The Snubs During Award Seasons: Female Edition
By: Nadine Hernandez
Director Lulu Wang’s, The Farewell
Credit: Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival
Hard work, a vision, dedication are being projected as prejudice labels revealing a pattern of gender inequality towards females. Rewarding as it must feel to win an Oscar and to be nominated to receive the recognition deserved for a vision brought to life. Unfortunately, these prestigious wins are repeatedly displayed through males, white men in particular. In 2010, only one woman has ever embarked the win in all of Academy history, Kathryn Bigelow and Oscar winning film The Hurt Locker. The Golden Globes and the Oscars share a particular spotlight in regard to the misrepresentation of women.
The film "Little Women", directed Greta Gerwig hit major headlines as she was snubbed by both the Golden Globes and BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards). Other female filmmakers such as Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Alma Har’el (Honey Boy), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Kasi Lemmons (Harriet), Olivia Wilde (Booksmart), and Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers) also do not have any Oscars nominations under the Best Director category.
Could this be a mistake?
According to Deadline, Dino-Ray Ramos includes in article title, #OscarsSoWhite, depicting a pattern, “The lack of women in the Best Director category is a sad tradition as only five — yes five — women have been nominated in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards: Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties in 1976; Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993; Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation in 2003, Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2009; and Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird in 2017,”
This article reveals the unfairness that the film industry just might have towards women. Not only are female directors snubbed off to the sidelines, but female actresses are as well like, Awkwafina (The Farewell) and Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers). It raises questions of why receiving a nomination seems like a stretch to obtain.
Bette Midler, an American singer, actress and film producer shares her distress in a tweet stating, "No women received noms for Best Director Oscar even though many exceptional films were directed by women this year. Maybe we just get our own show called the Osc-hers? I guarantee it will be way better organized and way more entertaining!,"
Professor of Communications at USC, Dr. Stacey L. Smith and SC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative have completed a study on the overall representation of female directors throughout Academy history. The findings were dull and unsurprising.
Throughout the course of thirteen years, female film directors have been snubbed to the fullest extent with only a 4.8% increase with a total of 1,448 female directors. The study also found a number of underrepresented women who were of a diverse racial/ ethnic group.
“Less than 1% of all directors across 13 years were women of color. In fact, 13 women have directed a top film in 13 years. While 2019 is a banner year for women, we will not be able to say there is true change until all women have access and opportunity to work at this level," Smith stated.
From the span of 2008 to present day, the top nominated female directors are not for the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, but for DGA Awards and Critics' Choice Awards consisted of only 5.1%.
When this is set into perspective, it is disappointing that the misrepresentation of woman continue to roar and is overlooked. Although, bringing light into the unfairness of this will be the stepping stone to righteousness towards female directors and actresses who deserve a nod, let alone a nomination.