There are some historic nominations for women in this year's batch of Academy Awards contenders.
Greta Gerwig, nominated for Best Director, is only the fifth woman to be so honoured. Her film, Lady Bird, nominated for Best Picture, is the 13th female-helmed movie ever considered in that category.
Dee Rees, writer and director of Mudbound, is the second black woman to be nominated for screenwriting. Rachel Morrison, the film's cinematographer, is the first woman nominated in that field. Mary J. Blige, nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song, is the first person ever to be considered in those two categories simultaneously.
Octavia Spencer, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Shape of Water, is the only black actress to follow up an Oscars victory with two more nominations. With three nominations, she ties with Viola Davis as the most nominated black actress in the 90-year history of the awards.
And with 21 nominations under her belt, Meryl Streep has extended her own record, leaving Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson — tied in second place with a dozen each — in the dust.
But there are a lot more women, whose names won't make headlines, poised to take the stage on 4th March. They are the documentarians, the producers, the makeup artists, the costume designers, the set decorators, the cinematographers — roles integral to the movie-making process but not as showy as say, Best Actress. You may not have heard of them before, but you know their work. And in a year where Hollywood has started to come to terms with a systemic power imbalance that has led to rampant sexual harassment and abuse, their contributions matter more than ever. If we're going to make real, lasting change, we need women at every level of the industry, not just in the spotlight or on the red carpet.
Scroll through for a list of all the incredible women whose achievements we can't wait to celebrate at the 90th Academy Awards — win or lose.
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Call Me By Your Name
Emilie Georges — Best Picture (with Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, and Marco Morabito)
Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Mudbound
Mary J. Blige — Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Original Song
Taura Stinson — Best Original Song (with Mary J. Blige, and Raphael Saddiq)
Rachel Morrison — Best Cinematography
Dee Rees — Best Adapted Screenplay
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.
The Shape Of Water
Sally Hawkins — Best Actress in a Leading Role
Octavia Spencer — Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Vanessa Taylor — Best Original Screenplay (with Guillermo del Toro)
Photo: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Frances McDormand — Best Actress in a Leading Role
Photo: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.
I, Tonya
Margot Robbie — Best Actress in a Leading Role
Allison Janney – Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Tatiana S. Riegel — Best Film Editing
Photo: Courtesy of Neon.
The Post
Meryl Streep — Best Actress in a Leading Role
Amy Pascal and Kristie Macosko Krieger — Best Picture (with Steven Spielberg)
Photo: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.
The Breadwinner
Nora Twomey — Best Animated Feature Film (with Anthony Leo)
Photo: Courtesy of GKIDS.
Loving Vincent
Dorota Kobiela — Best Animated Feature Film (with Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart)
Photo: BreakThru Productions/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.
Beauty and The Beast
Jacqueline Durran — Best Costume Design
Sarah Greenwood — Production Design
Katie Spencer — Set Decoration
Photo: Courtesy of Disney.
Darkest Hour
Lucy Sibbick — Best Makeup and Hairstyling (with Kazuhiro Tsuji and David Malinowski)
Jacqueline Durran — Best Costume Design
Lisa Bruce — Best Picture (with Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, and Douglas Urbanski)
Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features.
The Big Sick
Emily Gordon — Best Original Screenplay (with Kumail Nanjiani)
Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Dunkirk
Emma Thomas — Best Picture (with Christopher Nolan)
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures.
Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig — Best Director and Best Original Screenplay
Saoirse Ronan — Best Actress in a Leading Role
Laurie Metcalf — Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Evelyn O'Neill — Best Picture (with Scott Rudin and Eli Bush)
Photo: Courtesy of A24 Films.
Phantom Thread
Lesley Manville — Best Actress in a Supporting Role
JoAnne Sellar and Megan Ellison — Best Picture (with Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi)
Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features.
Blade Runner 2049
Alessandra Querzola — Set Decoration
Photo: REX/Shutterstock.
Negative Space
Ru Kuwahata — Best Animated Short Film (with Max Porter)
Photo: Courtesy of Negative Space.
Lou
Dana Murray — Best Animated Short Film (with Dave Mullins)
Photo: Courtesy of Pixar.
Victoria & Abdul
Consolata Boyle — Best Costume Design
Lou Sheppard — Best Makeup and Hairstyling (with Daniel Phillips)
Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features.
Faces Places
Agnès Varda and Rosalie Varda — Best Documentary (with JR Varda)
Photo: Courtesy of Le Pacte.
Abacus: Small Enough To Jail
Julie Goldman — Best Documentary (with Steve James and Mark Mitten)
Photo: Courtesy of Frontllne.
Strong Island
Joslyn Barnes — Best Documentary (with Yance Ford)
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.
Edith and Eddie
Laura Checkoway — Best Documentary Short (with Thomas Lee Wright)
Photo: Courtesy of Kartemquin Films.
Heroin(e)
Elaine McMillion Sheldon — Best Documentary Short (with Kerrin Sheldon)
Photo: Courtesy of Rebecca Kiger/Netflix.
Traffic Stop
Kate Davis — Best Documentary Short (with David Heilbroner)
Photo: Courtesy of Traffic Stop.
The Silent Child
Rachel Shenton — Best Documentary Short (with Chris Overton)
Photo: Courtesy of The Silent Child.
Watu Wote/All Of Us
Katja Benrath — Best Documentary Short (with Tobias Rosen)
Photo: Courtesy of Hamburg Media School.
Baby Driver
Mary H. Ellis — Best S0und Mixing (with Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin)
Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
Marshall
Diane Warren — Best Original Song (with Lonnie R. Lynn)
Photo: Courtesy of Open Road Films.
Coco
Darla K. Anderson — Best Animated Feature Film (with Lee Unkrich)
Kristen Anderson-Lopez — Best Original Song (with Robert Lopez)
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