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Once again, AMPAS has nominated five men in the Best Director category. A total of eight nominations were parceled out to two films both of which were written AND directed by women: The Kids Are All Right & Winter’s Bone.
Both films received nominations in the Best Picture category & both films received nominations in one of the two Best Screenplay categories (Adapted & Original). I note with considerable fascination that women in both films were nominated in the “Leading Actress” category and that men in both films were nominated in the “Supporting Actor” category. I also note with considerable sadness that not a single one of these eight nominations is considered “a front runner” at this time.
So why is Oscar still so blue? The answer is simple: nominations for Best Director are controlled by prior nominees for the Best Director Oscar & this group is almost entirely male. Last year, AMPAS made a significant change to its rules, doubling the list of Best Picture candidates from five to ten. This seemingly simple change immediately increased women’s impact on the Oscars. AMPAS must continue to find solutions to mitigate sources of bias. And the audience must continue to insist that they do!
