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Coralie Fargeat and ‘The Substance’ Smash the Horror Ceiling with Historic Best Director Nod

With Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Actress Oscar nominations, 'The Substance' smashes one of the Academy Awards' long-held prejudices.

Meanwhile, other female filmmakers and their work were shut out not just from the picture and director race, but the entire Oscar nom kit and kaboodle, including Payal Kapadia and her “All We Imagine as Light” and Halina Reijn and her “Babygirl.” Meanwhile, in the realm of horror movies at the Oscars, only those directed by men have previously been honored in top categories, including William Friedkin (“The Exorcist”), Steven Spielberg (“Jaws”), Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”), M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”), Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”), and Jordan Peele (“Get Out”). ‘The Substance’ Courtesy Everett Collection A brief history, for anyone who needs a little catch-up: in 2024, only one female director was nominated in the category(“Anatomy of a Fall” filmmaker Justine Triet, who went on to win Best Original Screenplay), following a pair of record-breaking (for very different reasons) years.

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