In the major Oscar categories this year it was a list of mostly white nominees, an issue that immediately ignited outrage, frustration, and pushback.
Only one person of color, Cynthia Erivo for the black-themed Harriet, was nominated in the acting categories.
Female directors such as Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”), Kasi Lemmons (“Harriet”), and Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”) were also overlooked.
Only five women have ever been nominated for director, and only one, Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) has ever won the prize.
Issa Rae, who had been enlisted to read off the nominees, made a biting nod to their exclusion after the directing contenders were unveiled. “Congratulations to those men,” she said.
However, press notes shared by the Oscars took pains to note that “a record 62 women were nominated, representing almost one third of this year’s nominees.”
However, the notes failed to mention that most of those women were nominated in technical categories or the three shorts.