Natalie Portman reacts to Oscar 2026 nominations snubbing female directors

Natalie Portman is not pleased with the 2026 Oscar nominations.

While promoting her new film “The Gallerist” at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Portman, 44, called out the Academy for snubbing multiple female-directed movies.

“So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women,” the actress told Variety. “You just see the barriers at every level because so many were not recognized at awards time. Between ‘Sorry Baby’ and ‘Left-Handed Girl’ and ‘Hedda’ and ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’”

“I mean, extraordinary films this year that I think a lot of people are enjoying and loving,” she continued, “but are not getting the accolades they deserve.”

Portman also noted how hard it is to get a movie made even before award season.

“Even when you pass the barriers of getting your financing, which is harder, getting into festivals, which is harder. Every step of the road is harder, and then you’re out and it’s great, and then it also doesn’t get the attention,” she explained. “We have a lot of work to do still.”

“But joyfully, with a lot of joy, working with each other and it’s a very special process to be in community with women on set,” she added.

Portman collaborated with a female director, Cathy Yan, on “The Gallerist,” which also stars Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charlie XCX and Zach Galifianakis. Portman is also a producer on the film.

The Academy mostly ignored female directors when the 2026 Oscar noms were announced on Thursday.

Chloé Zhao (“Hamnet”) is the only woman up for Best Director.

In the Best Picture race, “Hamnet” is the only female-directed project of the ten nominees.

Meanwhile, Best International Feature Film category only has one entry directed by a woman: Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”

Portman is up for a 2026 Oscar for co-producing the film “Arco,” which is up for Best Animated Feature.

She previously won an Academy Award for Best Actress for “Black Swan,” directed by Darren Aronofsky, in 2011. Portman was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Closer” in 2005 and Best Actress for “Jackie” in 2017.

Portman has a history of standing up for women at award shows.

At the 2020 Oscars, she wore a gold dress with a black cape that was embroidered with the names of the female directors who were ignored by the Academy that year, including “Little Women” director Greta Gerwig.

In 2018, Portman infamously called out the Golden Globes for excluding females in the Best Director category while she presented the award alongside Ron Howard.

“And here are all the male nominees,” she said onstage.