The Oscars are slowly approaching us this upcoming Sunday night. As always, there were a few controversial decisions that were made when nominations were released back in January, including the biggest concern of a lack of racial and gender inclusiveness. This is why I wanted to share 6 women in film that are going to make significant changes in the industry in the new decade.
1. Cynthia Erivo
I have to dedicate this blog post to Erivo, a British actress and singer, who is the only person of color nominated for this year’s Oscar nominations in the acting categories! Her role in Harriet scored her this well-deserved nomination. Her experience in film, TV, and on the stage show the versatility in her acting. Congratulations to Erivo!
2. Greta Gerwig
Gerwig is a household name in my family. Her writing and directing of Lady Bird made me truly fall in love with indie films. Her recent adapted screenplay of Little Women made me fall in love with her work even more. I can proudly say that her version is the best because she gives a story to each of the female characters. Plus her approach to creating female characters with complex personalities taught me the real importance of a great screenplay.
3. Lulu Wang
Wang is a Chineses-American film director, writer and producer. With her experience in writing, producing, and directing several short films, documentaries, music videos, and films, she then created The Farewell. Her film received attention from both American and Chinese viewers. Her comedic and dramatic approach to her script led her to many award nominations. However, the movie was overlooked by the 2020 Oscars.
4. Lena Waithe
Waithe has one of the most impressive resumes of credit that I have seen of a screenwriter, producer and actress. Firstly, she is the first black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017. Her writing is influenced by her personal experience as a black lesbian woman. Her credits include Ready Player One, Master of None, Dear White People, The Chi, Queen & Slim, and Disney’s upcoming animation: Onward.
5. Domee Shi
Shi was the creative genius behind the heartwarming, but tear-jerking, Pixar’s short animated film, Bao. Her short film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The storyboard artist and director currently works for Pixar and has worked on Toy Story 4, Incredibles 2, Inside Out, and The Good Dinosaur. I am incredibly excited for her upcoming works as she breaks barriers in animation and as a storyteller.
6. Phoebe Waller-Bridge
You may already recognize this name because Waller-Bridge is a talented actress, writer and my absolute role model. Her witty but charismatic humor is the brain behind the genius works of TV shows Fleabag and Killing Eve. These two shows are probably two of my favorites because they both have such strong female leads.
