Natalie Portman and Barbra Streisand Call Out Golden Globes for All Male Best Director Nominees

On Sunday, the vast majority of attendees at the 2018 Golden Globes wore black to bring attention to many issues, including gender inequality via the Time’s Up movement. Still, when the time came to announce the nominees for Best Director, there was not a single woman on the list. Evidently, this disconnect did not escape the attention of Natalie Portman, who instantly made one of the most iconic moments of the night when she introduced the candidates by saying, “And here are the all-male nominees.”

The audience responded by collectively making the “ooh-burn” sound. Meanwhile, Portman’s searing one-line indictment quickly became the talk of Twitter. Although Portman left her critique at that, the Golden Globes wasn’t finished having its gender imbalance raked over the coals. To introduce Barbra Streisand, who was presenting the award for Best Picture, the announcer made sure to emphasize that she was the only woman to have ever won a Golden Globe for Best Director. (She won for directing Yentl.)

Streisand immediately seized the opportunity to comment. “So backstage I heard they said something about my — I was the only woman to get, did I hear it right, yes, the only woman to get the Best Director award,” she said. “And, you know, that was 1984? That was 34 years ago? Folks, time’s up. We need more women directors and more women to be nominated for director. There are so many films out there that are so good directed by women.” (Greta Gerwig as the director of this year’s Lady Bird comes to mind.)

“Anyway, I’m very proud to stand in a room with people who speak out against gender inequality, sexual harassment, and the pettiness that has poisoned our politics,” Streisand continued. “And I’m proud that our industry faced with uncomfortable truths has vowed to change the way we do business. Truth is powerful, and in a really good film, we recognized the truth about ourselves, about others, and it’s so powerful that it can even change people’s minds, touch people’s hearts, and ultimately even change society, itself.” Although she concluded her speech by transitioning to the Best Picture nominees, her main point won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

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