Natalie Portman has spoken out against the lack of female representation in this year’s Oscars nominations, highlighting what she called the “persistent barriers for women” in filmmaking.
Speaking at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah while promoting her latest film The Gallerist on Saturday, January 24, the 44-year-old actress expressed frustration over the Best Director category, where only one woman — Chloé Zhao for Hamnet — received a nomination.
“So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women. You just see the barriers at every level because so many were not recognized at awards time,” Portman told Variety.
She added: “Between Sorry Baby and Left-Handed Girl and Hedda and The Testament of Ann Lee… extraordinary films this year that I think a lot of people are enjoying and loving, but are not getting the accolades that they deserve.”
This year’s Best Director category is otherwise dominated by male filmmakers, including Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Ryan Coogler (Sinners). Among the 10 films nominated for Best Picture, Hamnet is the only one directed by a woman.
For her latest project, Portman teamed up with female director Cathy Yan for The Gallerist, a dark comedy thriller set in Miami’s Art Basel. The film follows a desperate gallery owner, played by Portman, who attempts to sell a dead man as art. It also stars Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sterling K. Brown and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
