Natalie Portman used the Oscars red carpet to make a statement about the female directors snubbed in the 2020 nominations, by having their names embroidered onto her cape.
Little Women’s Greta Gerwig, Lulu Wang from The Farewell, Hustlers filmmaker Lorene Scafaria, and Marielle Heller from A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood were all honored on Portman’s outfit, as were Mati Diop (Atlantics), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Alma Har’el (Honey Boy), and Celine Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).
The Black Swan star wore the black cape over her black and gold gown, and explained she wanted to find a fashionable way to celebrate her fellow females whose talents had been ignored by Academy voters.
“I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in my subtle way,” she told the Los Angeles Times.
It’s not the first time Portman has expressed her disappointment at the typically male-dominated Best Director category during awards season – she also commented on the contenders while serving as a guest presenter at the 2018 Golden Globes, as she referenced the “all-male” nominees.
Bong Joon Ho ended up claiming the Best Director Oscar on Sunday night (February 9, 2020), edging out Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), Todd Phillips (Joker), Sam Mendes (1917), and Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).
