From actresses to directors to writers and producers, at this year’s 94th Academy Awards, there will be countless women trailblazers in attendance who are nominated for awards. Despite landmark nominations and wins, the gender gap widened, with women representing just 28% of individual nominations, the lowest percentage in three years.
But that’s not the headline we want to focus on. Today, we want to spotlight the women in front of and behind the camera who are blazing a trail for the next generation. It’s as if their successes scream to onlookers, “Hey, if i can do this, so can you!” or “I’m building on the backs of women who came before me so that more women can come after me.”
Here’s just a few women trailblazers in film:
1. Writer-director-producer Jane Campion became the first woman to receive a second career nomination for Best Director
2. Germaine Franco, the composer for “Encanto,” is the first Latina woman to ever be nominated for the Original Score category.
3. Three of the five films nominated for Best Writing or Adapted Screenplay were written by women — “The Power of the Dog,” “CODA” and “The Lost Daughter.”
As we look to the future of gender equality in film, we also acknowledge the value in celebrating the wins along the journey. While there’s still work to do to push the needle of equality in the film industry forward, these are wins worth celebrating and women whose boldness and brazenness to tell authentic stories is worth championing. So today, we shine a spotlight on them, knowing that their wins are truly all of ours to share. Every Oscar nomination and tear-filled acceptance speech is a marker of the progress we want to see toward gender parity.
Want to take a step to help close the gender gap in film? Start by watching films that highlight the gender equality movement throughout history.
What better way to bring the fight for equality to life than through the big screen? Check out these films that explore gender equity across different industries and aspects of society: Suffragette, Maiden, Hidden Figures, Puzzle and Miss Representation.
