Women filmmakers are taking the reins of their destinies in Hollywood, with many stepping behind the camera and creating stories universal to the human condition. However, it has been a slow-moving machine to see these talents recognized at the Oscars, especially in the Best Director category.
In the 96-year history of the Academy Awards, 601 films have been nominated for the top prize for best picture. Twenty-two of those films were helmed by a woman director. While the statistic is startling, there has been an uptick in female-led stories being told and gaining notoriety.
Looking at the 2024 Oscars stats:
Women filmmakers hit a milestone with this year’s 2024 Oscar nominations. For the first time in history, three of the 10 movies nominated for best picture — Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Celine Song’s “Past Lives” — were directed by a female auteur, the most recognized in the Academy Awards’ 96-year history. Five years have included two films directed by women among the best picture nominees: 2009, 2010, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Women also produced seven of the 10 nominated movies. Those include Stone, Robbie, Emma Thomas (“Oppenheimer”), Marie-Ange Luciani (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger (“Maestro”), Ewa Puszczynska (“The Zone of Interest”) and Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon (“Past Lives”).
The biggest year for best picture noms for movies produced by women was 2019, delivering eight films with female producers attached, including Kwak Sin-ae, who would become the first woman of color to win best picture for the non-English language movie “Parasite.” All other years had six or fewer.
However, to date, eight women have been nominated for directing: Lina Wertmüller (“Seven Beauties”), Jane Campion (“The Piano” and “The Power of the Dog”), Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”), Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”), Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”), Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Justine Triet (“Anatomy of a Fall”).
Below, find the list of all 22 women-directed movies that were nominated for the Oscars’ top prize: best picture.
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Children of a Lesser God (1986)
Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection Randa Haines
Film: “Children of a Lesser God” (1986)
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Written by: Hesper Anderson, Mark Medoff (based on “Children of a Lesser God” by Mark Medoff
Produced by: Burt Sugarman, Patrick J. Palmer
Synopsis: A new speech teacher at a school for the deaf falls in love with the janitor, a deaf woman speechless by choice.Other Oscar nominations: actor (William Hurt), actress (Marlee Matlin), supporting actress (Piper Laurie) and adapted screenplay
Wins: Marlee Matlin for best actress – first deaf person to win an acting Oscar, and youngest woman to win at 21.
The scene that proves it: “Never come inside my silence.”
The first film directed by a woman to be nominated for best picture came at the 59th ceremony, with debut director Randa Haines. However, she was not among the five nominated men in her respective lineup that included winner Oliver Stone (“Platoon”), David Lynch (“Blue Velvet”), James Ivory (“A Room with a View”), Roland Joffé (“The Mission”) and Woody Allen (“Hannah and Her Sisters”). The recognition came three years after Barbra Streisand came up short with “Yentl” (1983) after winning the Golden Globe for directing and best picture (comedy or musical).
“Children of a Lesser God” received multiple accolades including a DGA nom for Haines and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Haines has directed three other feature films following her historic recognition – “The Doctor” (1991), “Wrestling Ernest Hemingway” (1993) and “Dance with Me” (1998). Her last directorial credit is for television movie “The Ron Clark Story” (2006).
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Awakenings (1990)
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Penny Marshall
Film: “Awakenings” (1990)
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Written by: Steven Zaillian (based on “Awakenings” by Oliver Sacks)
Produced by: Walter F. Parkes, Lawrence Lasker
Synopsis: The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.Other Oscar nominations: actor (Robert DeNiro) and adapted screenplay
Wins: None
The scene that proves it: “The drugs not working.”
Penny Marshall’s powerful drama that’s based on the 1973 memoir beat incredible odds to make the lineup of the 63rd Academy Awards best picture lineup that included “Ghost,” “The Godfather Part III,” “Goodfellas” and eventual winner “Dances with Wolves.” The movie itself didn’t receive any best picture nominations from any major awards bodies, and even DeNiro’s nom was a surprise considering the Golden Globes had cited Robin Williams. What’s most unfortunate about the “Laverne & Shirley” star is she left us without any formal Oscar recognition during her outstanding career as a filmmaker. “Awakenings” is the only one of her seven directorial features to be nominated, despite helming classics like “Big” (1988) and “A League of Their Own” (1992).
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The Prince of Tides (1991)
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Co / Everett Collection Barbra Streisand
Film: “The Prince of Tides”
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Written by: Pat Conroy, Becky Johnston (based on the novel “The Prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy)
Produced by: Barbra Streisand, Andrew S. Karsch
Synopsis: A troubled man talks to his suicidal sister’s psychiatrist about their family history and falls in love with her in the process.Other Oscar nominations: actor (Nick Nolte), supporting actress (Kate Nelligan), adapted screenplay, cinematography (Stephen Goldblatt), production design (Paul Sylbert, Caryl Heller) and original score (James Newton Howard)
Wins: None
The scene that proves it: “I didn’t know it could happen to a boy”
Academy Award winner Barbra Streisand has shown she has the acting chops with her best actress win for “Funny Girl” (1968) and nom for “The Way We Were” (1973), along with her songwriting abilities with her win for original song for the chart-topper “Evergreen” from “A Star is Born” (1976), which she co-wrote with Paul Williams. After becoming the first woman to win a Golden Globe for directing “Yentl” (1983), but ultimately coming up short at the Oscars, she returned in a significant way with “The Prince of Tides,” the adaptation of the novel by Pat Conroy, and at the 64th ceremony, was the most nominated movie directed by a woman (at the time). Despite landing her first DGA nomination for directing, she was omitted from the directing category in favor of eventual winner Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”), Barry Levinson (“Bugsy”), John Singleton (“Boyz n the Hood”), Oliver Stone (“JFK”) and Ridley Scott (“Thelma & Louise”). She became the first woman to be nominated as a producer, for a film that she also directed.
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The Piano (1993)
Image Credit: ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection Jane Campion
Film: “The Piano”
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Written by: Jane Campion
Produced by: Jan Chapman
Synopsis: In the mid-19th century, a mute woman is sent to New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner, but is soon lusted after by a local worker on the plantation.Other Oscar nominations: director, actress (Holly Hunter), supporting actress (Anna Paquin), original screenplay, cinematography (Stuart Dryburgh), costume design (Janet Patterson) and film editing (Veronika Jenet)
Wins: actress, supporting actress and original screenplay
The scene that proves it: “I trusted you.” (trigger warning for film clip)
Jane Campion became the second woman to be nominated for directing after the legendary trailblazer Lina Wertmüller for “Seven Beauties” (1975), and the first woman to be nominated in picture, directing and screenplay categories in the same year. Likely the runner-up to eventual best picture winner and director “Schindler’s List” from Steven Spielberg, the New Zealand-born auteur went on to helm four other projects that didn’t land on Oscar’s radar in a substantial way – “The Portrait of a Lady” (1996), “Holy Smoke” (1999), “In the Cut” (2003) and “Bright Star” (2009). It would be 12 years before the master filmmaker would return with her dark western adaptation of the novel “The Power of the Dog,” that landed 12 Oscar nominations, the most for any film directed by a woman.
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Lost in Translation (2003)
Image Credit: ©Focus Films/Courtesy Everett Collection Sofia Coppola
Film: “Lost in Translation”
Distributed by: Focus Features
Written by: Sofia Coppola
Produced by: Ross Katz, Sofia Coppola
Synopsis: A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.Other Oscar nominations: director, actor (Bill Murray) and original screenplay
Wins: Original screenplay
The scene that proves it: Bob whispers in Charlotte’s ear after saying goodbye.
Sofia Coppola became the first woman to be nominated for writing, directing, and producing in the same year and the first American woman recognized for best director. She’s also one of five female scribes to be the sole writer for a winner in original screenplay after Frances Marion (“The Big House” and “The Champ”), Callie Khouri (“Thelma & Louise”), Jane Campion (“The Piano”), Diablo Cody (“Juno”) and Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”). For cinephiles, “Lost in Translation” wasn’t the beginning of our love for Coppola.
Before winning her Oscar, she made her feature directorial debut with the coming-of-age drama “The Virgin Suicides” (1999). Afterward, she’s helmed the historical drama “Marie Antoinette” (2006), the contemporary crime film “The Bling Ring” (2013) and the remake of “The Beguiled” (2017), which she won best director at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the second woman in the festival’s history to win the award. Her most recent film was “On the Rocks” (2020), which reunited her with Murray.
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Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Image Credit: ©Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection Valerie Faris
Also directed by: Jonathan Dayton
Film: “Little Miss Sunshine”
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures (now Searchlight Pictures)
Written by: Michael Arndt
Produced by: David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub
Synopsis: A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.Other Oscar nominations: supporting actor (Alan Arkin), supporting actress (Abigail Breslin) and original screenplay
Wins: supporting actor and original screenplay
The scene that proves it: “Why would you want to kill yourself?”
The classic dramedy marks the feature film directorial debut from husband-and-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, best known for their innovative music video visions working with artists like R.E.M., Oasis and The Smashing Pumpkins. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie was a box office hit, earning over $100 million on an $8 million budget, receiving critical acclaim but missing out on a nom for directing for the couple. Up to that point in Oscar history, only “West Side Story” (1961) directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins were able to win for a shared directing credit. The other nominees were eventual winner Martin Scorsese (“The Departed”), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“Babel”), Clint Eastwood (“Letters from Iwo Jima”), Paul Greengrass (“United 93”) and Stephen Frears (“The Queen”).
An easy argument can be made that the film was second to “The Departed” in best picture after winning the Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild Awards’ top prizes. In addition, Faris is the only woman to direct a cast to an ensemble win at the SAG Awards.
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The Hurt Locker (2009)
Image Credit: Summit Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection Kathryn Bigelow
Film: “The Hurt Locker”
Distributed by: Summit Entertainment
Written by: Mark Boal
Produced by: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro
Synopsis: During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.Other Oscar nominations: director, actor (Jeremy Renner), original screenplay, cinematography (Barry Ackroyd), film editing (Bob Murawski, Chris Innis), sound mixing (Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett), sound editing (Paul N.J. Ottosson) and original score (Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders)
Wins: picture, director, original screenplay, film editing, sound mixing and sound editing
The scene that proves it: “I got a wire.”
Kathryn Bigelow made history as the first woman to win best director for her best picture-winning war drama, “The Hurt Locker,” when a woman-directed feature led the nomination tally, a first-ever. It’s also the most Oscar won by a best picture winner since the field has expanded from five to 10 (other films like “Gravity” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” have also won the same or more but did not win picture). Despite being one of the lowest box-office-winning films in history, Bigelow also became the first woman to win the DGA award. The film grossed $49 million on a $15 million budget.
Before becoming an Oscar-winner, movie lovers were well-aware of Bigelow’s talents with films like “Near Dark” (1987), “Blue Steel” (1990), “Point Break” (1991) and “Strange Days” (1995) among her finest efforts. After her winning year, she got another film in the Oscars’ top category, “Zero Dark Thirty” (2012), one of the few films that won best film at New York, Los Angeles and National Board of Review awards. After that, she directed “Detroit” (2017), receiving mixed praise from critics but still showcasing her eye for tension. We await the next adventure.
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An Education (2009)
Image Credit: ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Lone Scherfig
Film: “An Education”
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics
Written by: Nick Hornby (based on “An Education” by Lynn Barber)
Produced by: Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey
Synopsis: “A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.”Other Oscar nominations: actress (Carey Mulligan) and adapted screenplay
Wins: None
The scene that proves it: “This is the one Danny.”
The Hollywood arrival of Carey Mulligan is one of the most memorable of the 2009 cinematic year, and that’s thanks to director Lone Scherfig, who helmed the coming-of-age drama “An Education.” The British film also is a major part of Academy history as the first time that two films helmed by women filmmakers were nominated for best picture, along with the eventual winner “The Hurt Locker” from Kathryn Bigelow. Since her acclaimed film, Scherfig has been behind smaller projects like “One Day” (2011), “The Riot Club” (2014), “Their Finest” (2016) and “The Kindness of Strangers” (2019). She’s attached to direct “The Movie Teller” with Daniel Bruhl and Berence Bejo for her next project.
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The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Image Credit: ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection Lisa Cholodenko
Film: “The Kids Are All Right”
Distributed by: Focus Features
Written by: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Produced by: Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Celine Rattray
Synopsis: Two children conceived by artificial insemination bring their biological father into their non-traditional family life.Other Oscar nominations: actress (Annette Bening), supporting actor (Mark Ruffalo) and original screenplay
Wins: None
The scene that proves it: “I need to say something.”
Lisa Cholodenko’s honest and raw look at a same-sex couple raising two teenagers is one of the most underrated in the canon of the best women-directed features. What she’s able to pull out of her stars Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo, who received Oscar nominations, and Julianne Moore, who was egregiously snubbed, is nothing short of remarkable. Also, part of a year that saw two female-led films nominated for best picture, the dramedy is rich and full moments and gained multiple accolades.
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Winter’s Bone (2010)
Image Credit: ©Roadside Attractions/Courtesy Everett Collection Debra Granik
Film: “Winter’s Bone
Distributed by: Roadside Attractions
Written by: Debra Granik, Anne Rossellini (based on the novel “Winter’s Bone” by Daniel Woodrell)
Produced by: Anne Rossellini, Alix Madigan
Synopsis: An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact.Other Oscar nominations: actress (Jennifer Lawrence), supporting actor (John Hawkes) and adapted screenplay
Wins: None
The scene that proves it: “She ain’t my brother.”
Writer and director Debra Granik allowed the world to know and fall in love with stars Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes, who earned nominations for their performances in the Sundance Film Festival standout. Receiving multiple accolades, the film was brushed by Ben Affleck’s sophomore effort, “The Town,” and landed a best picture nomination. Unfortunately, Granik wasn’t nominated for directing to the dismay of critics.
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Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Kathryn Bigelow
Film: “Zero Dark Thirty”
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
Written by: Mark Boal
Produced by: Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison
Synopsis: A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.Other Oscar nominations: actress (Jessica Chastain), original screenplay, film editing (William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor) and sound editing (Paul N.J. Ottoson)
Wins: sound editing (tied with “Skyfall”)
The scene that proves it: “You must be pretty important, you have the whole plane to yourself. Where do you want to go?”
Kathryn Bigelow’s follow-up, in many ways, is even more compelling than her best picture winner “The Hurt Locker” (2010). Under the incredible performance of Jessica Chastain, the true story of the hunt for terrorist Osama Bin Laden is one of the most suspenseful efforts in the last decade. However, in what many believe is the product of dirty campaign tactics, the film came up empty in best director for Bigelow despite nominations from the DGA and BAFTA. Nevertheless, the scenes that depict the SEALs gaining entry into the compound are masterfully executed, thanks to the crisp camerawork and Bigelow’s firm hand.
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Selma (2014)
Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection Ava DuVernay
Film: “Selma”
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Written by: Paul Webb
Produced by: Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Synopsis: A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.Other Oscar nominations: original song (“Glory” written by Common and John Legend)
Wins: Original song
The scene that proves it: “If I asked you something, would you answer me with the truth?”
Ava DuVernay’s beautiful and honest depiction of the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montogomery for voting rights is a staple in Oscars history. It stands as the first feature directed by a Black woman to be nominated for best picture. As one of the producers, Oprah Winfrey became the first Black woman to be nominated for best picture. She’s also one of three women to have two career nominations for producing and acting, with her past mention for “The Color Purple” (1985) in supporting actress. In addition, co-songwriter John Legend became an EGOT after winning original song for the hit song “Glory.”
DuVernay’s place in the best director lineup didn’t come to fruition despite mentions at the Golden Globes. She missed out in favor of eventual winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“The Revenant”), Bennett Miller (“Foxcatcher”), Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”), Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) and Wes Anderson (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”).
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Lady Bird (2017)
Image Credit: Courtesy of A24 Greta Gerwig
Film: “Lady Bird”
Distributed by: A24
Written by: Greta Gerwig
Produced by: Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill
Synopsis: In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.Other Oscar nominations: director, actress (Saoirse Ronan), supporting actress (Laurie Metcalf), original screenplay
Wins: None
The scene that proves it: “Let’s just sit with what we heard.”
Greta Gerwig’s first solo outing as a director, with her hilarious and moving “Lady Bird,” is a staple of the decade. Landing a possible career-best from Saoirse Ronan, who won the Golden Globe, and the critical darling of the respective season Laurie Metcalf, won the most prizes for supporting actress. Gerwig’s inclusion in the best director lineup is substantial, not just based on her inclusion, but for the entire makeup of the category that included eventual winner and Latino visionary Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), sci-fi master Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk”), horror-comedy extraordinaire and eventual winner of original screenplay Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) and master auteur Paul Thomas Anderson (“Phantom Thread”).
The actress-turned-director shows no signs of stopping, and we should be grateful for the opportunity to witness her brilliance.
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Little Women (2019)
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Greta Gerwig
Film: “Little Women”
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
Written by: Greta Gerwig (based on “Little Woman” by Louisa May Alcott)
Produced by: Amy Pascal
Synopsis: Jo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.Other Oscar nominations: actress (Saoirse Ronan), supporting actress (Florence Pugh), adapted screenplay, costume design (Jacqueline Durran), original score (Alexandre Desplat)
Wins: Costume design
The scene that proves it: “Beth’s last Christmas”
Greta Gerwig, who’s also one of our finest actresses with outstanding turns in films like “20th Century Women” and “Frances Ha,” is one of the few to have nominated two best picture nominees over her career, and has done it in the shortest amount of time between “Lady Bird” (2017) and the remake of “Little Women” (2019). Her next outing will be a live-action feature version of “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie, based on the popular children’s doll.
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Nomadland (2020)
Image Credit: Courtesy Searchlight Chloé Zhao
Film: “Nomadland”
Distributed by: Searchlight Pictures
Written by: Chloé Zhao (based on “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century” by Jessica Bruder)
Produced by: Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Chloé Zhao
Synopsis: A woman in her sixties, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.Other Oscar nominations: directing, actress (Frances McDormand), adapted screenplay, cinematography (Joshua James Richards) and editing (Chloé Zhao)
Wins: picture, director and actress. Zhao became the second woman to direct an Oscar-winner for best picture and the first woman of color to be nominated and win. McDormand was the first woman to be nominated for producing and acting in the same year and the first person to win an acting award when nominated for both.
The scene that proves it: “How can I be alive on this Earth, when he’s not?”
With her nominations for picture, director, adapted screenplay and editing, Chloé Zhao became the first woman to score four noms in a single year, and the ninth person ever to achieve it after Warren Beatty (twice), Alfonso Cuaron, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Alan Menken, Francis Ford Coppola, Orson Welles and Walt Disney. In addition, “Nomadland” became the second film directed by a woman to win best picture.
Since her achievement, Zhao co-wrote and directed Marvel’s “Eternals” (2021).
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Promising Young Woman (2020)
Image Credit: Merie Weismiller Wallace; SMPSP Emerald Fennell
Film: “Promising Young Woman”
Distributed by: Focus Features
Written by: Emerald Fennell
Produced by: Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara
Synopsis: A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path.Other Oscar nominations: director, actress (Carey Mulligan), original screenplay and film editing (Frédéric Thoraval)
Wins: Original screenplay
The scene that proves it: “I forgive you.”
Emerald Fennell, a first-time director, was nominated for picture, director and screenplay, the third woman at the time to achieve this feat. She’s also one of five female scribes to be the sole writer on a winner for original screenplay after Frances Marion (“The Big House” and “The Champ”), Callie Khouri (“Thelma & Louise”), Jane Campion (“The Piano”), Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) and Diablo Cody (“Juno”).
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CODA (2021)
Image Credit: Sundance Siân Heder
Film: “CODA”
Distributed by: Apple Original Films
Written by: Siân Heder (based on the 2014 French film, “La Famille Bélier” from Éric Lartigau)
Produced by: Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger
Synopsis: As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music by wanting to go to Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.Other Oscar nominations: supporting actor (Troy Kotsur) and adapted screenplay
Wins: best picture, supporting actor (Troy Kotsur), adapted screenplay (Siân Heder)
The scene that proves it: Ruby singing “You’re All I Need to Get By”
Directed and written by Oscar nominee Siân Heder, “CODA” has captured the hearts of many industry voters. Starting its journey at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, where it was purchased for a record-setting $25 million, the film has generated a slow but steady rise in buzz and projections. Heder is also the second woman to direct a cast to an ensemble win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, following Valerie Faris for “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006). She was the tenth woman to direct a nominated ensemble.
“CODA” won best picture and is the second film to win without a DGA mention (behind “Driving Miss Daisy”) and the second film in history to win without any below-the-line nominations behind “Grand Hotel” (1932).
Heder won adapted screenplay and is the third lone woman to win this category after Emma Thompson for “Sense and Sensibility” (1995) and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who won twice for “Howard’s End” (1993) and “A Room with a View” (1986).
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The Power of the Dog (2021)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Kirsty Griffin/Netflix Jane Campion
Film: “The Power of the Dog”
Distributed by: Netflix
Written by: Jane Campion
Produced by: Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappie
Synopsis: Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.Other Oscar nominations: director, actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), supporting actor (Jesse Plemons), supporting actor (Kodi Smit-McPhee), supporting actress (Kirsten Dunst), adapted screenplay, production design (Grant Major, Amber Richards), cinematography (Ari Wegner), film editing (Peter Sciberras), sound (Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie, Tara Webb), original score (Jonny Greenwood)
Wins: directing
The scene that proves it: “How nice it is not to be alone.”
Jane Campion represents many records with just her nominations, such as being the first woman to be nominated for directing twice. She’s also only the fourth woman to score three nods in a single year after Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”), Fran Walsh (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”) and Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”). Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) made history with four noms in 2021.
She is the third woman to win best director.
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Women Talking (2022)
Image Credit: Courtesy of United Artists Releasing Sarah Polley
Film: “Women Talking”
Distributed by: MGM/United Artists Releasing
Written by: Sarah Polley
Produced by: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Frances McDormand
Synopsis: Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grappled with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.Other Oscar nominations: Adapted Screenplay
Wins: Adapted Screenplay
The scene that proves it: “What if they’re not guilty?”
A winner for best adapted screenplay, making Polley the fourth lone woman writer to win this category after Siân Heder for “CODA” (2021), Emma Thompson for “Sense and Sensibility” (1995) and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who won twice for “Howard’s End” (1993) and “A Room with a View” (1986).
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Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Image Credit: Neon Justine Triet
Film: “Anatomy of a Fall”
Distributed by: Neon
Written by: Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
Produced by: Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion
Synopsis: A woman is suspected of murder after her husband’s death, and their visually challenged son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.Other Oscar nominations: director, actress (Sandra Hüller), original screenplay, film editing (Laurent Sénéchal)
Wins: pending
The scene that proves it: “Sometimes a couple is kind of a chaos and everybody is lost. Sometimes we fight together and sometimes we fight alone, and sometimes we fight against each other, that happens.”
Triet is the second female director nominated for a non-English language film after Lina Wertmüller for “Seven Beauties” (1976) and the seventh female nominated for directing and writing the same movie.
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Barbie (2023)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Greta Gerwig
Film: “Barbie”
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Written by: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (based on ‘Barbie’ by Mattel)
Produced by: David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Robbie Brenner
Synopsis: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.Other Oscar nominations: supporting actor (Ryan Gosling), supporting actress (America Ferrera), adapted screenplay, production design (Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer), costume design (Jacqueline Durran), original song (“I’m Just Ken” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt and “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell)
Wins: pending
The scene that proves it: “It is literally impossible to be a woman.”
Gerwig’s summer blockbuster hit made over $1.4 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing best picture nominee helmed by a female director. In addition, she’s the first director in history to have their first three solo directorial features nominated for best picture, in addition to “Lady Bird” (2017) and “Little Women” (2019), and the only woman to helm three best picture nominees.
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Past Lives (2023)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Celine Song
Film: “Past Lives”
Distributed by: A24
Written by: Celine Song
Produced by: David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler
Synopsis: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.Other Oscar nominations: original screenplay
Wins: pending
The scene that proves it: “You make my world so much bigger and I’m wondering if I do the same for you?”
Song is the first woman of color to helm a best picture nominated movie with her directorial debut.
