Five filmmakers were nominated for the Academy Award for best director this year – but one of them is not like the others. Justine Triet is the only woman nominated in the category this year and the “Anatomy of a Fall” director is only the eighth woman to earn a best director nomination from the Academy. 

Who is Justine Triet?

The French filmmaker also wrote the film, which earned five Oscar nominations total, including best picture and best original screenplay. She is known for the 2019 film “Sybil,” which earned attention at the Cannes Film Festival that year. 

“Anatomy of a Fall” is a French-language film about a writer put on trial for her husband’s murder. It received four Golden Globe nominations, winning best screenplay and best motion picture — non-English language. Triet also won the Palme d’Or – the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival – for the film. 

Triet, 45, is nominated for the best director Oscar alongside Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things” and Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer.”

Triet has co-written films with her husband, Arthur Harari – including “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Sybil” – and would share the award for best original screenplay with him if they won. 

List of women nominated for Academy Award for best director 

Triet is the only woman nominated for best director this year – which is not a rare occurrence. Only seven other women have been nominated in this category before, and only three have won: Jane Campion, who was nominated twice and won in 2021, Chloé Zhao, who won in 2020, and Kathryn Bigelow, who won in 2009. 

1977 Lina Wertmüooer, “Seven Beauties” – Nominated

1993 Jane Campion, “The Piano” – Nominated

2003 Sofia Coppola, “Lost in Translation – Nominated

2009 Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker – Winner

2017 Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird” – Nominated

2020 Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland’ – Winner

2020 Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman,” – Nominated

2021 Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog,” – Winner 

Greta Gerwig, who directed the blockbuster “Barbie” movie, was snubbed by the Academy despite receiving Golden Globe nominations for best director and best original screenplay. The film received seven Oscar nominations this year. 

Lina Wertmüooer became the first woman to win in the category a whopping 47 years after the Oscars began — and it took another 32 years before a second woman, Kathryn Bigelow. won. 

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces “The Uplift,” CBS News’ streaming show that focuses on good news.