Question of the Day: Do We Need a Best Female Director Category?

Last March, Kim Elsesser wrote an Op-Ed in the NYT called “And the Gender-Neutral Oscar Goes To…” in which she argues for a single acting category. 
Since the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, separate acting Oscars have been presented to men and women. Women at that time had only recently won the right to vote and were still several decades away from equal rights outside the voting booth, so perhaps it was reasonable to offer them their own acting awards. But in the 21st century women contend with men for titles ranging from the American president to the American Idol. Clearly, there is no reason to still segregate acting Oscars by sex. 

When the piece was published, the typical response was “But then no women would be nominated!” Elsesser makes a good argument for equality, but in an industry so dominated by men and sexist attitudes, don’t we still need categories for male and female actresses? Tatiana Siegel of Variety took up the question again last November.
With the current system of sex-divided categories (and there is a real problem with that kind of division), there are an equal number of men and women garnering attention for their performances. However, in the category for Best Director, only one woman has ever won (Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker), and only three women have even been nominated (Bigelow, Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation, and Jane Campion for The Piano). Will there be any women nominated this year?
Here’s my question–one that Elsesser sarcastically posed at the end of her editorial, but that I ask sincerely:  
Do we need a Best Female Director Category?
Leave your thoughts in the comments!

5 thoughts on “Question of the Day: Do We Need a Best Female Director Category?”

  1. Yes, I’m commenting on my own post!

    Creating a category for Best Female Director would obviously be regressive, and would suggest that women and men make fundamentally different movies. Some might argue that Bigelow’s win last year dealt a serious blow to that kind of thinking.

    However, imagine if five female directors were highlighted by the Academy every year! Might this not bring more attention to women behind the camera, encourage more women to aspire to directing, and push some additional funding to films directed by women? Might it not be a step toward legitimizing “movies for women” as just as serious and important as the typical films nominated for Best Director?

    What do you think?

  2. I agree that we might need to “step back” before we can step forward. Until the academy is forced to recognize MULTIPLE female directors, I fear the one token woman now and then will continue, despite the GREAT work by done by female directors. Reminds me of the continuing need for Women’s History Month in March…

  3. Fascinating post! The issue truly goes right to the heart of a double standard.

    I agree with Natalie that “stepping back” might be first required. Ideally, I think best actor and best director should not be divided by gender but by the budget of the film. Thus, we would have best actor and best director in the category of Independent film and best actor and best director in Big Studio films. Divvying up the categories by scale would allow for more women directors and minority stars actors to win awards they deserve.

    This year, for example, Debra Granik and Jennifer Lawrence could be recognized as well as David Fincher and Natalie Portman (not that I believe Fincher deserves the award).

  4. I’m torn. The best-acting divides seem to me fair as long as gender blind casting is socially impossible. In theory, gender blind director hiring is possible. But, of course, it’s not actually in place and I expect to ride my flying pig to the Oscars Party the year it is in place.

    So yes. I think we do. If only so that the Academy can blanch in horror when they realize that there are virtually no films to nominate in the first place for the category.

  5. Thanks to Natalie, Anon., and Philip for your comments!

    I do have a question for Philip. I was with you until that final sentence. Are you being sarcastic? I hope so; part of the egregiousness of the Academy failing to nominate women in the directing category is that women direct great movies every year! Off the top of my head, I can think of three women who deserve that accolade this year: Debra Granik (for Winter’s Bone), Lisa Cholodenko (for The Kids Are All Right), and Nicole Holofcener (for Please Give)–and I’m sure there are many more.

    I mean, if you weren’t being sarcastic…

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