The ninetieth annual Academy Awards, hosted by Mr. Jimmy Kimmel, took place Sunday, March 4 in the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, California. This year, the Oscars honored and commended movies released in 2017. Lady Bird, a coming-of-age film, earned five Oscar nominations. Despite its critical success, the Lady Bird team went home empty-handed. Yet, the movie had lasting effects for women in the Hollywood film industry.

Mrs. Greta Gerwig, director of Lady Bird, was the first woman nominated for an Academy Award in the “Best Director” category for a debut film, according to cnn.com. 
“This shouldn’t be any more noteworthy than another film’s success, but it is—women behind the camera rarely get mainstream recognition for their work,” Eliza Berman wrote in her Time Magazine article about Mrs. Gerwig, according to time.com. “The nod makes Gerwig just the fifth woman nominated for directing in 90 years of Academy Awards.” 
The Lady Bird cast and crew received five Oscar nominations, including a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Ms. Saoirse Ronan, and a nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mrs. Lauren Metcalf. Along with Mrs. Gerwig’s nomination for “Best Director,” Lady Bird received nominations for “Best Original Screenplay” and “Best Picture.”
Lady Bird was very successful, regardless of its losses at the Oscars. The movie made $69,916,446 in box-office sales, according to www.boxofficemojo.com. 
Mr. Jeremy Barber, who has been Mrs. Gerwig’s agent for the past ten years, witnessed the hard work she has put into the film.
“I was one of the first people who she showed [the film] to in her editing room, and I knew right away that she had made a very, very good movie,” Mr. Barber said.
In recent years, Hollywood has received public scrutiny for a lack of gender equality, and many females in the acting community have advocated for greater equality in their industry. Mrs. Gerwig, the only female nominee for “Best Director” at both the Golden Globes and Oscars in 2018, is proud to represent female achievement in what many believe is a highly competitive and male-dominated industry.
“She cherishes that she was able to break through that glass ceiling,” Mr. Barber said.

Being a director offers a unique perspective that adds character to the film. Lady Bird is a female-dominant movie. Not only was the film written and directed by a woman, but the coming of age story is also about the complicated yet essential relationship between a mother and a daughter. Because of this, Mrs. Gerwig believes Hollywood is seeing improvement in terms of gender equality on and off screen, according to exclaimfilm.ca. 

“The female producers and directors and writers are really what I think the change is,” Mrs. Gerwig said, according to exclaimfilm.ca. 
-Amelia Sheehan, Staff Writer
Featured Image Courtesy of Mr. Jermey Barber