An alternative Oscars broadcast ran the work of female directors during ad breaks

Since 1929, only five women have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. Only one, Kathryn Bigelow, has won. None of those statistics changed on Sunday during the 92nd Oscars ceremony, because no women were nominated in the category this year. That’s despite obvious choices like Lulu Wang for “The Farewell,” Lorene Scafaria for “Hustlers,” Melina Matsoukas for “Queen & Slim,” Greta Gerwig for “Little Women” and Olivia Wilde for “Booksmart.” But Oscars viewers hoping to witness the directorial talents of women showcased now have a new option. Nonprofit initiative Give Her a Break streamed the awards telecast live—but instead of cutting to commercial when the Oscars do, it switched to a feed of trailers for films directed by women. Users logged onto the site using the same credentials they would use to watch the telecast on ABC or through their cable provider. The campaign, “You Stole Our Oscars, So We Stole Your Ads,” is from creative agency Mojo Supermarket, which was founded by Mo Said, a former creative director at Droga5, who is also the founder of Give Her a Break. "Even though we'd usually be making the ads during the Oscars, this issue is much bigger than us," Said told the Chicago Tribune. "There's millions of women who create incredible films but just don't get the same break by this misogynistic industry. We wanted to fix that."

An alternative Oscars broadcast ran the work of female directors during ad breaks

Featured Stories