People News Roundup: Female directors reached record highs in 2019 Hollywood

Following is a summary of current people news briefs.

Female directors reached record highs in 2019 Hollywood

The number of women behind the camera on Hollywood movies jumped to record levels in 2019, with 12 directing top-grossing films including "Frozen II," "Captain Marvel" and "Hustlers," two studies showed on Thursday. Women made up 10.6% of directors of the top movies last year, more than double the percentage in 2018 and the highest percentage of female directors in the past decade, a study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California found.

Motivated by #MeToo? Vetting jurors in Weinstein case will be a challenge, experts say

As former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein goes to trial on rape charges next week in Manhattan, lawyers will need to keep an eye out for jurors who want to use the case to make a statement about sexual abuse following the rise of the #MeToo movement, legal experts said. Once one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers, Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women in New York, one in 2006 and the other in 2013.

(With inputs from agencies.)