The Best Director category in this year’s Oscar nominations features a roster of nominees made up entirely of men, excluding several great female directors who created amazing films this year. When analyzing the diversity among Academy voters, the breakdown is pretty bleak. According to a 2012 study published in the Los Angeles Times, Oscar voters are approximately 77% male and a whopping 94% Caucasian. Researchers also found that 9% of voters in the directors branch are women.
Although the Academy passed an initiative to increase voter diversity, there still remains an extreme lack of representation on and off-screen.
Here are some of the insanely talented female directors who weren’t nominated for this year’s Oscars, but definitely deserve just as much recognition:
- Lulu Wang – The Farewell
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The Farewell is a film about a family coming together to celebrate a wedding, but the reunion comes with a secret. Nai-Nai, the family matriarch, is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, but the family decides to keep the diagnosis hidden from Nai-Nai. The Farewell is “based on an actual lie” from Wang’s own family.
Watch on Amazon Prime
- Greta Gerwig – Little Women
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Little Women follows the four March sisters as they navigate adolescence in the post Civil War era. The movie is yet another film adaptation of the titular novel by Louisa May Alcott. Gerwig delivers a new perspective on the classic story that is extremely thoughtful and heartfelt (not to mention its beautiful costumes).
Not yet available for streaming
- Lorene Scafaria – Hustlers
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This movie was based on a 2015 New York Magazine article about a group of NYC strippers who came together and stole large amounts of money from their wealthy Wall Street clients. Hustlers has a powerhouse cast, starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer, Julia Stiles and Lili Reinhart.
Watch on Amazon Prime
- Alma Har’el – Honey Boy
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Honey Boy tells the story of Otis, a child actor who is reflecting on his tumultuous relationship with his father. The screenplay was written by Shia LeBeouf and was directly based on his own experiences. The film stars Shia LeBeouf, Lucas Hedges and FKA Twigs.
Not yet available for streaming
- Melina Matsoukas – Queen & Slim
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Queen & Slim tells the story of a couple on a first date whose car gets pulled over by a police officer, thus beginning a life on the run after killing the officer in self-defense. Starring Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya, Queen & Slim is Matsoukas’ feature directorial debut and was written by actor Lena Waithe.
Not yet available for streaming
- Céline Sciamma – Portrait of a Lady on Fire
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Set in 18th century France, Portrait of a Lady on Fire follows Marianne, a painter who is assigned to paint a wedding portrait of the hesitant bride-to-be Héloïse without her knowledge. Throughout the film, Marianne and Héloïse’s relationship intensifies and eventually becomes romantic.
Not yet available for streaming
- Olivia Wilde – Booksmart
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Booksmart is a hilarious coming-of-age movie starring Kaitlyn Dever (Amy) and Beanie Feldstein (Molly). After realizing they spent too much time on academics to enjoy high school, Amy and Molly decide to have one final night of fun before graduating.
Stream on Hulu, watch on Amazon Prime
The Academy Awards have been around for 92 years. Five women have been nominated for Best Director, and Kathryn Bigelow is currently the only woman who ever won the title for The Hurt Locker. From barely recognizing any female directors to having predominantly white nominees, the Academy is anything if not consistent in their lack of representation.
The 2020 Academy Awards are on February 9, 2020, 8:00 PM EST on ABC