Oscars 2023: Zero female filmmakers nominated for ‘Best Director’
Though the world may be trying to find a diverse balance in our everyday lives, our awards ceremonies still favour men over women. While recently, the Brit Awards came under fire for not including any female artist in its ‘Best Artist’ category; the Academy Awards will also come under fire for not including a single female filmmaker in its ‘Best Director’ category.
Instead, the nominations look to old favourites such as Steven Spielberg for his movie The Fablemans, as well as Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — the directing duo known as ‘The Daniels’ — for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Tár director Todd Field, Martin McDonagh for The Banshees of Inisherin and Ruben Östlund for Triangle of Sadness.
It’s not to say that those nominated aren’t deserving of the accolade. The A24 production Everything Everywhere All At Once is likely to sweep awards season, Spielberg’s autobiographical love letter to cinema has fascinated audiences, and the quaint charm of McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin is near-impossible to resist. However, looking at the shortlist of female directors who could have fought for the spot, there is an inescapable feeling of disappointment.
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s direction on The Woman King from Sony could have easily been given the nod, with Sarah Polley’s Women Talking should also be a part of the conversation. However, one glaring omission seems more pertinent than most: Charlotte Wells’ unmistakably wonderful After Sun.
Not only was the movie, which sees an acclaimed journalist (Paul Mescal) go on a unique voyage of self-discovery to uncover the multitudes of his Mexican identity, snubbed for ‘Best Picture’, but Wells’ incredible direction seemed a shoo-in for ‘Best Director’. Diversity for diversity’s sake is never top of the agenda, but when such a high calibre of talent is overlooked, there is undoubtedly room for scrutiny.
There have only ever been eight female nominations for Best Director despite the fact that in 2022, Jane Campion picked up the award for Best Director for The Power of the Dog. In doing so, she became only the fourth female filmmaker ever to win the prize and shed light on the consistent shunning of female directors.
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