Patty Jenkins Slams Oscars for Shutting Women Out of Best Director: ‘I Give Up’
Patty Jenkins says she was more than disappointed that no women were nominated for best director this year.
“I give up, I give up,” the “Wonder Woman” director told me Saturday at the Charles Finch and Chanel pre-Oscars dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge. “I say that even with all of their push to have diversity. The numbers are just hugely imbalanced of who votes for these things. I sort of just stopped paying attention to it. It’s still going to take a long ways to go. It’s going to take a lot more to really see truly more diverse awards. I really appreciate the efforts that they’re making but we have a long way to go.”
More from Variety
The 2023 director nominees are Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin), Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) Todd Field (“Tár”) and Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness.”)
Chloé Zhao, who won the best director trophy for helming “Nomadland,” has also called on the Academy and voters to support gender diversity among nominees.
“There’s clearly a very big gap for women filmmakers in our industry,” Zhao told Variety in an interview published on March 10.
The “Eternals” director said Hollywood needs to do a better job at increasing the visibility of women who are nominated for awards and funding more women-led projects. “We’re not doing it for awards, but that does help for the longevity of careers,” she said.
The 95th Academy Awards take place Sunday. The ceremony will broadcast live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel returns as host.
Best of Variety
Final Oscars Predictions: Animated Short - Will the Academy Go for 'The Boy' or 'Dicks?'
Final Oscar Predictions: Documentary Short - Will the Academy Go for Malala or 'Elephants?'
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.