Natalie Portman Slams Lack of Oscar Nominations for Women Directors
Natalie Portman highlighted systemic barriers causing few female directors to receive Oscar nominations despite critical acclaim, noting Chloé Zhao as the only woman nominated for Best Director.
- On January 24, Natalie Portman criticized the Academy for including just one woman in the Best Director nominations while debuting The Gallerist at the Sundance Film Festival.
- Portman argued many of the best films she saw this year were made by women and faced barriers from financing to festival access, citing Sorry, Baby, Left-Handed Girl, Hedda and The Testament of Ann Lee.
- Industry lists show Sinners dominated this year’s nominations with a record total of 16, and the Best Director lineup includes Josh Safdie, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joachim Trier and Ryan Coogler.
- Portman, who has a history of calling out awards bodies, said `We have a lot of work to do still.` while promoting The Gallerist and crediting Cathy Yan at Sundance Film Festival, January 24.
- Awards watchers noted fans and critics called out surprises after the January 22 nominations reveal, with Amanda Seyfried’s omission from The Testament of Ann Lee surprising many and Hamnet as the only female-directed Best Picture nominee.
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Natalie Portman Calls Out Oscars for Only Nominating One Female Director | Just Jared: Celebrity News and Gossip
Natalie Portman is calling out the Academy Awards. The 44-year-old Closer actress spoke out about the nominations at the 2026 Oscars, criticizing the Academy for the lack of female directors represented in the nominees list this year. Chloé Zhao is the only woman in the Best Director category for 2026. Keep reading to find out more… “So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women,” she said in an interview with Variety. “You just s…
Only one woman is among the Oscar nominees for Best Director. Natalie Portman calls for more recognition for female directors at award ceremonies – and calls for candidates.From the point of view of actress Natalie Portman, women have been too short at this year's Oscar nominations. "So many of the best films I have seen that year were made by women," said the actress ("Black Swan", "Star Wars") in conversation with the industry magazine "Variet…
Natalie Portman publicly praised Dolores Fonzi and her film "Belén" -the multi-première Argentine film that was out of Oscar nominations 2026-, despite irreconcilable differences with her Argentine colleague for the romance with Gael García Bernal, who faced them 20 years ago. "Many of the best films I saw this year were made by women, but they were not recognized," said the Hollywood star during a press conference at the Sundance Film Festival,…
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