2021 Golden Globes nominations: Women make history in director category
Emerald Fennell, Regina King and Chloe Zhao are all first-time nominees.
The nominations for the 2021 Golden Globes are in and three female directors just made history.
"Sex and the City" actress Sarah Jessica Parker and "Empire" actress Taraji P. Henson announced the Hollywood Foreign Press' nominees for the 78th annual Golden Globes on Feb. 3.
Reigning supreme are "Mank" for films and "The Crown" for TV, both garnering six nods each. But it was the best director category that specifically had the entertainment world talking.
For the first time in Golden Globes history, more than one woman was nominated in the best director category. In fact, there were three: Emerald Fennell for "Promising Young Woman," Regina King for "One Night in Miami" and Chloe Zhao for "Nomadland."
These women outnumber the men in the category -- David Fincher for "Mank" and Aaron Sorkin for "The Trial of the Chicago 7."
The last woman to be nominated was Ava DuVernay for "Selma" in 2015 and the only woman to ever win was Barbra Streisand for "Yentl" in 1984.
Previous nominees in the directing category also include Kathryn Bigelow, Jane Campion and Sofia Coppola.
Natalie Portman famously called out the lack of female representation in the category when presenting the award in 2018, saying, "And here are the all-male nominees."
With her directing nom, Zhao becomes the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated in the category. She is also nominated in the best screenplay category.
King becomes the second Black woman to be nominated in the category, following in DuVernay's footsteps.
The awards show will also honor Hollywood legends Norman Lear and Jane Fonda. Lear will receive the Carol Burnett Award while Fonda will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
The 2021 Golden Globes, which will be hosted by comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will take place on Sunday, Feb. 28.