The Academy Awards is a glorious tradition that annually recognizes the best in film. But despite its claim for diversity, it has a history of icing different groups out of the celebration. It’s no secret that Academy Awards, the Best Director category, has predominantly been a boys club. In its 93-year-old history, only seven female filmmakers have been nominated in this category. Lina Wertmüller is the first female filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director.
What’s more shocking is how long it took the Academy to recognize the brilliant work done by female filmmakers. The push for more inclusion in recent years is turning out to be positive, but the numbers tell you a different story. In 1976, the Academy gave out its first female nomination for Best Director. Find out more about this filmmaker who went toe to toe with other nominees to create history.
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Lina Wertmüller Is The First Female Filmmaker To Score The Best Director Nomination
After graduating from the national drama school of Rome, Lina Wertmüller produced avant-garde plays. She also traveled throughout Europe and worked as a puppeteer, stage manager, set designer, publicist, and radio/TV scriptwriter.
In the early 1960s, Lina met Marcello Mastroianni through her friend Flora Carabello. The actor then introduced Lina to filmmaker Federico Fellini. For the rest of her career, he became Lina Wertmüller’s mentor. By the 1970s, Lina Wertmüller transitioned into filmmaking. With her films ‘The Seduction Of Mimi‘ and ‘Blood Feud,’ she gained domestic and international success.
Her 1975 film ‘Swept Away‘ was declared the best foreign film by America’s National Film Review. For her film ‘Seven Beauties,’ she became the first female to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director in 1976. The movie is a drama about an Italian soldier who deserted the army during the second world war. He is sent to a German prison camp. Unfortunately, she lost the Oscar to John G. Avildsen for ‘Rocky.’
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Has Any Female Filmmaker Won The Best Director Oscar?
Lina Wertmüller didn’t win but was instrumental in paving the way for upcoming generations of female filmmakers. She was eventually given an Honorary Award in 2019. Since her nomination, six female filmmakers have been nominated in the Best Director category.
After Lina Wertmüller, Jane Campion was nominated for ‘The Piano.’ She didn’t win Best Director but won the Oscar for Best Original screenplay. The same thing happened to Sofia Coppola. She won the Oscar for her screenplay of ‘Lost In Translation‘ and not the Best Director.
It was in 2009 when Kathryn Bigelow won the Best Director for ‘The Hurt Locker,’ winning over her ex-husband James Cameron. In 2020, Chloé Zhao also won the Best Director for ‘Nomadland.’ Jane Campion became the third female filmmaker to win the Best Director prize with ‘The Power Of The Dog.’ Greta Gerwig and Emerald Fennell have also been nominated for Best Director.
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