Natalie Portman Highlights the Need for Greater Recognition of Female Directors in 2026 Oscar Nominations

Natalie Portman at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 24.
Credit:

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Key Points

• Natalie Portman criticized the Academy Awards for limited recognition of female directors in the 2026 nominations.
• “You just see the barriers at every level,” she remarked during her appearance at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24.
• Chloé Zhao, director of Hamnet, is the only female nominee in the Best Director category this year.

Natalie Portman has publicly addressed the Oscars’ failure to acknowledge female directors in the 2026 nominations. Speaking at the Sundance Film Festival while promoting her new film, The Gallerist, Portman expressed her disappointment regarding the underrepresentation of women in the Best Director category.

“So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women,” Portman, 44, told Variety. “You just see the barriers at every level because so many were not recognized at awards time.” She referenced films like Sorry Baby, Left-Handed Girl, Hedda, and The Testament of Ann Lee as examples of outstanding cinema that have not received the accolades they deserve.

Chloé Zhao is the only female director nominated for Best Director this year, alongside male nominees Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value, and Ryan Coogler for Sinners.

Chloé Zhao at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on January 4.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Among the ten films nominated for Best Picture this year, Hamnet is the only one directed by a woman.

In a conversation with Variety, Portman also addressed the broader challenges women face in filmmaking today. “Even when you pass the barriers of getting your financing, which is harder, getting into festivals, which is harder. Every step of the road is harder, and then you’re out and it’s great, and then it also doesn’t get the attention,” she noted, emphasizing that significant work remains to be done.

Portman added, “But joyfully, with a lot of joy, working with each other,” and emphasized the unique experience of collaborating with women on set.

Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega in ‘The Gallerist’.

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

For her role in The Gallerist, Portman collaborated with female director Cathy Yan. The dark comedy thriller co-stars Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sterling K. Brown, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and follows a desperate gallery owner (Portman) who attempts to sell a dead man as art during Art Basel in Miami.

Another of Portman’s projects, the animated film Arco, recently received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature after its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Portman voices the mother of Iris, who befriends the titular Arco.

In a recent interview, Portman shared that the film sparked meaningful discussions with her two children, Aleph, 14, and Amalia, 8. “It was incredible to watch it with them,” she reflected, noting that the movie prompted questions about its themes, including climate issues and futuristic living.