Forget winter, spring, summer or fall. Award season tops the list of my favorite seasons.
From the red carpet glamor to the funny hosts and heartfelt acceptance speeches, award shows are some of the most entertaining content on television.
“Snub” is heard just about every time Oscar nominations roll around. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has faced criticism in the past for its lack of diversity in nominees. It has definitely gotten better since the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trended on Twitter, but there is still some major room for improvement, especially when it comes to female representation in top categories.
The most talked-about snub in the 2020 list of nominations is the absence of a female nominee for the best director category. And it deserves to be talked about more.
Though nearly one-third of nominees were women, none of them were in the director category. A film’s director oversees the entire production of the film, making sure it runs smoothly. They are the key person responsible for bringing a film from the script to the screen. It takes a good leader with a creative vision to do this job. It shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”), Todd Phillips (“Joker), Sam Mendes (“1917”), Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”) and Bong Joon-ho (“Parasite”) are all deserving of their nominations. But where is Greta Gerwig for “Little Women?” Where is Kasi Lemmons for “Harriet?” The list goes on of some of this year’s best films, all directed by women.
You might say, “Kayla, a South Korean director is on that list, Doesn’t that make it diverse enough?”
Yes, it is wonderful to have a foreign movie nominated and recognize the importance of great films in other countries. I think the Academy recognizing Joon-ho for his excellent work in “Parasite” is a great step in the right direction in diversifying the list of nominees and he absolutely deserves to be on the list, but let’s not forget the wonderful, female-directed films of the year.
The biggest disappointment for me is Gerwig getting snubbed for “Little Women.” As someone who read and adored Louisa May Alcott’s novel as a young girl, the film adaption meant a lot to me. Gerwig’s direction of the adaption was absolutely perfect and better than I could have imagined. I am glad two of the film’s actors were nominated for awards and the film was included in the “Best Picture” nominations, but the Academy ignoring Gerwig’s directing capability is inexcusable.
Getting back to the bigger picture, only five women have ever been nominated for this category. Only one woman has won. Something’s not adding up here.
Female-driven stories are coming to light in media. Movies and TV shows like “Bombshell” and “The Morning Show” tell real stories of sexual abuse in the workplace. “Hustlers” followed a group of female exotic dancers who made a fortune by stealing from the club’s intoxicated patrons. “Harriet” told the story of Harriet Tubman. Though not all of these films and television shows were directed by women, they are empowering and paint women in a positive light.
Hollywood’s creators are moving in the right direction when it comes to representation. It’s time for the Academy to keep up.
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