The Golden Globes Forgot Female Directors

After the 2015 Golden Globes nominees were announced Thursday morning, my thoughts weren't just centered on who was lucky enough to receive a nomination. It was also glaringly obvious who the Hollywood Foreign Press didn't give consideration to — like the very deserving Amy Poehler. However, one of the most surprising snubs was Angelina Jolie, for her work in Unbroken . Some fans immediately turned Jolie's exclusion into a victory for Jennifer Aniston, who was nominated, but the snub means more than that. Jolie didn't just star in Unbroken — she also produced and directed it. The fact that Jolie wasn't included in the Best Director category is even more upsetting than the fact that it was Angelina Jolie who was excluded at all.

Why? Because the Best Director category for the 2015 ceremony is almost entirely men. Only one female director made the cut — Ava DuVernay for Selma. One female director out of five nominees, guys. Why? Certainly there were more talented female directors who should have been included, Jolie being only one. This just serves to highlight the fact that entertainment industry is still a heavily male dominated field, despite the fact that it's currently populated with so many women, who shouldn't have to fight twice as hard as a man to be noticed and recognized by the higher ups in Hollywood. Women are killing it right now. Certainly enough of them are worthy of nominations in categories that don't have the word "actress" in the title, right?

Meanwhile, Jolie's effort at directing has gone totally ignored — and, for that matter, so has just about everything else related to Unbroken. I can't help but wonder what the reason for that is. I'm not surprised that the directors of Boyhood and Birdman were nominated, since those two movies have been favorites this awards season. What is surprising is that the rest of the category (except for Selma) is all male, for no other reason than male directors are respected more than female directors. And it's 2014. The fact that behavior like that is still happening sucks.

If you search "female directors" on Google, you will find more articles wondering why they're not being honored, and noting the times they've been snubbed, far more than you will see stories about their accolades — and that just on the first page. It's not just upsetting because there are so many female directors who aren't getting the awards they deserve. It's also upsetting because there are aspiring female directors who will search terms like these and realize that if even if they ever accomplish their dreams, there's still a good chance their efforts will go ignored. That's not what we need at all. We need more women taking charge in Hollywood — and everywhere else. We need equality.

My fingers are crossed that I get to see this happen in my lifetime. Let's all agree to raise our daughters to realize how capable they are so that they can help us make this change.

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