The 2024 Oscar nominations were announced at the end of January. To the surprise of many film fans, “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig – just like “Barbie” leading actress Margot Robbie – came away empty-handed this year. What followed was a media outcry, not only because the film about the infamous doll attracted more than a billion US dollars and more people to the cinema than any other before.
No directing Oscar for Greta Gerwig – discussion about equal opportunities and sexism
A discussion sparked on social media about the Oscar nominations being too white, too male and too stereotypical. Equality, representation and the same opportunities for men and women? Obviously not. “Barbie” was able to enjoy a nomination for “Best Film” and “Best Screenplay”. The fact that Gerwig in particular does not receive the necessary recognition was still the main topic of discussion.
Oscars 2024: This female director was nominated
In fact, out of a total of 96 directing Oscars awarded with five nominations each, only nine (!) women were nominated. That’s the equivalent of just under 1.6 percent. Only three of them won the directing Oscar. By the way, Gerwig was already up for a directing Oscar once. In 2017, she was nominated for her film “Lady Bird,” but lost out to Damien Chazelle for “La La Land.”
Instead of Gerwig, a woman can still look forward to being nominated for a directing Oscar this year: French director Justine Triet already secured the Palme d’Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for her feature film “Anatomy of a Case”. On March 10th of this year she is now looking forward to a directing Oscar.
You can see which films by female directors have been nominated for a directing Oscar since the Academy Awards began in 1929 – and which of them also won – in the photo series above.
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