According to a report from Variety, the 2024 Oscars have set a new benchmark for women filmmakers, with three of the 10 Best Picture nominees directed by female directors. This marks the first time in the 96-year history of the Academy Awards that such a feat has been achieved.
The nominated films are Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall," Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," and Celine Song's "Past Lives." This milestone surpasses previous years when only a handful of films directed by women were recognized in the best picture category.
Before this year's best picture nominees, a total of 591 films had been nominated by the Academy. The 2009 and 2010 Oscar ceremonies stand out as the only ones with two films directed by women among the best picture nominees.
In 2009, "An Education" directed by Lone Scherfig and "The Hurt Locker" directed by Kathryn Bigelow were both nominated. Bigelow's film went on to win the best picture award.
In 2010, "The Kids Are All Right" directed by Lisa Cholodenko and "Winter's Bone" directed by Debra Granik were both nominated. Neither of these films won the best picture award.
Fast forward to 2020, "Nomadland" directed by Chloé Zhao and "Promising Young Woman" directed by Emerald Fennell were both nominated. Zhao's "Nomadland" won the more prestigious best picture award.
Finally, in 2021, "CODA" directed by Siân Heder, and "The Power of the Dog" directed by Jane Campion were both nominated. Campion's "The Power of the Dog" was the winner that year.
In addition to directing, women have also made significant strides in producing. Seven out of the 10 nominated films have female producers. These include films produced by Emma Stone ("Poor Things"), Robbie, Emma Thomas ("Oppenheimer"), Marie-Ange Luciani ("Anatomy of a Fall"), Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger ("Maestro"), Ewa Puszczynska ("The Zone of Interest"), and Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon ("Past Lives").
This year's Oscars also marked another milestone for Emma Stone, who became the second woman to be recognized for best picture and acting in the same year. Frances McDormand had previously achieved this feat in 2021, becoming the first woman to be nominated for acting and producing in the same year. McDormand went on to win both categories.
The year 2019 holds the record for the most Best Picture nominations for films produced by women, with eight films featuring female producers. This included Kwak Sin-ae, who made history by becoming the first woman of color to win the best picture for the non-English language film "Parasite." All other years have seen six or fewer films with female producers.
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