LOS ANGELES: No female directors were nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes, and in response to the snub, advocacy group Time's Up has said the line-up represents an industry-wide crisis where "women -- and especially women of colour -- continue to be pushed to the sidelines".
The shut-out of women in the category came as a surprise as this year many female filmmakers -- Lulu Wang ("The Farewell"), Lorene Scafaria ("Hustlers"), Greta Gerwig ("Little Women"), Marielle Heller ("A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood") and Olivia Wilde ("Booksmart") -- put out films, some lauded by the audience and others critics, or both.
The HFPA nominated Bong Joon-ho for "Parasite", Sam Mendes for "1917", Todd Phillips for "The Joker", Martin Scorsese for "The Irishman" and Quentin Tarantino for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" in the best director category for the 77th edition of the awards.
Rebecca Goldman, chief operating officer at the Time's Up Foundation, said the one who directs feature films matters.
"It affects what stories are told -- and how -- with far-reaching implications for women across the film industry and our broader society.
"That's why Time's Up Entertainment -- in partnership with Stacy Smith, Tessa Thompson, and many others -- launched the 4 Percent Challenge, asking individuals and companies to commit to a film led by a female director in the next 18 months," Goldman said on Monday in a statement, accessed by The Hollywood Reporter.
This year, there have been twice as many women-led features than ever, with more films by female directors on the way, the senior executive said.
"And yet, as today's nominations show, women - and especially women of colour - continue to be pushed to the sidelines by a system that holds women back, onscreen and off.
"The omission of women isn't just a Golden Globes problem. It is an industry-wide crisis, and it's unacceptable.
Time's Up will continue to fight until talented female directors get the opportunities and recognition they deserve," Goldman added.
In 2018, actor Natalie Portman made headlines when she took a subtle jibe at the lack of female representation in the best director category of the Golden Globes.
Portman, who presented the best director award along with director Ron Howard, went off script and said, "And here are all the male nominees."
In the last awards season too, there wasn't any female directors nominated in the category.
Alfonso Cuaron bagged the award for "Roma".
Barbra Streisand is the only woman to ever win the best director prize at the Golden Globes.
She was the first female director to be nominated and won in 1984 for "Yentl", and was again nominated in 1992 for "The Prince of Tides".
Other women directors to receive nods are Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow and Ava DuVernay.
DuVernay was nominated in 2015 for "Selma".