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DirectorsSoMale: Oscar noms slammed for lack of diversity

Posted at 4:31 PM, Jan 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-30 19:31:11-05

(AP) — It was not a great day for diversity and inclusion in Hollywood: There were no women among the Oscar nominees for directing, and only one acting nominee of color, out of 20 slots.

The slights included the omission of Greta Gerwig, director of the much-admired “Little Women.”

The choices also overshadowed the happier news that across all categories, a record 62 women were nominated. And they had people asking: Why is this happening again?

FULL LIST of 92nd annual Academy Awards nominees

Diversity has been on the front burner for years now, and the Academy has taken steps to overhaul its overwhelmingly white, male membership.

Back in 2015 and 2016, the awards faced backlash after no performers of color were nominated across any acting category. This year, only one performer of color was nominated across the 20 slots: Best Actress nominee Cynthia Erivo, who played Harriet Tubman in the film "Harriet."

Part of the show's efforts to become more diverse have included an overhaul of female membership, increasing from 25 percent to 32 percent, according to the Associated Press. Overall membership of people of color has also doubled, from 8 percent to 16 percent.