personal safety.

"It’s a huge honor. I hope that it’s the first of many. If it serves as nothing else, I hope it inspires more women to get behind the camera and become cinematographers."

When the Molly's Game actress appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, she decided to prove to the host how this sexism makes its way on screen. Specifically, she brought in some examples of Hollywood scripts and had herself and Fallon swap roles — she would read for the man, and he would read for the woman.

“I’m pretty encouraged right now,” said Redford during the festival’s opening press conference on Thursday afternoon. “What it’s doing is bringing forth more opportunities for women and more opportunities for women in film to have their voices heard and do their own projects.”