The numbers told an exciting story: For the first time ever, five major tentpole feature films directed by women were set to be released in a single calendar year: Cate Shortland’s “Black Widow,” Chloé Zhao’s “Eternals,” “Cathy Yan’s “Birds of Prey,” Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 1984,” and Niki Caro’s “Mulan.” The year 2020 was going to show real progress and provide a sign of different things to come, aided by a push for visibility that had so far alluded even the industry’s most well-known female filmmakers. The five films on the schedule — four of which were tied to the biggest active franchises of the moment — were only part of a bigger picture.

You know what happened next: a pandemic.

Its impact shut down whole countries and has claimed over a million lives to date. For the movies, the changes were swift and brutal: postponed and canceled projects,...