How Many Women Have Been Nominated For Best Director Oscar?

1 Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties, 1977

Wertmüller was nominated for her Italian language drama about a World War II deserter who ends up in a German prison camp. She lost the award to John G. Avildsen for Rocky, which also won best picture.

Unfortunately, this nomination for Wertmüller did not signal that women were about to be recognized regularly. The next best director nod for a woman didn't come for 17 years.

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2 Jane Campion for The Piano, 1994

Image Source: Getty / Frank Trapper

Despite The Piano winning best original screenplay, best actress (Holly Hunter), and best supporting actress (Anna Paquin), it did not earn Campion the best director award. She lost to a heavy hitter — Steven Spielberg won his first best director Oscar that year for Schindler's List.

If you're interested in Campion's other work, she is the cocreator behind the Elisabeth Moss-starring BBC/Sundance series Top of the Lake. Campion wrote and/or directed each of the 13 episodes.

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3 Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation, 2004

Image Source: Everett Collection

This quiet dramedy starring Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray won the Golden Globe for best musical/comedy motion picture but lost its best picture and best director Oscar bids to Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and director Peter Jackson.

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4 Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, 2010

Image Source: Getty / Dan MacMedan

The women finally scored a best director win with Bigelow's Iraq War thriller The Hurt Locker. It also took home Academy Awards for best picture, best original screenplay, best film editing, best sound mixing, and best sound editing.

That year, Bigelow beat out Lee Daniels (Precious), Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), and her ex-husband, James Cameron (Avatar). Cameron said at the time that a woman winning best director was "ridiculously long overdue" and added that Bigelow's movie was "consummately good filmmaking . . . she's outgunned the guys, you know, definitely."

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5 Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird, 2018

Image Source: Everett Collection

After not even receiving a Golden Globe nomination for best director, it was a pleasant surprise to hear Gerwig's name called for her coming-of-age story, Lady Bird. What's especially remarkable is that this is Gerwig's first major directing project.

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