With the Oscars nearly upon us, it is a time to reflect on all of the amazing movies of the year. The range of movies this past year has truly been astonishing. Films such as Joker, which in years past would just be an action film, went deeper into the mind. 1917 incorporated astonishing cinematography to bring the warfront to life. Even Netflix’s Marriage Story received tumultuous praise. And amidst all of these films came a story about family, Little Women.

Little Women amassed a whopping six Academy Award Nominations. Amy Pascal received a nomination for best picture, Saoirse Ronan for best actress, Florence Pugh for best supporting actress, Alexandre Desplat for best original music score, Greta Gerwig for best adapted screenplay, and Jacqueline Durran for best costume design. Yet as all of these nominations rolled in, there is one glaring nomination missing: best director. While six nominations are a feat in and of itself, the woman who brought all of this together was snubbed from a directorial award.

While six nominations is an amazing amount, the snub towards Gerwig was still felt and noticed. Many may argue that there is nothing to complain about, but this snub only fuels the Oscars history of shutting out female directors. So, instead of asking “why are people mad,” perhaps instead ask:

“Why are we still having this conversation?”

Female directors have notoriously been snubbed for as long as the Oscars have run. Out of the 92 years of the Oscars, only five women have been nominated for best director. That’s right, five women. Of those five only one woman has won an Academy Award for best director. Kathryn Bigelow made history in 2010 winning the Academy Award for best director for The Hurt Locker. In the years since that monumental win, only one more woman has been nominated: Greta Gerwig.

In 2018, Gerwig was nominated as best director for her film, Lady Bird. In her solo-directorial debut, Gerwig presented Lady Bird, a coming-of-age story that shows the ups and downs of our personal relationships. But even with this film’s popularity, Gerwig still lost to Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water.

Fast forward to 2019 and Gerwig brought to life the fan favourite Little Women. Amongst the handful of Little Women film adaptations, Gerwig’s Little Women stands apart. Gerwig took the beloved March sisters and made them more. Jo is an independent woman determined to make it on her own. Meg chose love and a family. Beth helped spread joy to those who may not otherwise feel it. And Amy became a woman that many can relate to.

It is a film that celebrates women and the multifaceted nature of individuality. It highlights the relationships and people that help one grow. It shows that any woman can achieve what she sets her mind to. It is truly a movie of today. Even through the post-Civil War setting the March sisters are a force to be reckoned with, something that any woman can relate to. And that is the genius behind Gerwig’s Little Women. All of the characters are relatable in some aspect, including Amy, the March sister that often gets all the hate because her character is rarely fleshed out enough to serve any purpose other than as a plot thickener.

Yet, even with all of this Gerwig was not recognised for all that she accomplished with this film. Gerwig is a woman who successfully created a film that amassed a total of six nominations, but even that was not enough to earn a place amongst the men nominated for best director.

With all that being said, I want to end on a high note and give recognition to all of the amazing women who have been nominated for an Academy Award for best director:

1. Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties
2. Jane Campion for The Piano
3. Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation
4. Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
5. Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird

It is not a long list, but it opens a conversation.

The post Greta Gerwig: A Continuation of Female Director Snubbing appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Happy Women’s History Month! For those of you who aren’t aware, March is known as women’s history month in the United States, along with International Women’s Day on March 8th, to celebrate women’s contribution in history and modern society. In honour of all the great females out there, we take a look at nine female directed movies to watch throughout the month of March!

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you enjoy them too!

Marie Antoinette (2006) and The Beguiled (2017)
Directed By Sofia Coppola

In a male-dominated industry, Sofia Coppola managed to break through and become one of the most famous female directors. She has directed eight movies throughout her career, but my  personal favourites are Marie Antoinette and The Beguiled, with both films featuring female leads as the main character. Marie Antoinette tells the story of the infamous queen during her time in the French court up until the French revolution, while The Beguiled follows three women at an all girls school and what happened when a civil war soldier asked for asylum there. Both movies have a different tone, the first one is more about humanizing Marie Antoinette, while the other is more dark and intriguing. Both films are interesting and worth the time watching, and in fact, Sofia Coppola became the second woman to win Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival in the festival’s 70-year history.

Lady Bird (2017)
Directed By Greta Gerwig

I haven’t watched this movie yet, but Lady Bird has received quite a lot of buzz since its release in 2017. During the award season, it has received 41 major nominations over the 2018 awards season and won 13 of them. The movie is a coming-of-age story of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson and her turbulent relationship with her mother.

Wonder Woman (2017)
Directed By Patty Jenkins

Of course we couldn’t miss this record-breaking movie by Patty Jenkins that gave the superhero world a good shake up when it was released in 2017. Not only was it the first superhero movie directed by a woman, it is the first one with a female superhero as the main character. The movie received many overwhelming positive reviews and it became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Wonder Woman is not only praised for its female superhero, but also the message of courage and the portrayal of the Amazonian women. There’s a reason why this movie is widely acclaimed, and if you haven’t seen it, you better go watch it now!

The Babadook (2014)
Directed By Jennifer Kent

Who says women can’t direct horror movies? This famous Australian thriller was released in 2014 by Jennifer Kent and received a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Babadook is a supernatural thriller story about mother and son that were being stalked by the Babadook, a supernatural entity with its iconic top hat. This movie is intriguing and keeps you at the edge of your seat, and at the end, you’ll need to replay the whole movie over in your head to think which part is real and which part wasn’t.

Frozen (2013)
Directed By Jennifer Lee

Yes ladies and gentlemen, this iconic Disney movie is co-directed by a woman, the first one from its lengthy list of movies. Nobody expected the movie to be as popular as it was, although being an animated film, they do tend to take the world by storm, especially the children, seemed unable to let it go (pun intended). There was no way we could escape the image of Frozen and the songs, it’s just everywhere and it’s not without reason! Why? Because this is the first Disney movie where the main character took control of her own destiny without regards to the rules, and certainly, no prince comes to save them.

Suffragette (2015)
Directed By Sarah Gavron

It is only appropriate that the movie about this iconic movement was to be directed by a woman. For those of you who doesn’t know, the suffragette movement happened in the 1920s to fight for women’s rights to vote. This is another movie on this list that I haven’t watched just yet, but I am always fascinated with the movement and recognising the importance of this movement in this month, this is the perfect movie to watch this month.

Shrek (2001)
Directed By Vicky Jenson

Yes, another classic animation co-directed by woman! This beloved green ogre tale was first released in 2001 and yet it remains a favourite to this day. It is a parody of several fairytales and it brings a fun and fresh breath of air at that era. I don’t know about you, but I have so many fond memories of Shrek; it’s so underrated nowadays!

Mamma Mia! (2008)
Directed By Phyllida Lloyd

And finally, a personal favorite of mine and many others. Like it or not, this movie’s setting is so pleasing to the eye, along with catchy songs and amazing relationships all around! Not only do we have an amazing mother-daughter relationship, but the friendship between Sophie, Donna and each of their girlfriends is something to strive for! All the females are so supportive and nice towards each other, it’s heartwarming and fun to watch.

Any others you would add? Tell us in the comments below!

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