The Women in Film advocacy group spoke out against the Oscars after nominees in the best director category were announced.
The group issued a statement on Twitter, saying, âOnce again, Academy voters have shown that they donât value womenâs voices, shutting us out of the Best Director nominations.â
It continues, âAn Academy Award is more than a gold statue, itâs a career accelerator that can lead to continued work and increased compensation.â
The group vowed to continue to work with female directors, including Sarah Polley of âWomen Talking,â Gina Prince-Bythewood of âThe Woman Kingâs,â Charlotte Wells of âAftersunâ and Chinonye Chukwuâ of âTill.â
Read the statement below:
The 95th Academy Awards announced the nominations for the category are Steven Spielberg, Martin McDonagh, Todd Field, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, and Ruben Ăstlund.
ABC will broadcast the event on March 12.
The program in 2022 attracted 16.6 million viewers, the second-worst turnout on record, as The New York Times reported.
Still, the event sparked a lot of conversation after actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock onstage.
The Academy Awards went on to announce Smith would be banned from the ceremonies for the next 10 years, as IJR previously reported.
The Academy also apologized for not making efforts to âadequately address the situation in the roomâ after the incident.
The organization said in a statement, âFor this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short â unprepared for the unprecedented.â
Smith later spoke out in a video message and apologized to Rock.
âChris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and Iâm here whenever youâre ready to talk,â Smith said.
He added, âThere is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. Thereâs no part of me that thinks thatâs the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.â
