Ever since the nominations for the 2020 Oscars were announced weeks ago, there has been quite a bit of discussion and debate over the fact that the Academy, once again, didn’t nominate a female in the Best Director category. For many, this omission was especially egregious this year because, in 2019, there were no less than half a dozen women that could have easily been recognized. But this year, at least some of the women are going to fight back thanks to the group Give Her a Break.
READ MORE: The Percentage Of Female Filmmakers In The Top 100 Films Jumped Drastically In 2019
Give Her a Break is an online viewing portal that will allow folks to watch the Oscars Livestream, but instead of the advertisements that accompany the broadcast, the portal will flip over to showcase films from some of the female filmmakers that were snubbed. “Honey Boy” filmmaker Alma Har’el has been on the front line of this debate for a while now, and she helped promote the new livestream on her Twitter.
Har’el tweeted, “#GiveHerABreak is a portal to the Oscars Livestream… But during the ads, we flip to showcase films from the women directors they ignored. In 92 years @TheAcademy nominated only 5 women as best directors.”
READ MORE: Olivia Wilde Thinks Greta Gerwig Deserved A Best Director Nomination For ‘Little Women’
The “Honey Boy” filmmaker is just one of the women that many fans believe were unrightfully ignored by the Academy. The name that gets brought up the most as someone who should have been recognized is “Little Women” director, Greta Gerwig. Her film earned six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. And yet, Gerwig herself was not nominated in Best Director.
READ MORE: Florence Pugh Calls Greta Gerwig’s Best Director Snub For ‘Little Women’ “A Big Blow”
Other snubs include Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), Olivia Wilde (“Booksmart”), Lorene Scafaria (“Hustlers”), Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim”), and Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”), among others.
If you’re interested in watching the Oscar telecast through the Give Her a Break portal, you can do so here. The Oscars air this Sunday night.