via Instagram/@littlewomenmovieFilm & TVNewsFilm & TV / NewsAlternative Oscars ads will highlight female-directed filmsThe non-profit Give Her A Break is pushing back against the male-dominated Best Director categoryShareLink copied ✔️February 9, 2020February 9, 2020TextThom Waite The nominations for Best Director at this year’s Academy Awards, revealed last month, are literally all men. Predictable, maybe (only five women have been nominated in the category over the award show’s entire history) but definitely disappointing. Especially disappointing, as well, in a year that saw plenty of films helmed by women that are worthy of recognition. Greta Gerwig’s Little Women being the obvious example – the director herself has talked openly about women being snubbed in the industry – but also Melina Matsoukas’s Queen & Slim, Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, and more. Give Her A Break is pushing back against the bias though, with an alternative way to watch the ceremony, which airs tonight (1am in the UK). The non-profit initiative will provide an online portal to the Oscars live stream, but in place of the usual ads, it will flip to a showcase of female-directed films. “There’s millions of women who create incredible films, but just don’t get the same break by this misogynistic industry,” says the project founder, Mo Said. “We wanted to fix that.” Honey Boy director Alma Har’el has also spoken out in support of the project on social media. Visit Give Her A Break to see how it works. #GiveHerABreak is a portal to the Oscars Livestream... But during the ads, we flip to showcase films from the women directors they ignored.In 92 years @TheAcademy nominated only 5 women as best directors. https://t.co/ozMUwH2ADx— Alma Har'el🌪 (@Almaharel) February 7, 2020Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREBen Whishaw on the power of Peter Hujar’s photography: ‘It feels alive’Atropia: An absurdist love story set in a mock Iraqi military villageMeet the new generation of British actors reshaping Hollywood Sentimental Value is a raw study of generational traumaJosh Safdie on Marty Supreme: ‘One dream has to end for another to begin’Animalia: An eerie feminist sci-fi about aliens invading MoroccoThe 20 best films of 2025, rankedWhy Kahlil Joseph’s debut feature film is a must-seeJay Kelly is Noah Baumbach’s surreal, star-studded take on fameWatch: Owen Cooper on Adolescence, Jake Gyllenhaal and Wuthering HeightsOwen Cooper: Adolescent extremesIt Was Just An Accident: A banned filmmaker’s most dangerous work yet