Oscars 2018 could be an occasion for women directors to make their presence felt with at least five of them in the fray to bag the honors for best director. It was in 2010 that Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman ever to win the best director Oscar for her low-budget Iraq war film “The Hurt Locker.” Now, in 2018, there would be multiple contenders.
Hollywood is passing through a difficult phase with allegations of indecent behavior leveled against well-known names in the industry which has robbed the institution of much of its glamour. The time has now come for the women to stand up and be counted, and the ceremony this year is expected to be different compared to previous years.
The scandals are an embarrassment for the industry with skeletons tumbling out of cupboards at regular intervals.
Women directors come to the fore
Sky News reports that a total of only four women have been nominated for the Oscars best director award since 1929. In 2003, Patty Jenkins and Sofia Coppola were nominated for “Monster” and “Lost In Translation” respectively. Unfortunately, none of them made the grade. Hopefully, things will change for the better in 2018, and Hollywood will see the emergence of women directors.
Greta Gerwig, Dee Rees, and Patty Jenkins are three of them vying for attention.
Patty Jenkins is the senior most and has more experience as a director. It was 14 years ago that she made her debut with the film “Monster” which changed the career of Charlize Theron.
Patty has now returned with “Wonder Woman.” It has impressed the audience and justified the money spent on it. The movie ruled the box office and could make it big at the awards.
Greta Gerwig is the second contender with her film “Lady Bird” starring Saoirse Ronan. This is the debut film for Greta. Dee Rees is the next in line with her offering “Mudbound” which stars Carey Mulligan and Garrett Hedlund.
Rees is not new to filmmaking and has been involved in making short films for more than a decade. Others in the running for the golden statuette are Sofia Coppola with her “The Beguiled” and Kathryn Bigelow with “Detroit.”
Oscars 2018 could break new ground
Hollywood movies of today are usually action-packed ones with stories that revolve around imaginary out-of-the-world settings.
Machines and robots battle it out in alien galaxies, and everything happens at lightning speed.
Obviously, women directors feel left out in this race for supremacy until a film like “Wonder Woman” comes along. In this film, the combination of Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot leave their marks, and Oscars this year could break new ground.
