In A First, Two Female Directors Chloé Zhao, Emerald Fennell Nominated For Oscars

Oscars 2021 best director nominations: Directors Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell were nominated in the Oscars Best Director Category.

Chloé Zhao received the nomination for her film Nomadland and Emerald Fennell received the nomination for her film Promising Young Woman. Both women also received nominations for best screenplay for their films and were nominated for Best Picture.

The last female director to be nominated in the Best Director category was Greta Gerwig in 2018 for her film Lady Bird. Zhao and Fennell’s nominations brings the total number of female directors to be nominated in this category to seven. Lina Wertmüller, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, and Greta Gerwig are the only other women to be nominated in the category for Best Director in the 93-year history of the Oscars. Out of these women, only Bigelow has won the award.

Oscars 2021 marks the first time two female directors were nominated for Best Director. Zhao also makes history by being the first Asian-American female director to be nominated in the category.

Zhao’s Nomadland has remained on the top of the Best Picture charts since it debuted in September and has won the Golden Lion and People’s Choice Award. It received four nominations at the 78^th Golden Globe Awards and won the Best Motion Picture – Drama Award and the Best Director Award.

Fennell’s Promising Young Woman got the Best Actress nomination for Carey Mulligan and has received a number of nominations at the Golden Globes and the BAFTA.