Natalie Portman stands up for female directors after Oscars snub

Natalie Portman is dishing her take on the Best Director category at the Oscars this year

By Aamna Razi January 26, 2026
Natalie Portman stands up for female directors after Oscars snub
Natalie Portman stands up for female directors after Oscars snub

Natalie Portman is opening up about the lack of female representation in the Best Directors category at the Academy Awards.

The category currently features only one woman,the Hamnet director Chloe Zhao, alongside Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value and Ryan Coogler for Sinners.

Referring to this, the No Strings Attached actress spoke to Variety at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah which she attended to promote her upcoming movie The Gallerist which also features a female director, Cathy Yan.

“So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women. You just see the barriers at every level because so many were not recognized at awards time," Natalie stated.

She continued, "Between Sorry Baby and Left-Handed Girl and Hedda and The Testament of Ann Lee… Extraordinary films this year that I think a lot of people are enjoying and loving, but are not getting the accolades that they deserve.”

Natalie then explained that the movie making process was very difficult, from getting it financed to promotions, which is why she believes we still have a lot of work to do to increase the female representation.

Why did Natalie Portman win an Oscar?

The 44-year-old won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Nina Sayers in Black Swan.

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