Oscars 2021: In A First, Two Female Directors Nominated For Best Director

Celebrity couple Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas announced the Oscars 2021 nominations on March 15, 2021, and, for the first time ever, two female directors, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell, have been nominated in the Best Director category.

The former is in the running for her film, Nomadland, while the latter has received the nomination for Promising Young Woman. The duo will battle it out alongside Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), David Fincher (Mank) and Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round).

A still from Nomadland

This is particularly special because in the past, only five filmmakers have been recognised. Greta Gerwig was the last female director to be nominated in the Best Director category for her film Lady Bird in 2018.

A still from Promising Young Woman

You may recall, Chloé Zhao also won the Best Director award at the Golden Globes this year, thereby making history—she is only the second woman to win the Best Director award at the Golden Globes. “I especially want to thank the nomads who shared their stories with us. Now this is why I fell in love with making movies and telling stories because it gives us a chance to laugh and cry together and it gives us a chance to learn from each other and to have more compassion for each other. So thank you everyone who made it possible to do what I love,” she had said while accepting the award.