娱乐英语新闻:Bigelow boost for women directors

BEIJING, April 2 -- At the recent 82nd Academy Awards, film maker Kathryn Bigelow made history winning a Best Director Oscar for her Iraqi war drama "The Hurt Locker." She was the first woman to win the honor.

For every talented and hardworking female director, the most exciting part of the news was not that this modestly budgeted film dominated the Oscars by earning six Academy Awards, but Bigelow's assault on the last bastion of male domination in films.

Before her achievement, only three women had earned a nomination in this category - Lina Wertmuller for "Seven Beauties" in 1975, Jane Campion for "The Piano" in 1993, and Sofia Coppola for "Lost in Translation" in 2003.

Kathryn Bigelow (C), Mark Boal (L) and Greg Shapiro display their trophies after winning the Best Picture of the 82nd Academy Awards for "The Hurt Locker" at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California, the United States, March 7, 2010

"Bigelow's win let the whole world see the power and explosive strength of women directors," says Li Ying, a female documentary film maker from the local Documentary Channel who journeyed to the dangerous regions of Somalia to make a documentary on Somali pirates.

"Her success will encourage many young women to pursue their film-making dreams and break into the boys' club," she adds.

Today, women directors are a rarity both in Hollywood and in the domestic film/TV industry. People can name only a few influential Chinese women directors, such as Hu Mei, Li Shaohong, Ann Hui and Peng Xiaolian.