The Oscars have never nominated two female filmmakers in the same year in its Best Director Category. That all changed Mondaywhen it was announcedChloé ZhaoandEmerald Fennellwould both receive Academy Award nominations for their filmsNomadlandandPromising Young Woman, respectively.
Promising Young Womanis Fennell’s feature writing and directing debut. Zhao had previously directed 2017’sThe Riderand 2015’sSongs My Brothers Taught Me. Zhao is also the first woman of Asian descent and first non-white woman to receive a nomination.
These historic nominations are well overdue in recognizing the directing talent that has gone overlooked for far too long. Despite the Oscars recognizing films for 93 years, there has been an abysmally low number of nominations for women in the Best Director category. The first wasLina Wertmüllerfor the 1976 filmSeven Beauties, followed byJane Campion’s 1993 filmThe Piano,Sofia Coppolafor 2003’sLost in Translation,Kathryn Bigelow’s 2009 film,The Hurt Locker, and most recently,Greta Gerwigfor 2017’sLady Bird. Of those nominations, Bigelow is the only female to win Best Director.
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Zhao and Fennell are nominated alongsideThomas VinterbergforAnother Round,David FincherforMank, andLee Isaac ChungforMinari. Zhaopreviously won the Golden Globefor Best Director and is largely considered the favorite for the Oscar. With her Globe win, Zhao became the second woman and first Asian woman to ever win the award. She now looks set to make history again with the likelihood she will take the Oscar as well.
Both films also feature central performances and stories that have women at the forefront of their narrative.Promising Young WomanstarsCarey Mulliganas a woman trying to gain some sense of justice after a past loss, whileNomadlandis a portrait of the people who live on the margins of the United States as modern-day nomads starring two-time Oscar winner,Frances McDormand. Both directors' films also received nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
There were still some significant female directors that were shut out from receiving directing nominations this year, includingRegina KingforOne Night in Miami,Eliza HittmanforNever Rarely Sometimes Always, andKelly ReichardtforFirst Cow, to name a few. According to the Academy, 70 women received 76 nominations in total, which itself is also a record.
Whether that record number of nominations leads to a record number of wins will be made known when the Academy Award winners are announced on April 25.
