With a little help from Dior, Natalie Portman corrected the Academy’s gendered oversight in the Best Director category at the Oscars 2020. Stitched into her couture cape were the names of the female directors behind some of the year’s most notable films: Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Mati Diop (Atlantics), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Alma Har’el (Honey Boy) and Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) – all of whom were overlooked for awards.
© Kevin Mazur
“I wanted to recognise the women who were not recognised for their incredible work this year in a subtle way,” Portman told press gathered on the red carpet outside the Dolby Theatre. It seemed fitting that Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female artistic director of Dior known for injecting her designs with her personal activism threads, was the craftswoman behind the embroidery.