Patty Jenkins Criticizes Oscars for Lack of Representation of Women in Best Director Category: “I Give Up”

Patty Jenkins, the director of “Wonder Woman,” expressed her frustration with Oscars voters for consistently overlooking female directors in the best director category. On March 11, she told Variety, “I give up, I give up. I say that even with all of their push to have diversity. The numbers are just hugely imbalanced of who votes for these things.” Only three women have ever won the Oscar for best director, and only seven have been nominated in the category. This year, female directors such as Gina Prince-Bythewood, Maria Schrader, Sarah Polley, and Chinonye Chukwu were all overlooked. Prince-Bythewood’s critically acclaimed film “The Woman King” was shut out entirely. In a February column for The Hollywood Reporter, the director wrote that the Academy’s decision was an “eye-opener” when it came to the reality of how far the industry still needs to come in terms of inclusivity. She continued, “‘The Woman King’ wasn’t snubbed. A snub is if it missed out on a category or two. The film was not nominated for one single craft. Not one single extraordinary performance was recognized.” Jenkins and Prince-Bythewood’s comments demonstrate that the Oscars still have a long way to go when it comes to recognizing and honoring a diverse range of creative voices and artists, as no Black woman has ever been nominated in the best director category.