'Congratulations To Those Men': 8 Women Directors Who Also Deserve Oscars

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When the Oscar nominations were announced on Monday morning by actor John Cho and all-around creative talent Issa Rae, it was pretty clear that Issa was annoyed by one category full of men — the Best Director category.

“Congratulations to those men,” she said with a shady on-camera look after announcing the nominees.

Not only was the Best Director category full of men, but it was partially taken up by directors that have already received their accolades. While Todd Phillips received a first-time nod for Joker and Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho rightfully received a first-time nod for his movie Parasite, Oscar regulars Quintin Tarantino was nominated for his very long Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood and Martin Scorsese was nominated for his even longer The Irishman. Finally, Sam Mendes is nominated for his flick 1917 after already winning an Oscar in 2000 for his film American Beauty.

Now nobody is saying that these filmmakers don’t deserve recognition for their current works. However, the nominations do raise an eyebrow, particularly when men like Tarantino and Scorsese continually get nominated for their all-too-familiar, violent, hyper-masculine movies. It really does make you wonder how many women are present and have a voice in The Academy.

With that being said, there are plenty of women directors — some newcomers and some seasoned filmmakers — who’ve never taken home an Oscar that are deserving of at least a nomination.

We can give you eight of them starting off with Kasi Lemmons below. Then hit the flip for some more women filmmakers who deserve to be honored.

Kasi Lemmons

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Recent movie: Harriet (2019)

No matter how you feel about historically dramas, especially ones that center around slavery times, it’s not easy blending action and drama with a very serious subject. Lemmons does so with the skill of a veteran filmmaker. We should expect nothing less from the same woman who directed such classics like Eve’s Bayou.

Mati Diop

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Recent movie: Atlantics (2019)

Intimate, heartbreaking and epically romantic, Diop’s feature debut Atlantics definitely sets the bar high for feature debut directors.

Stella Meghie

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Recent movie: The Weekend (2018)

While alleged abusers like Woody Allen continue to receive critical acclaim for their corky comedies, new and unique voices in the genre continues to be overlooked. Stella Meghie definitely has a point-of-view that’s worth watching in the romantic comedy zeitgeist.

Chinonye Chukwu

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Recent movie: Clemency (2019)

Chinonye Chukwu has a bright future ahead of her with her intimate yet intense debut drama about a prison warden called Clemency, starring the incomparable Alfre Woodard. It takes sheer confidence and vision to lead such a powerhouse talent to greatness.

Lorene Scafaria

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Recent movie: Hustlers (2019)

A big part of directing is all about pacing even after you leave the film set and enter the editing room. Hustlers is an action-tinged drama that’s paced to a T and the performances Lorene Scafaria gets from her all-star cast only adds to the cake.

Lulu Wang

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Recent movie: The Farewell (2019)

It’s not easy balancing drama and comedy especially when a key character has a short time to live. Lulu Wang does it so beautifully that a Best Director nod would add to the success of the riveting family drama The Farewell.

Olivia Wilde

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Recent movie: Booksmart (2019)

Once again, comedy is no easy task. To direct such a film you have to know a thing or two about comedic timing, character dynamics and what’s actually funny. With Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart, she succeeds in the comedy genre like a seasoned veteran.

Melina Matsoukas

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Recent movie: Queen & Slim (2019)

Finally, another attribute of a great director is someones ability to grasp visual storytelling. Few people have done it so brilliantly this year like Melina Matsoukas in her romantic, on-the-run drama Queen & Slim. Amidst the backdrop of racism and police violence, a love story never looked so beautiful.