Coralie Fargeat earned her spot in the history books with her best director Oscar nomination this year for her film "The Substance." But how would a win cement her legacy?
In the nearly 100-year history of the Academy Awards, Fargeat's nod marks the 10th best director nomination for a woman. Should she win, she would become the fourth woman to do so.
'The Substance' director Coralie Fargeat talks horror representation at the OscarsAhead of this year's ceremony, let's take a look down memory lane at women filmmakers and their representation at the Oscars.
Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller made history as the first woman to be nominated for the best director Oscar when her 1976 film "Seven Beauties" scored her a nomination at the 49th Academy Awards.
The film earned four total Oscar nominations, including one for Wertmüller for best original screenplay, but came up empty handed.
New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion became the second woman nominated for best director thanks to her 1993 film "The Piano" at the 66th Academy Awards.
The film earned eight total Oscar nominations and won three: best actress for Holly Hunter, best supporting actress for Anna Paquin and best original screenplay for Campion.
Sofia Coppola -- daughter of Francis Ford Coppola -- became the third woman nominated for best director Oscar when her 2003 film "Lost in Translation" earned her a nomination at the 76th Academy Awards.
The film snagged four total Oscar nominations, winning the best original screenplay trophy for Coppola.
Women scored their first Oscar win for best director when Kathryn Bigelow won for her 2009 film "The Hurt Locker" at the 82nd Academy Awards.
In her acceptance speech, Bigelow called her win "the moment of a lifetime" and dedicated her win "to the women and men in the military."
The film earned nine total Oscar nominations and won six, including best picture and best director for Bigelow. It also won for best original screenplay, best film editing, best sound editing and best sound mixing.
Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman to be nominated for the best director Oscar thanks to her 2017 film "Lady Bird" at the 90th Academy Awards.
The film garnered five total Oscar nominations, including one for Gerwig for best original screenplay, but ultimately didn't win in any category.
Emerald Fennell scored a best director Oscar nomination for her 2020 film "Promising Young Woman" at the 93rd Academy Awards.
The film snagged five total Oscar nominations, winning the best original screenplay trophy for Fennell.
Chinese-born filmmaker Chloé Zhao made history as the second woman to win the best director Oscar thanks to her win for her 2020 film "Nomadland" at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Zhao also became the first woman of color to win the trophy.
In her acceptance speech, Zhao reflected on the "crazy once-in-a-lifetime journey" of making her film and dedicated her win to "anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves, and to hold on to the goodness in each other, no matter how difficult it is to do that."
This year also marked the first -- and only, so far -- time when two women were up for best director.
"Nomadland" earned six total Oscar nominations, winning three times. In addition to Zhao's best director win, she also shared a best picture win with the film's star, Frances McDormand, and others.
McDormand also won the best actress Oscar.
Jane Campion became the third woman to win the best director Oscar when she won for her 2021 film "The Power of the Dog" at the 94th Academy Awards.
In her acceptance speech, Campion called her win "a lifetime honor" and said: "I love directing because it's a deep dive into story, yet the task of manifesting a world can be overwhelming. The sweet thing is I'm not alone."
This nod also made Campion the first woman to be nominated for the honor twice.
The film earned 12 total Oscar nominations but Campion's victory for directing was its sole win.
French filmmaker Justine Triet became the ninth woman to be nominated for the best director Oscar with her 2023 film "Anatomy of a Fall" at the 96th Academy Awards.
The film earned five total Oscar nominations, winning Triet and her partner, Arthur Harari, the best original screenplay trophy.
Fargeat became the 10th woman nominated for the best director Oscar thanks to her 2024 film "The Substance" at the 97th Academy Awards. If she wins, she'll become the fourth woman to win the honor.
The film is up for five total Oscars, including best picture and best actress for Demi Moore.
Fargeat is nominated in the best picture, best director and best original screenplay categories.
The 2025 Oscars will take place Sunday, March 2, airing live on ABC and streaming live on Hulu beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
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