The University of California, Los Angeles has released a new report examining diversity in 2025 streaming films. The study includes information on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation among actors, directors, and writers for the 89 English-language streaming original films released in 2025.
The UCLA report found a sharp decline in the representation of BIPOC actors in lead roles, dropping from 51 percent of streaming film leads in 2024 to 36 percent in 2025. Among the 15 Black actors in streaming lead roles, nine were men and six were women. Together, Black men and women represented 16.9 percent of all streaming film lead actors in 2025.
Notably, BIPOC lead actors are more likely to star in small-budget films. Almost two-thirds of streaming films with a BIPOC lead actor had a budget of under $20 million, with nearly half of the films starring a BIPOC actor having a budget under $10 million. In contrast, only 29.2 percent of films with a White male lead actor had budgets under $10 million. White male lead actors were the most likely group (25 percent) to star in a streaming film with a budget over $50 million, followed by BIPOC actors (18.8 percent) and White women lead actresses (18.8 percent).
The share of BIPOC-directed films also declined in 2025, dropping from 41 percent in 2024 to 31.5 percent in 2025. Black directors represented 14.3 percent of all directors of 2025 streaming films. Among the 14 Black directors of 2025 streaming films, nine were men and five were women.
BIPOC directors were more likely than White women, but significantly less likely than White men to direct high-budget films. All 2025 streaming films directed by White women and nearly two-thirds of those created by a BIPOC director had budgets under $20 million, compared to less than half of streaming films directed by a White man. On the other end of the budget spectrum, more than a quarter of streaming films directed by White men had budgets over $50 million, compared to 17.8 percent of films directed by BIPOC filmmakers. Additionally, nearly nine out of every 10 BIPOC-directed films featured casts that were greater than 30 percent BIPOC, compared to less than two-thirds of White male-directed streaming films.
Among streaming film writers, BIPOC representation is particularly low. In 2025, only 21.3 percent of streaming film writers were BIPOC, down from 30 percent in 2024. Black writers and co-writers — including six Black men and seven Black women — were only 8.7 percent of all screenwriters of 2025 streaming films. Almost all the streaming films penned by a BIPOC screenwriter featured a cast that was at least 30 percent BIPOC, compared to slightly more than half of films written by White men.
