Published on 04-Feb-2021
Khushboo Razdan
(L-R) Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, Black American actress and director Regina King, and British actress and filmmaker Emerald Fennell. /Getty
A loud cheer for the Golden Globes 2021 is reverberating through the feminist pockets of the male-dominated film and television industry.
The annual Hollywood shindig, far-famed for "recognizing outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television" since 1944, finally tapped three female filmmakers among the five best directors of 2020 on Wednesday.
This rare and "historic" decision brings the sum of women nominated in the category in the over seven-decade "glorious" existence of the American awards to eight.
The women of the moment
We have Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who has become the first Asian woman to earn a directing nomination for "Nomadland," which traces the fly-solo journey of a woman after ceding everything to recession.
The second one is the Black American actress and director Regina King for "One Night in Miami," which brings together Black heroes Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke in one room for a fictionalized meeting.
Last but not the least is British actress and filmmaker Emerald Fennell for thriller-comedy "Promising Young Woman" on a quest for revenge and closure.
Too little, too late? Changing mindset
But do we owe the selection body – the Hollywood Press Association, a secret group of 90 journalists who cover the tinsel town – a "thank you"?
Jessica Shaw, host of EW Live on Sirius XM Stars Channel 109, a New York-based internet radio, tweeted: "Absolutely infuriated that on the official Golden Globes livestream, the host just talked about how important it was for a woman to direct One Night in Miami because her nurturing came through. WOMEN DIRECTORS DO NOT HAVE TO NURTURE; THEY HAVE TO DIRECT."
"The worst part is he thought he was complimenting her. This is the s**t women directors have to deal with all the time...and from someone who should know better. An industry expert? She's not a f*****g babysitter," she added.