Honey Boy director Alma Har’el calls out Golden Globes for lack of female nominees: Don't look for justice in awards system

Honey Boy director Alma Har’el has taken to Twitter to call out Golden Globes for the glaring lack of female directors nominated in the directing category. The nominations, unveiled on Monday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), contained only male directors in its Best Director – Motion Picture roster.

Todd Phillips (Joker), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite), and Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood) are some of the directors who are competing for the trophy this year.

Writing a lot of people have been asking her about the Golden Globes, she asserts, "I was on the inside for the first time this year. These are not our people and they do not represent us. Do not look for justice in the awards system. We are building a new world.”

She then enlisted the many women directors she felt had made films that "reached people and touched them," including  Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Greta Gerwig (Little Women) Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), and Olivia Wilde (Booksmart).

Check out her Twitter thread here

Good morning to everyone that’s writing me about the #goldenglobes
I feel you but know this.
I was on the inside for the first time this year. These are not our people and they do not represent us.
Do not look for justice in the awards system.

We are building a new world. https://t.co/IK7YNy5J5S

— Alma Har'el🌪 (@Almaharel) December 9, 2019

Lulu Wang Mati Diop Greta Gerwig Olivia Wilde Lorene Scafaria Marielle Heller Melina Matsoukas Chinonye Chukwu Céline Sciamma Made films this year that reached people and touched them. That’s our awards. No one can take that away. — Alma Har'el🌪 (@Almaharel) December 9, 2019

Keep fighting for more women & POC behind the camera by supporting their films. Don’t make your end game the political money that trades hands in the form of movie campaigns for people who can’t see us and recognize us. — Alma Har'el🌪 (@Almaharel) December 9, 2019

Thank you to all the press and people who write and cover films in awards season! You are helping us get to new audiences and tell our stories. And for that it’s worth it all ❤️@FREETHEWORK — Alma Har'el🌪 (@Almaharel) December 9, 2019

According to Variety, the Golden Globes have nominated only five female directors in its 77-year-long history — Barbra Streisand, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, and Ava DuVernay. Out of them, only Streisand has nabbed a prize for the 1984 movie Yentl. 

Speaking to the publication on the same, Har'el underscored how the Golden Globes lacks awareness. "They’re immersed in this perpetuated activity of basking in male excellence and overseeing this whole new world we’re trying to build with new voices of women and people of colour being part of the conversation,” she was quoted as saying.

The publication further notes after the nominations were announced, organisation president Lorenzo Soria said votes are not cast on the basis of gender, but on films and accomplishments. To this, Har'el responded in a now-deleted tweet, “Oh please. If you only saw how these people get pampered with gifts, private concerts, and events over four months."