Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic
When Oscar nominations come out, they tend to bring lots of big feelings with them. This year sees many history-making nominations, includingLily Gladstoneas thefirst Native American actressto be nominated for an Academy Award. Many other stars are also hoping to hear their name called for their first-ever acting Oscars, includingAmerica Ferrera,Emily Blunt,Sterling K. Brown,Jeffrey WrightandCillian Murphy.
This year, one-third of the 2024 nominees are women, higher than the last three years. Those nominated include Justine Triet for Best Director forAnatomy of a Fall. Triet, 45, is one of eight women to ever be nominated for the category; the three winners include Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 forThe Hurt Locker,Chloé Zhaoin 2020 forNomadlandandJane Campionin 2021 forThe Power of the Dog.
And yet, it’s the misses that tend to make headlines. This year,Greta Gerwig— who is nominated for best adapted screenplay — is not nominated for Best Director. But she’s far from alone —Barbra Streisandhas been there too.
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When Streisand didn’t receive a best director nod for her 1983 now-classic,Yentl, the snub literally made her sick. “I tried to put a brave face on it,” she writes. “But the truth is, I was devastated. I came down with the flu and I rarely get sick…Did they reject me because they didn’t like the movie? or is it because they didn’t like me?”
The omission made waves at the time, with some reviewers suggesting the Academy hadn’t nominated Streisand not because of the film’s merit, but because of her gender.
In 1992, Streisand’s movie,The Prince of Tides, was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Original Score. Streisand starred and directed in the romantic drama about a man (Nick Nolte) who grapples with the trauma of his southern childhood, but was again left out of that year’s nominations forBest Director.
Barbra Streisand on the set of ‘The Prince of Tides’ in 1991.Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
“I proved to myself that I could direct a movie withYentl, and after that whole experience, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it again,” Streisand writes. “Not being nominated [forThe Prince of Tides] hurt even more.”
At the 1992 Awards, hostBilly Crystalsang a parody of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Streisand’s 1969 filmFunny Girlthat called out her missing nomination, andLiza MinnelliandShirley MacLaineboth said that Streisand was “the director we’d most like to work with.”
Streisand won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1969 for her role as Fanny Brice inFunny Girland for Best Original Song in 1977 for “Evergreen,” which was featured inA Star Is Born,making her the first woman to win an Oscar for music composition.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The first woman to win an Academy Award for directing, however, was Kathryn Bigelow forThe Hurt Locker. Streisand announced the winners during the 2010 Academy Awards and writes that while she did “feel a little pang,” she “happily announced [Bigelow’s] name."
source: people.com
