This March 12 will take place the delivery of the Oscar awards where it seeks to reward the best of cinemawithin the awards there are different categories and one of the ones that carries the most weight is that of Best Direction; since the birth of the prizes in 1929, more than 400 directors have been nominated in this category, but the sexism It is also present in those nominations since only seven women have belonged to this long list.
For this installment, Sarah Polleythe director of the film They speakhas been nominated for Best filmbut not to Best Director and it is even more surprising that, although the film aftersun has received a nomination for Lead Actor, Paul Mescal, its Director charlotte wells it has been overlooked despite its exciting and unconventional film direction, which has been honored at several independent award ceremonies.
With this upcoming entity so close that it is dominated by white males, it is important to remember and name the seven directors exceptional women who have been recognized by the Academy and live in our feminist hearts.
- Lina Wertmuller (Seven beauties, 1975).
It took 47 years to see a women nominated within this category, but in 1977 Lina Wertmüller became the first woman to be recognized with a nomination in the category of Best Director. He sadly didn’t get the accolade, but in 2019 he received the Academy Honorary Award for his career, which he continued until his death in 2021.
This award was due to his Italian feature film seven beauties (Pasqualino Settebellezze) from 1975. This film is described as “loud, grotesque and hypersexualized” in which Italian fascism is portrayed broadly compared to the sexism. He sexist Delinquent, played by Giancarlo Giannini, stumbles through Fascist Italy to defend his family’s pride. He ends up in a concentration camp where he enters into a kind of BDSM relationship with a German warden.
Unfortunately, the film is not available on any streaming service at the moment, but you can watch it in Italian on YouTube.
- jane campion (The piano, 1993).
After the nomination of Lina Wertmullerit took another 20 years for a women was nominated as best director and it was in 1994 when Jane Campion received a nomination for the film The piano. It also did not win the category, but the film was awarded the award for Best screenplay.
The film is about Ada (Holly Hunter), a mute pianist who is sent to New Zealand in the mid-19th century to marry a man in an arranged marriage. As her beloved piano is sold to an acquaintance of her husband’s, she is willing to do anything to spend a few hours in front of the keys, even if it means using her body.
The piano It was restored in 2022 and the new version can be seen on Amazon Prime Video and on Apple TV.
- jane campion (The power of the dog, 2022)
In 2022 there was another milestone in the history of women’s cinema since jane campion became the first woman nominated for two Oscars. the power of the dog received no less than 22 Oscar nominations, including those for Best film and Best screenplay adapted. jane campion received the award, becoming the third woman to win an Oscar for Best Direction.
the power of the dog is a modern western and at the same time a psychological drama based on the 1967 novel of the same name. Brothers Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons) take care of a farm together, but can hardly stand each other due to their differences in character. When George marries the widowed Rose, she and her son Peter move into the farm and change Phil’s life forever. Power relations begin to change and a curious bond emerges between Phil and Peter.
the power of the dog it’s a Netflix original and is therefore freely watchable and probably forever on the platform.
- Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation, 2003)
With the movie lost in translationdirector and actress Sofia Coppola was nominated as Best Directorbut, unfortunately, it did not win either, although it did take the Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay
with your movie the virgin suicides, Sofia Coppola made the leap to directing. Four years later he came lost in translation, her first feature film with a script written by herself. The movie is a romantic-drama comedy starring Billy Murray as a middle-aged man experiencing a mid-life crisis while supposedly shooting an advertisement in Tokyo. At his hotel he befriends the young American Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson, and soon the two share a deep friendship.
It is available on Prime Video.
- Kathryn Bigelow (In hostile land, 2009)
After three nominations, kathrysn bigelow It was the first one women to win an Oscar in the category of Best Direction by The hurt Locker. In addition to the address, the movie also won awards for Best film and Best screenplay.
the hurt Locker is a film that addresses the psychological impact and trauma of the Iraq war. The movie follows a group of soldiers from a bomb disposal unit trying to act as carefully as possible in the midst of war. When his leader dies on a mission, they have to take over a new superior, but with his recklessness, he endangers not only himself, but his entire team.
It is available on Prime Video and on Filmin.
- Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, 2017)
Greta Gerwig debuted with Lady Bird as his first direction, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Total, Lady Bird managed to get five Oscar nominations, including that of Best film.
Lady Bird is the semi-autobiographical work of Greta Gerwig about the teenage rebel Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) who must juggle her life between Catholic school, college applications and her first experiences with boys. Also, she has a difficult relationship with her mother and wants to leave her old home behind. But at some point she realizes that she doesn’t hate her home as much as she thought.
It is available on Movistar +.
- Emerald Fennell (A promising young woman, 2020)
The 2021 Oscar Awards ceremony was a good edition for the women Because two women were nominated for Best Direction this year. One of them was Emerald Fennell with her directorial debut with A promising young woman.
The award to Best Direction it was for another womenbut emerald fennel won the Oscar for Best screenplay. Altogether, the movie received five Oscar nominations, including for Best film and Best actress.
The movie was written and directed by Emerald Fennelland is based on the experience not only of hers, but of many women who knows The story is about Cassie (Carey Mulligan) and the double life she leads from her: she pretends to get drunk at night and punishes the men who first try to “help” her and then assault her and try to rape her. All with the purpose of avenging her friend, raped in the past, without reprisals.
It is available on Movistar +.
- Chloe Zhao (Nomadland, 2021)
In 2021, the Oscar for Best Director went to Chloe Zhao, making her the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for this category. The movie nomad land and Chloe Zhao They were also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Montage and Best film.
The movie is based on the book nomad land where, Surviving in 21st Century America follows Fern, played by Frances McDormand who lives in a trailer. After the death of her husband and the loss of her home, she travels the United States alone, earning a living by working part-time. On her journey, she repeatedly meets other nomadic people and learns the most diverse stories. An authentic look at life between poverty and freedom.
It is available on the Disney+ streaming service.
