No woman was nominated for the Oscar for best director this year, reigniting the debate on the lack of diversity of the great mass of Hollywood cinema.
an air of déjà vu. In 2016, the announcement of the Oscar nominees wreaked havoc within the big family of cinema. “#OscarsSoWhite” (Oscars too white) denounced thousands of people, who pointed to the lack of diversity of the actors nominated for the second consecutive year. Rebelote in 2023: this time, no woman is nominated for the award for best direction by the prestigious Academy of Oscars.
However, the category is mixed, recalls the American organization Women In Film, which pleads for equal opportunities for women and men in the seventh art.
“Once again, the Academy has shown they don’t care about women’s voices by excluding us from Best Director nominations,” denounces WIF in a press release relayed by the media Variety.
An all-male cast
Women In Film underlines the importance of the Oscar statuette, the most important award for an actor or a director in the world of cinema, in the life of a director.
“An Oscar is more than a golden statue, it’s a career accelerator”, defends WIF.
In the entire history of the Oscars, only seven women have been nominated for the award for best direction, recalls Variety. Three of them won the statuette: Kathryn Bigelow, in 2010 for The Hurt Locker; Chloé Zhao, in 2020 for nomadland; and Jane Campion, in 2022 for The Power of the Dog.
This year, therefore, no woman is nominated in this prestigious category. Several could however have claimed to be selected, like the Canadian Sarah Polley, whose film Women Talking…was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Gina Prince-Bythewood, who directed The Woman King, could also harbor legitimate claims.
The Academy preferred an all-male cast, including the essential Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) and the duo behind the crazy comedy Everything Everywhere All At OnceDaniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
