Natalie Portman is calling out the Academy for overlooking female-directed films at this year’s Oscars nominations.
The actress was speaking with media at the Sundance Film Festival, days after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the nominations for the Oscars 2026.
"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 recognised at the awards time. 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 they deserve," she said.
Portman was present at the festival for the world premiere of her film “The Gallerist”, directed by Cathy Yan. The actress features in the film alongside Jenna Ortega. It revolves around a desperate gallerist who conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami.
At the Oscars nominations, while Chloe Zhao's “Hamnet” picked up eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, many other women-led films were shut out.
Also read: 'Homebound' out of Oscars race
On January 22, the Academy unveiled its highly-anticipated Oscar nominations, setting the stage for what can be described as Hollywood's biggest night. Leading the race was Michael B Jordan's “Sinners” with a record-setting 16 nods, closely followed by A-list titles like “One Battle After Another”, “Marty Supreme”, “Sentimental Value”, and “Frankenstein”, among others.
Among the leading acting awards, Timothee Chalamet scripted history as the youngest man with his third Best Actor nod at the Oscars. Others in the race are Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B Jordan (Sinners), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent). International films scored well this time again, while the Animated Feature race was graced by the highest-grossing Hollywood toon, “Zootopia 2”, and Netflix's popular hit, “K-Pop Demon Hunters”.
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