Hillary Clinton said that it is “really a shame” that no women were nominated for best director for this year’s Academy Awards, adding that Greta Gerwig deserved to be nominated for her work on Little Women.
Clinton spoke to Variety at the Sundance Film Festival in a wide-ranging conversation that touched on politics, feminism, and entertainment.
When asked about the lack of women in this year’s best-directing category, Clinton urged the Academy to make bigger strides when it comes to diversity.
“I think it’s really a shame, especially because there were so many notable films this year by women directors,” Clinton said.
“And you know, I know they’re making an effort, and I applaud them for their effort. But I really hope that it’s not just an effort; it produces some results and the work that women are doing and the importance of it is recognized by the Academy every year.”
Variety asked Clinton about her favorite movies of the past year and the former secretary of state and first lady singled out Little Women, the latest big-screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel.
“Well, I loved Little Women. So I thought [director Greta Gerwig] should have been nominated. I really thought she deserved it because I thought it was beautifully done. And the way that it was constructed, made the best use of the book,” she said.
Clinton also mentioned Amazon Studios’ The Report, a dramatization of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s investigation into the use of torture following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the dark comedy Knives Out.
“I also just saw The Report, which is a heavy movie, but one that I really wish more people would see, because it lays out pretty clearly what went on during the war in Iraq,” she said.
Clinton was at the Sundance Film Festival to promote the new documentary Hillary, which covers her life and career. The documentary is scheduled to debut on Hulu on March 6.
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