22 Established 1961 Thursday, February 6, 2020 Lifestyle Features t is an accusation that has been leveled at the than 90 Oscars ceremonies. But ironically, the IOscars all too often over the years, and 2020 last woman nominated in the category was is no different-too many men, not enough Gerwig herself, for 2017’s “Lady Bird.” women, particularly in the most prestigious This nomination has been held up as proof categories. The hashtag #OscarsSoMale by some that her absence this year is no delib- reared up again following the Academy Award erate exclusion, but simply a result of extreme- nominations announced last month, with much ly strong competition in an award season fea- of the focus on the absence of Greta Gerwig in turing the likes of “Joker,” “1917,” “Once Upon the best director category. Her acclaimed film a Time... in Hollywood,” “The Irishman” and adaptation of “Little Women” was shortlisted “Parasite.” Sasha Stone, founder of the Awards for best picture, but Gerwig’s name was miss- Daily website that has tracked film prizes for ing from an all-male, five-strong best director 20 years, described the supposed snub as “fake ince the first Oscars were awarded more than section, sparking controversy. news.” “The misconception that Gerwig was S90 years ago, there have been by far fewer passed over in favor of lesser male counter- women winners in all categories except cos- parts is patently untrue,” Stone wrote. tume design. With the 92nd edition of the Academy Awards on Sunday also shaping up to be dominated ‘Boys’ club’ by male winners, here is a breakdown of the wins for Since the Oscars were first held in 1929, the women over the years: Academy has faced an uphill battle to break 15 percent women winners with misogynistic habits-both within the organization, and the broader movie business. Since the first Oscar ceremony in 1929, just 15 “Of course, systemic gender bias in the film percent of the golden statuettes for acting and film industry exists, without a doubt,” said Stone. production have been handed to women, according While few women “in the past were ever trust- to an AFP analysis of data on winners of individual ed to helm prestige films,” the directors’ branch awards (not overall awards given to films). This is of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and In this file photo Kathryn Bigelow celebrates win- equivalent to 376 women from a total 2,435 winners. Sciences has itself “always been a boys’ club,” ning the best director Oscar during the 82nd The proportion of women drops to roughly 10 per- cent, or 201 of 2,085, when the gender-specific actor she said. “For decades, its members were the Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater in and actress awards are not included. men nominated for Oscars and the men who Hollywood, California on March 7, 2010. won them.” The percentage of women winners has increased Melissa Silverstein, founder of the “Women 84 percent white, but for the first time in histo- over time, but they remain largely in the minority. For and Hollywood” website and director of the ry, women made up half of the new recruits the first 10 years of the Oscars, 13 percent of win- Athena Film Festival, added: “It’s disturbing but added last year. And at last month’s Oscar ners were women-and only four percent in the cate- gories open both to men and women. Over the most In this file photo US direc- “It’s quite remarkable, after everything that not surprising that women directors still don’t nominations announcement, an Academy press recent decade, this rose to 22 percent of overall lau- tor/actress Greta Gerwig has happened over the last few years, that the get the respect and awards that male directors release prominently noted that a “record 64 women were nominated, one-third of this reates, and 17 percent in the mixed categories. The arrives for the 2020 Oscars Academy refuses to acknowledge women in do.” “The system and the culture are the prob- multiple categories,” said Tema Staig, execu- lems,” Silverstein said. The Academy has year’s nominees.” This statistic includes most “feminine” Oscars were in 2016: the jury hand- Nominees Luncheon at the tive director of the advocacy group Women in boosted efforts to address this, increasing its Gerwig’s own two nominations-best adapted ed 11 of 30 mixed awards, or about 37 percent, to Dolby theatre in Hollywood Media. “It’s outrageous, and it affects our abili- membership dramatically after criticism of screenplay for “Little Women,” and best pic- women. on January 27, 2020. ty to tell our stories and also to move up in the under-representation of women and minorities. ture, as she is one of the film’s producers. No woman’s land — AFP photos industry,” she told Vogue magazine. Some Since 2016, it has expanded the number of And more broadly, several of the most social media users and industry professionals Oscar voters-currently around 8,500 — by eagerly awaited films of 2020 will be directed A woman has never won in the cinematography have even called for a boycott of Oscars night 35 percent. “We went through our member- and/or produced by women, such as “Wonder category. The prestigious best director category has on Sunday over the issue. ship roster and said, ‘Who have we not Woman 1984”, “Mulan” and “Black Widow.” only gone to a woman once: to American Kathryn While that may be a minority position, there included? Who needs to be here?’” Lorenza “There have been great strides and we’ve got Bigelow in 2010 for “The Hurt Locker”. No woman is little arguing with criticism of the Oscars’ Munoz, the Academy’s head of member rela- to keep going: keep writing, keep making, keep has been nominated this year. There has also only longer-term track record: it wasn’t until 2010 tions and awards, told The Hollywood doing. It’s all there,” Gerwig said. — AFP been one woman among the 207 winners for sound that a woman won best director-Kathryn Reporter. “And there was a very long list of mixing: American Lora Hirschberg in 2011 for Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker.” No female people. Our members have really dug in and “Inception”. directors have won since, and only five have taken it very seriously.” The best visual effects award has only been ever been nominated over the course of more The organization is still 68 percent male and handed to women twice, from a total 240 winners. The best original score category has only seen three female winners out of 167: American lyricist Marilyn Bergman in 1984 for “Yentl”; English composer Rachel Portman in 1997 for “Emma”; and Englishwoman Anne Dudley in 1998 for “The Full Monty”. They may be joined this year by Icelandic maestro Hildur Gudnadottir, who is nominated for her work on “Joker”. Makeup and costumes hannen Doherty, the US star of script writers. and to show fellow cancer patients While still under-represented, women fare better Shit television shows “Beverly Doherty returned to the small that “our life doesn’t end the minute in the categories of screenplay with 21 winners out Hills, 90210” and “Charmed,” screen playing a witch in “Charmed” we get that diagnosis-we still have of 279; sound editing (six of 72); production design has been diagnosed with stage-four in 1998, and has reprised the role of some living to do.” (25 of 296); and film editing (15 of 113). Only two breast cancer. The 48-year-old Walsh in further “90210” spin-offs Reports of her first cancer diagno- categories see a strong female presence: makeup described the recurrence of her can- and reboots. Doherty said she kept sis emerged in 2015 when she sued and hairstyling, and costume design. The Oscar for cer after three years of remission as a the remission quiet while filming last her manager, claiming her treatment makeup and hairstyling has been handed to women “bitter pill to swallow,” in an interview year’s “90210” reboot to honor Perry, was delayed as she couldn’t re-enroll 30 times out of 81 (37 percent). And costume design aired Tuesday. “My cancer came in insurance. She has documented her is the only category in which more women than men back, and that’s why I’m here,” she battle on social media, including pho- have received the golden statuette: 66 out of 112 told ABC News program Good tographs of her undergoing scans in overall, or 59 percent, rising to 77 percent for Morning America. “I don’t think I’ve hospital. The disease has now reached awards since 2000. American Edith Head received processed it.” stage four, the most serious category the Oscar eight times between 1950 and 1974, Doherty’s new diagnosis came which typically means it has spread to including for “All About Eve” in 1951 and “Roman months after the death of her “90210” other parts of the body. Doherty Holiday” in 1954. co-star Luke Perry last March. Perry added that her health condition would and Doherty’s characters were once a likely have been revealed in a new Young actresses favored popular couple on the teen drama, lawsuit against her insurance compa- For acting, the spread of winners is equal with Doherty sharing an old cast ny over damage to her property in a between the genders because of the separate cate- photo of them embracing after the 2018 California wildfire. — AFP gories for men and women in leading and supporting news of his death.