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Why celebrate Golden Globes nominating three female directors?
Khushboo Razdan
North America;United States
(L-R) Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, Black American actress and director Regina King, and British actress and filmmaker Emerald Fennell. /Getty

(L-R) Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, Black American actress and director Regina King, and British actress and filmmaker Emerald Fennell. /Getty

A loud cheer for the Golden Globes 2021 is reverberating through the feminist pockets of the male-dominated film and television industry. 

The annual Hollywood shindig, far-famed for "recognizing outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television" since 1944, finally tapped three female filmmakers among the five best directors of 2020 on Wednesday.

This rare and "historic" decision brings the sum of women nominated in the category in the over seven-decade "glorious" existence of the American awards to eight.

The women of the moment

We have Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who has become the first Asian woman to earn a directing nomination for "Nomadland," which traces the fly-solo journey of a woman after ceding everything to recession.

The second one is the Black American actress and director Regina King for "One Night in Miami," which brings together Black heroes Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke in one room for a fictionalized meeting.

Last but not the least is British actress and filmmaker Emerald Fennell for thriller-comedy "Promising Young Woman" on a quest for revenge and closure.

The Golden Globes 2021 nominees in the best director category. /@goldenglobes

The Golden Globes 2021 nominees in the best director category. /@goldenglobes

Too little, too late? Changing mindset

But do we owe the selection body – the Hollywood Press Association, a secret group of 90 journalists who cover the tinsel town – a "thank you"?

Jessica Shaw, host of EW Live on Sirius XM Stars Channel 109, a New York-based internet radio, tweeted: "Absolutely infuriated that on the official Golden Globes livestream, the host just talked about how important it was for a woman to direct One Night in Miami because her nurturing came through. WOMEN DIRECTORS DO NOT HAVE TO NURTURE; THEY HAVE TO DIRECT."

"The worst part is he thought he was complimenting her. This is the s**t women directors have to deal with all the time...and from someone who should know better. An industry expert? She's not a f*****g babysitter," she added.

A tweet about the Golden Globes nominations. /@ShiraPiven

A tweet about the Golden Globes nominations. /@ShiraPiven

Women changing Hollywood

The Golden Globes' proclivity for shrugging off feminine talent was broached by "Black Swan" actress Natalie Portman in 2018 on the very stage, where she was invited to announce the best filmmaker of the past year. "Here are the all-male nominees," she cut through the facade of gender equality. Ava DuVernay was the last woman to feature on the coveted list in 2015 for her work on "Selma."

Presenters Natalie Portman and Ron Howard at the 75th Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California. /Reuters

Presenters Natalie Portman and Ron Howard at the 75th Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California. /Reuters

In the teeth of plunging TV ratings, only 4.7 percent adults (18-49 years old) in the U.S. turned into the broadcast last year, and in the face of the threat of becoming obsolete, 2021 was chosen, at last, to create history.

Presage of spotlight on women filmmakers

The Golden Globes are viewed as the official onset of the awards season and a prologue to Oscars, and many hailed the move as a harbinger of "increased recognition for the work of women in Hollywood."

American artist Barbra Streisand, the only woman to ever receive the best director trophy in 1984 for "Yentl," told The Hollywood Reporter, "To see three women out of five directors be nominated for the Golden Globe makes me very happy. It is long overdue."

Barbara Streisand performs in her solo concert in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 6, 2013. /Xinhua

Barbara Streisand performs in her solo concert in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 6, 2013. /Xinhua

The other female filmmakers to land directing nomination in the Golden Globes are Jane Campion for "The Piano" (1994), Sofia Coppola for "Lost in Translation" (2004) and Kathryn Bigelow for "Hurt Locker" (2010) and "Zero Dark Thirty" (2013).

"Film and TV moving in the right direction," posted American actor and producer Mark Ruffalo on Twitter.

The Golden Globes ceremony will be held on February 28.

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