Tuesday, January 23, 2018, was when the Oscar 2018 nominations were announced. Greta Gerwig, director of "Lady Bird" was nominated along with Guillermo Del Toro ("The Shape of Water"), Jordan Peele ("Get Out"), Christopher Nolan ("Dunkirk"), and Paul Thomas Anderson ("Phantom Thread"). You might think there is nothing really special about this nomination. But did you know that there have only been five women who have never been nominated for directing an Oscar movie, including Gerwig?
Let's take a look at these five women and the movies that led them into becoming Oscar nominees.
Lina Wertmüller
Lina Wertmüller was the first woman who received a nomination for best director for "Seven Beauties" in the 49th Academy Awards in 1977. Her film tells a story about an Italian man who deserts the army during World War II and how he struggles to survive in a German prison camp. Flashbacks of his past, living with his seven sisters a.k.a. "Seven Beauties," were presented throughout his journey at the camp. Wertmüller lost the award to John G. Advilsen for his movie, "Rocky."
Jane Campion
Jane Campion got nominated for the 66th Academy Awards in 1994. She directed "The Piano" which follows the story of a mute piano player and her daughter, played by Anna Paquin. Paquin's outstanding performance for this role led her to win the award for best actress.
Unfortunately, Campion lost the category to Steven Spielberg for "Schindler's List."
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola got her nomination for directing "Lost in Translation," a movie about a friendship between a middle-aged American movie star, played by Bill Murray, and a young woman (Scarlett Johansson), who met at a hotel in Tokyo.
Coppola was not the only one who received an Oscar nomination for this movie, the film itself was nominated for best picture. However, neither of them won the award. The 76th Academy Award (2004) best director went to Peter Jackson for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," and the same movie took home the trophy for best picture.
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow is the only one among the five who has ever brought home a directing Oscar trophy. She was nominated for the 82nd Academy Award on 2010 and won the award for directing "The Hurt Locker", a movie set in Iraq during wartime. 'Well the time has come,' was uttered by Barbra Streisand when she announced Bigelow as the winner. Bigelow also did not forget to dedicate women who were serving in the army and wished them safe returns in her acceptance speech.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig received her nomination for this year's Oscar (2018). Her film, "Lady Bird" follows the adventure of the eccentric Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson from Sacramento and her journey of going out into the world and her relationships with people around her.
Saoirse Ronan who plays Christine, is also nominated for best actress.
Obviously, the results aren't in for this year's Oscars, but we can surely get excited about seeing if Gerwig will take home this year's Best Director award. The 90th Academy Awards ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California at 5:00 PM PST on Sunday, March 4, 2018.
