I Really Feel Bad for the Female Director’s Snubs (And Not Bradley Cooper’s)
The 2019 Oscar nominations came and went yesterday and as usual the media had their share of Oscar snubs and surprises. Meaning filmmakers who were either awarded with an Academy Award or were snubbed out of getting one.
And for the second day in a row all I’ve been reading and hearing is how Bradley Cooper was snubbed into getting a Best director Oscar nomination. He should have won one and bla bla bla. I call BS on that and let me tell you why. It’s for 2 simple reasons really.
One, A Star Is Born is his directorial debut and as a rookie it’s highly unlikely that he should get an Academy Award nomination. Steven Spielberg didn’t get one for his feature film debut, and Cooper shouldn’t either. Why? Because he’s got plenty to learn. Yes, maybe he made a decent movie that’s well liked and oh so popular but come on!
He didn’t exactly made Citizen Kane! He made a remake of a remake of a remake of a remake. A story that’s has been done so many times before in Hollywood it became almost a cliché.
And second, because there were plenty of more talented directors that did deserved an Oscar nomination. Why you might ask? Almost every single one director in that category. And you know why I put the almost? Because that same category should have been filed with at least 2 great female directors.
Chloé Zhao, Lynne Ramsay, Tamara Jenkins, Debra Granik, Marielle Heller and Karyn Kusama all made brilliant amazing movies but they were left out by the Academy.
Seriously, a couple of years ago there was uproar and shock when African-American filmmakers were snubbed at the Oscars but this year all I’ve been hearing (and reading) about was Bradley Cooper’s snub at the Oscars. Come on!
You can do better Academy! Only 5 women directors has been nominated in the entire Oscar history and it’s been a decade in which a woman (the only woman I might add) won that Oscar. Why you’re having such a hard time grasping that women are (and were in the past year) quite good at directing? Why is this job in the eyes of the Academy members still a male dominated job? Is it a sexist thing or is it a douche-y thing?
I keep telling myself that the next year will be better, but it’s just not happening. So, in conclusion don’t feel bad about Bradley Cooper. Feel bad for every female director in Hollywood who’s made fantastic movies and all of them they were ignored by the Academy. Bradley Cooper will survive that disappointment.
