People Are Excited This Year's Best Director Category At The Oscars Isn't A Bunch Of White Guys

"Could not have DREAMED the best director category would shape up so well."

By
Krystie Lee Yandoli
by Krystie Lee Yandoli

BuzzFeed News Reporter

In a surprising turn of events, three out of the five nominees for Best Director at the 2018 Oscars aren't white men.

The Academy @TheAcademy

Congrats to our Directing nominees! #Oscars #OscarNoms

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While directors Christopher Nolan Dunkirk and Paul Thomas Anderson (Phanthom Thread), two white men, were nominated, the Best Director nominations for this year's Academy Awards are more diverse than the category has historically been.

Jordan Peele (Get Out), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), and Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) were nominated in the Best Director category for the 90th Academy Awards.

Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images, Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

Jordan Peele is the fifth black man to be recognized in this category. John Singleton was nominated for 1991's Boyz n the Hood, Lee Daniels was nominated for directing 2009’s Precious, Steve McQueen was nominated for 2013’s 12 Years a Slave, and Barry Jenkins was nominated for 2016's Moonlight.

Greta Gerwig is the fifth woman to ever be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Lina Wertmüller was nominated for directing Seven Beauties (1975), Jane Campion was nominated for 1993's The Piano, Sofia Coppola was nominated for Lost in Translation (2003), and Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for directing The Hurt Locker (2008).

Guillermo del Toro is the third Mexican-born director to be nominated for an Oscar. Alejandro González Iñárritu was nominated for directing Babel (2006), Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director for Gravity (2013), and González Iñárritu also won Best Director for Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015).

Fans are especially excited.

Melissa Silverstein @melsil

Still feeling the impact of the Greta Gerwig nomination for a movie about a teen girl. When Bigelow was nominated a… https://t.co/6cYSQA7BTS

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Jarett Wieselman @JarettSays

JORDAN PEELE AND GRETA BOTH GOT BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS I AM SO HAPPY #OscarNoms

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Lydia Polgreen @lpolgreen

I’m rooting for all the black people and Greta Gerwig.

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Jon @prasejeebus

Both Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig got Best Director nominations and Paul Thomas Anderson took Martin McDonagh’s sp… https://t.co/uQVcAvOG2a

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Mark Olsen @IndieFocus

That best director lineup - Nolan, Peele, Gerwig, PTA & GDT - is something else. I'd feel great about any one of them winning.

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It's hard to ignore the significance behind the representation in this year's Best Director category.

Alana Horowitz Satlin @achorowitz

Only 2 of the 5 Best Director noms were white men. What a time to be alive.

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kateyrich @kateyrich

Could not have DREAMED the best director category would shape up so well

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What a year.

Darren Franich @DarrenFranich

[Walks into church, hears priest read the Best Director category, walks outside to call home]

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