- In the Oscars’ nearly century-long history, only nine women have ever been nominated for their directing.
- Jane Campion, Chloé Zhao, and Kathryn Bigelow are the only women to win the best director award.
- Coralie Fargeat is the latest woman to be nominated, for her film “The Substance.”
The Oscars have been around since 1929, but to date, only nine women have been nominated for the award for best director.
Since Lina Wertmüller became the first woman nominated for the award in 1977, there have only been a handful of subsequent nominations, and even more notable snubs. Only three women who were nominated for the award have ever won it.
Coralie Fargeat, who was nominated for “The Substance,” is now the ninth woman to be nominated for the award for best director at the Oscars.
Fargeat and “The Substance” have been major players on the festival and awards circuit in the 2024-2025 season. Fargeat won the award for best screenplay at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and she notched nominations for directing and screenplay at the 2025 Golden Globes. Demi Moore, the film’s star, was also nominated for best actress at the Academy Awards after winning the same award at the 2025 Golden Globes.
Here are all the women who have been nominated for best director at the Oscars.
