Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) is accusing the Academy Awards of sexism after the film Barbie was excluded from the Best Director category.
The congressman added a high-profile voice to the internet's progressive outrage over director Greta Gerwig not being mentioned in the 2023 summer hit.
“Hollywood still has a big problem with women. In 2022, 11% of directors (of the top 250 grossing films) were women,” Castro wrote in X.
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Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro has accused the Academy Awards of sexism after the film Barbie was excluded from the Best Director category. (Getty Images)
“So, Greta Gerwig in 2023: 1. Directed Barbie, the highest-grossing movie of the year at $1.4 billion; 2. Provided sponsorship money ($1 billion) to Oppenheimer; 3. . Savings [Warner Bros. Discovery’s] It was a miserable year. ”
“How could she have directed one of the year's biggest hits, a cultural phenomenon, and not been nominated for an Oscar for Best Director? She would be the first female director in Hollywood,” she concluded.
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Congressman Joaquin Castro slams Hollywood for disrespecting Greta Gerwig's Oscar
But he wasn't the only national Democratic figure to express agreement. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also sent a message to the film's lead actress and director.
“Greta and Margot, it may be tough to win at the box office, you may not take home the gold medal, but millions of fans love you. You both are so much more than Keno. Excellent,” Clinton wrote in X.
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also sent a public message to Gerwig. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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“Barbie,” along with Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer,” was credited with saving the film industry from the prolonged post-COVID-19 slump.
The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Actor for Ryan Gosling, who played the doll's lover Ken, and America Ferrera was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
However, left-wing activists were frustrated by the lack of consent from both Gerwig and the film's lead actress, Margot Robbie.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Castro's office and the academy for comment.
