Charlize Theron has said the omission of female directors nominated at the Golden Globes is “really frustrating”.
Nominations for the 77th running of the awards ceremony were announced on Monday, with five men, including Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, up for best director.
The news provoked an instant backlash, with the Time’s Up movement calling it “shocking, unacceptable & incredibly disappointing”.
Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the group of journalists which votes for the Golden Globes, defended the process and told Variety “we vote by film and accomplishment”.
Theron, who was nominated for best actress for her role in Bombshell, said women filmmakers being overlooked is “not cool”.
She told the LA Times: “It’s tough. It’s really, really tough. And I think it gets really frustrating when we we have to remember that women directors, especially, are just trying to get their numbers up.
“They represent 10% of our directors in the industry, and when you have a good year like we had this year with such great work, it is incredibly frustrating. No woman wants to get nominated because it’s the right thing to do. It’s really, really ridiculous.
“It’s not cool. It’s really hard, and I think it’s unfair, and it’s why we can’t stop this fight. We gotta keep making noise until we’re heard and these stories get recognised.”
Only five women have ever been nominated for best director in the Golden Globes’ 77-year history.
Barbra Streisand is the only female winner, with Yentl in 1984.
Rebecca Goldman, chief operating officer of the Time’s Up Foundation, said this year had seen more women-led films than ever before, adding: “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.”
After Monday’s nominations announcement, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a think tank studying diversity in the entertainment industry, called for Golden Globes advertisers to intervene.
