Female directors rightfully dominate the Golden Globes 2021 nominations and make history

The Best Director category at the Golden Globes—hell, at most award shows—is a veritable boys' club, with your usual crew of Tarantinos and Scorseses all accounted for. Until now, that is. 

This morning, a trio of talented women have made history by scoring Best Director nominations: Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland"), Regina King ("One Night in Miami") and Emerald Fennell ("Promising Young Woman") are each getting their due props in the category, alongside David Fincher ("Mank") and Aaron Sorkin ("The Trial of the Chicago 7").

• How to watch the Golden Globes 2021 live from anywhere in the world

As well as being the first time in Globes history that more than one woman director has been shortlisted in a given year, the much-deserved nods also boost a pretty dismal nomination record for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Only five women in 77 years have ever been nominated in the Best Director category at the Globes: Barbra Streisand, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow and Ava DuVernay. The multitalented Streisand remains to this day the only woman director to have won the accolade, for the 1983 film "Yentl." (She was also nominated in the category a second time for directing 1991's "The Prince of Tides.")

• 20 movies to catch up on before award show season begins

The nomination news is especially welcome after last year's ceremony, which saw no women in the director category, a surprise and snub given the quality of films they generated, including Greta Gerwig's "Little Women," Lulu Wang's "The Farewell," Olivia Wilde's "Booksmart" and Céline Sciamma's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire." With DuVernay's nomination for "Selma" in 2015, it has actually been six whole years since a woman was recognized in the coveted category.

Two years ago, Natalie Portman memorably called out the "all-male nominees" while presenting the Best Director award with Ron Howard. Hopefully one day we'll get to hear presenters announce a director's category of "all-female nominees," but today's great news is definitely a start!