Natalie Portman Slams Oscars for Snubbing Women Directors, Cites 'Barriers At Every Level'

• Natalie Portman criticized the Academy Awards for overlooking films directed by women during a press conference at the Sundance Film Festival.
• Her comments followed the Oscars 2026 nominations, where she noted many strong women-directed films were excluded, with only Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet receiving significant recognition.
• Portman argued that the issue of exclusion for female filmmakers extends beyond entry-level barriers, becoming more evident during awards season.
• She highlighted several films like Sorry Baby and Left-Handed Girl as examples of deserving work by female directors that were not acknowledged.
• Portman also condemned ICE authorities for the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, calling for an immediate end to such brutality.

Why It Matters: Natalie Portman criticizes the Oscars for systemic bias against women directors and calls out ICE brutality.