Glimmer of Diversity in the Golden Globes

At the 2018 Golden Globes, Natalie Portman made headlines during her speech when introducing the Best Director nominations with her famous line “Here are the ALL-Male nominees.” It is no secret that Hollywood struggles in the diversity department. The lack of female representation in the Best Director category has always been prevalent. White males have continued to dominate the director field, throughout history and even in today’s day and age. In the wake of the 2021 Golden Globe nominations, announced last Wednesday, future female directors might begin to see a bright light. In a historical win, three women are nominated for best director: Regina King (“One Night in Miami”), Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), and Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”). In the last 77 years of the Gold Globes, BBC News reported that only five women had been nominated for best director. Never in Golden Gobles history has more than one woman been nominated in the Best Director category. Therefore, in retrospect, three in one year is a giant leap forward in smashing the glass ceiling of Hollywood. The Golden Globes have always served as predictions for the Oscars and the rest of the award season, so there is hope that may continue to see the same pattern followed throughout the year. 

 Although the three nominations are phenomenal, the double standard is still largely prevalent in the awards world. According to the New York Times, the two other male directors also nominated for Best Director category were given “tens of millions” versus their female counterparts who had to work with much smaller budgets and this trend isn’t something new. Even in the past, the female Best Director nominees, such as Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) and Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”), also had to work with significantly smaller budgets than their male counterparts. The breakthrough of nominations is beyond worth celebrating, however, it is still imperative to recognize the difficulties that female directors face in the film world, especially in comparison to male directors. While they are not often recognized, female directors have produced some of the best movies that Hollywood has seen and it is imperative that they receive the recognition they deserve. 

The lack of female representation does not stop at the Best Director nominations. Female representation behind the camera speeds all across Hollywood. According to Vanity Fair, “Women accounted for 16% of directors working on the 100 highest-grossing films in 2020, an improvement from the 12% in 2019 and the 4% in 2018”. Hopefully, this will set a new trend in Hollywood where women are recognized for their achievement. Tune into the 78th annual Golden Globes on Sunday, February 28, to cheer on the women that are single-handedly changing Hollywood.