I've been thinking a lot about representation behind the camera this awards season, and I'm genuinely excited about what I'm seeing.
Chloé Zhao just earned eight Oscar nominations for HAMNET. Coralie Fargeat's THE SUBSTANCE became A24's highest-grossing film ever and dominated the conversation last year (even if ANORA WON...).
These aren't just good for a female director success stories. They're masterclasses in filmmaking. Period. And yet, we're still having the same conversation we've been having for decades: where are the women?
As of right now, only one woman (Kathryn Bigelow for THE HURT LOCKER) has ever won the Oscar for Best Director. One. In nearly 100 years of the Academy Awards.
I work with writers and filmmakers every day and I see just as many talented female screenwriters as male ones. But when it comes to getting behind the camera, the barriers multiply. Financing becomes harder. Studios second-guess. Budgets shrink. The "prove yourself" bar gets set impossibly high.
What gives me hope this year is that the work is undeniable. Chloé Zhao, Coralie Fargeat, and so many others are making films that are technically ambitious, emotionally resonant, and commercially viable. They're not asking for permission anymore...they're just making great cinema.
While I'm rooting for Chloe, 2026 is going to be Coogler's year. And he also deserves it.
But here's the thing: we shouldn't have to wait for a woman to make a masterpiece to justify giving her a shot. Male directors get to make mediocre films all the time and still get another chance. Female directors have to be exceptional just to stay in the room.
So my hope for this year's Oscars? That we see another woman win Best Director. Not because of optics, but because the work deserves it. And my hope beyond that? That we stop treating female directors like unicorns and start treating them like what they are: filmmakers.
With talent like Witherspoon and Kidman using their names to champion work by women, I'm hopeful we'll see some change. Interestingly, TV has embraced change more quickly with women directors killing it. So is the motion picture industry just inherently traditional and old-school? Or is change coming?
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The Substance and The Hurt Locker are incredible films, Geoffroy Faugerolas! I'm looking forward to seeing Hamnet and Anora! Female directors have made some of my favorite movies. I hope we see some change too!
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Thank you Geoffroy Faugerolas for writing this post. The film industry is no different to others in that regard (marginalizing the majority of voices save one). Having said that the world needs those other voices. Chloe is an extraordinarily compassionate, grounded individual and an exceptional artist. She's created a transformative experience in Hamnet.
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Geoffroy, this really resonates. What’s exhausting isn’t the conversation itself, but how long women have had to be exceptional just to remain visible. The hope, as you point out, is in work that’s undeniable and made without asking permission. When women are trusted to build worlds over time — not just prove themselves once — that’s when real change happens.
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Speaking of female directors... it still gets me why Kathryn Bigelow hasn't directed a huge Marvel-level movie, she would have been perfect for the 2021 Black Widow movie.
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I need more good movies. It doesn't matter from whom.
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I totally agree with you, change is definitely coming, and I'm one of those women directors on the rise, and to keep your eye on.
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This really resonates. Directing is on my bucket list, as an extension of how I already create. I love telling stories in different forms, writing, dancing and acting. I know that directing will eventually complete that cycle for me.
Right now, there are other projects that feel urgent and necessary, and I‘m honoring that. But I‘m certain that every story I tell before stepping behind the camera is shaping me into a better director when the time comes.
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I totally agree.
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Hi, Geoffroy Faugerolas. Great theme, and I’m completely with you. Did you know that women directed only 8.1% of the top films in 2025? Filmmakers like Celine Song (Materialists), Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Maggie Kang (K-Pop Demon Hunters), and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) were among the few.
It’s not because women aren’t in the industry; it’s exactly what you pointed out. The opportunities and support systems still need to grow. And that’s why communities like Stage 32 matter so much. They lift women up, amplify their work, and create real pathways.
I’m proud to be part of this community. Let’s go, girls.
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I love, love, love seeing all these powerful women stepping up and doing the dang thing. I'm here for a best director Oscar to be awarded to a woman this year. I'd love to see it.
Women in filmmaking aren't waiting for permission anymore - that's my biggest hope.
We are here. We can find each other. Create together. Show up for each other. Lift each other up. And we're in the best place for that.
Let's do it, ladies.
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My partner, Diamond Monique Washington is one of the most talented and powerful women I have known. She won Best New Director award in the IPG in 2022, and she's the CEO of Aerith Corp at aerithai.com. She mentors other director/writers through Stage And Screen Innovations as well. She's truly one of the women who are here to change the landscape. She
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Marie Hatten Can't agree more! She's broken so many glass ceilings and is bound to direct many more great films.
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Charmane Wedderburn so true! Thankfully, it's a little bit better on the TV side but it's time women filmmakers are allowed to become auteurs.
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Michael Dzurak pretty sure she didn't want to; it can be hit or miss. Like the ETERNALS. Big brands don't give you the freedom to express yourself. You're very boxed in. Many directors prefer to make the movies they want to do, the way they see it. If anything it was probably the right move.
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Arthur Charpentier Yes! And that means buyers/studios/streamers need to embrace different perspectives and taking creative risks.
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Sandra Correia Only 8% and yet...what bangers! These women have created real zeitgeisty projects that lead to cultural conversations around the world.
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Only 8%, Geoffroy Faugerolas. But at the same time, these women are opening doors for many more, so we cross our fingers for their winnings :))
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Can't agree more! One win at a time.
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Geoffroy, absolutely. And the fact that TV has proven it’s possible makes the case undeniable — when women are trusted with continuity, vision, and longevity, authorship follows. The appetite is clearly there. Now the systems just need to catch up.
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Geoffroy Faugerolas that's very true.
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First off, LOVED The Substance and yes, I think your post about the industry being risk-averse and this post show that fear is still a driving factor. Ah yet, we've seen that when originality/diversity/outside-of-the-box thinking is put forth, we get some incredible work that possibly on paper wasn't what was "marketable" but is, indeed, what people are hungry to watch.
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This really hits on something that so many people feel but don’t always articulate this clearly, Geoffroy Faugerolas.
What you said about women having to be exceptional just to stay in the room is the part that always sticks with me. The bar isn’t just high, it’s constantly moving. Meanwhile, mediocrity is treated like a learning experience for men and a failure for women. That imbalance is exhausting and deeply structural.
I also love that you framed these films as masterclasses, not “female director success stories.” That distinction matters. The work stands on its own, and the fact that we still need to qualify it speaks volumes about how ingrained this conversation still is. You’re spot on about TV moving faster. Episodic storytelling has forced the industry to value range, collaboration, and fresh perspectives in a way features have been slower to embrace. Film still clings tightly to legacy systems, risk aversion, and a very narrow idea of who gets to be “trusted” with scale and budget.
I’m hopeful, too, but the real win will be when women are allowed the same creative margin for error. Until then, every breakthrough is both inspiring and a reminder of how much further there is to go.