Greta Gerwig - Creators
Greta Gerwig started directing in kindergarten
03:30 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

Greta Gerwig has made Academy Awards history.

With her nomination in the best director category, the “Lady Bird” writer/director became the first woman to get a nod for her debut film.

“Lady Bird” also earned four additional nominations, including one for best picture and a nod for Gerwig in the best original screenplay category.

Heading into nomination morning, Hollywood experts were championing Gerwig’s recognition as a director.

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In addition to her work being of merit, Gerwig had been snubbed in the best director category at the Golden Globes, an omission that drew much criticism, especially amid louder-than-ever calls for more films about and by women.

Natalie Portman even made a point to call out the female snubs while presenting the category on the Globes stage, saying, “Here are the all-male nominees.”

“I used all the time when I was both in front of the camera and behind the camera before I directed this film as my film school,” Gerwig, also known for her on-camera roles in “20th Century Women” and “Frances Ha,” told CNN recently. “I met people who were willing to take the time to explain to me how they were lighting a shot, or how they were deciding to boom a scene to capture the sound, and how they were going to edit it, and what shots they needed to get to construct the narrative. And that was invaluable for me.”

Only five women, including Gerwig, have been nominated for a best director Oscar – Lina Wertmüller (“Seven Beauties”), Jane Campion (“The Piano”), Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) and Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”). 

Bigelow is the only woman to win best director in the 90-year history of the Academy Awards.

Gerwig’s fellow directing nominees include Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk”), Jordan Peele (“Get Out”), Paul Thomas Anderson (“Phantom Thread”), and Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”).

Like Gerwig, Peele is also nominated for his directorial debut.

Click here to see a full list of nominees.