5. Fully Realizing the Magnitude of a Woman Winning Best Director
Women have not been silent about the difficulties of being taken seriously in Hollywood. And it was quite a payoff with Kathryn Bigelow's win at the 2008 Oscars with
The Hurt Locker. Not only because a female director was taking home the award, but because her smaller, heavier war film outmatched the biggest film of all time not just for Best Director, but for Best Picture as well. The fact that she was the ex-wife to master of cinema, James Cameron, only made things that much sweeter. It only made sense to go from point six to this one, really showcasing that Hollywood is receptive to the power of a movie, no matter its size, scale, and budget. It's inspiring not only to women, but to filmmakers who aren't starting off with Michael Bay-sized explosions ripping through a faux city street. It was empowering for viewers who weren't just in it for the ticket prices and it really pushed the possibilities of film students, no matter their gender, to greater heights. You can read my argument about women directors and how they're better at getting out performances from their actors
here.