Steven Spielberg Thinks Female Directors Will Own The 2018 Oscars & It's About Time

Last Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony is still making headlines, and for good reason. Not only did celebrities support an important cause in their all-black looks, but Natalie Portman's "all-male" directors comment brought life back to a long-standing Hollywood discussion: Where are all the female directors, and why aren't we celebrating them? Award-winning director Steven Spielberg believes female directors may take over the 2018 Oscars, according to a recent Entertainment Tonight interview. And hopefully he's right.

The 75th annual Globes was a moment for celebrities to show exactly where they stood on both supporting the advancement of women in Hollywood, and condemning the recent flood of sexual misconduct allegations within, as well as across other industries. The night was filled with powerful speeches, including Oprah Winfrey's — which later led to rumors about a potential 2020 presidential run — and thanks to stars like Portman and Barbra Streisand, ended with a battle cry for more women to be represented and treated fairly within all facets of the industry.

Needless to say, the Best Director category was the most disappointing moment of the evening. The last time a woman was nominated in the category was in 2015 — Ava Duvernay for Selma — with the last female winner being Streisand for her work on 1983's Yentl. This same lack of female representation can be felt throughout other award shows as well, but Spielberg thinks that that's all about to change.

While talking with ET, the four-time Golden Globe winner was asked to comment on Portman's bold "all-male" statement, to which Spielberg responded, "What could you say? It made me laugh, and it made me smile."

Spielberg continued, saying, “Look, it’s been a little glaring that women directors don’t get nominated so often and it is odd. Particularly when their films are being celebrated in every other way, so I thought it was interesting to highlight it." And he's totally right. With female-directed films like Mudbound (director: Dee Rees) and Lady Bird (director: Greta Gerwig) being widely celebrated within Hollywood — and Lady Bird receiving a total of four Golden Globe nominations — it's odd that these films haven't picked up nominations in the Best Director category.

But during the 2018 Academy Awards, Spielberg, a 17-time nominee, thinks that women will definitely be taking over. And with directors like Patty Jenkins, Gerwig, and Rees (to name a few) being praised for their work this year, the academy will have a solid selection of female directors to choose from. As Spielberg told ET,

"This is a pretty incredible year, and I think you'll be seeing some nominations. I’m predicting at the Oscars this year for a woman director, if not several."

He sounds pretty optimistic about the 2018 Oscars, and with his top-notch reputation in Hollywood, his prediction should totally be taken seriously. However, the ceremony doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to celebrating diverse talents.

Women and people of color are often left out of the yearly event, and social movements, like 2016's #OscarsSoWhite campaign, have kept conversations surrounding the highlighting of inclusive stories thriving. For women being nominated in the Oscar's Best Director category specifically, as of 2017, only four women have been recognized within its 89-year history, with only one woman taking home the award — Kathryn Bigelow for her work on 2008's The Hurt Locker.

Still, the year 2017 may be dubbed "The Year of Women." Not only has the social activism surrounding women's rights taken over headlines, but women-led stories have also taken charge of the box offices. And if the Academy has been paying close attention to the works of art leading discussions within the media, these wonderful stories will get their due on the big night.

Seeing as Spielberg has been nominated countless times for his work, if anyone knows what it takes to make a dynamic film, it's definitely him. Hopefully the Academy will listen up, too.