Folks, the reactions keep coming in. Here are some more female directors and their thoughts on the Bigelow Oscar.
This roundup includes: Martha Coolidge, (Rambling Rose); Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Secret Life of Bees; Maria Maggenti, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love; Sarah Walker, The Underdog Club; Arlene Bogna, Patriot Johnny; Ela Thier, Foreign Letters
Martha Coolidge
It’s great that she won! I was at the DGA and the Oscars. You could feel the swell of enthusiasm in the room at the Oscars. It felt like a stampede. She did a terrific film that has a special meaning to the country right now and walked a fine line politically. On so many levels it worked to push her over the top. Jim (Cameron) was thrilled! Now the question is what will it do for women getting jobs? I certainly hope it improves her choices.
Gina Prince-Bythewood
My thoughts are pretty simple — watching her walk up to the stage to collect her oscar, I just felt good.
Maria Maggenti
I was really happy when Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar. She’s been working a very very long time as a director. And The Hurt Locker was a beautifully directed film, even if it was more of a character study than a conventional narrative. Do I think it will have an impact on the industry and the dreams of other female directors? No. I don’t. If you have as many meetings as I do, every week, with studios and financiers who are responsible for helping you make your next feature, you realise that the blind, matter-of-fact sexism that informs executive decisions is still there. Bigelow has never once done a studio film — no one would hire her. All her films have been negative pick-ups, which means she’s had to take them onto the marketplace after they’ve been financed. I kind of wish that I could say to some of the execs I meet (mostly female by the way) “Hey, look what Kathryn Bigelow did – why not trust that I can do the same thing?” but quite frankly, the answer will be: “You’re no Kathryn Bigelow.” A singular voice will always be seen as a singular voice. And Bigelow herself didn’t exactly hold up the feminist mantle in her win — in fact, I was more moved by Barbra Streisand who’s “it’s about time” was the most that seemed to be made of Bigelow’s triumph as a woman director. Hey, maybe I’m wrong. If the picture I’m trying to get off the ground goes, and I get financing, a studio behind me, a big P&A commitment and the kind of behind the scenes political push that make awards go one way or the other, I’ll let you know.
Sarah Walker
Kathryn Bigelow I believe in you. Your magic is real.
Arlene Bogna
I can still hear Barbra Streisand’s words “Well, the time has come,” and I agree with Kathryn Bigelow’s statement about being a filmmaker without a gender modifier.
History has been made, and from this day on it is possible for a woman to win an Oscar for Best Director. A door has been unequivocally opened, and perhaps it is a chance for more and more talented lady directors to contribute to cinema and be recognized for their work. Future audiences may even take for granted how long it took for all this to happen. And that would be great.
Ela Thier
Tags: Gina Prince-Bythewood, Maria Maggenti, Martha CoolidgeI admire Bigelow’s talent and thrilled that she be recognized! I look forward to a culture in which half of the films in the theater are directed by women.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the folks who bring you the Academy Awards, have elected themselves a new president and not surprisingly, it’s a guy. But I dug a little deeper and the numbers of women in leadership at the Academy is abysmal.

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