Jane Campion Endorses ‘Leave No Trace’ Director Debra Granik for Oscar Nomination

Jane Campion is dismayed by the lack of women nominated for Best Director at next month’s Golden Globes, and endorsed “Leave No Trace” director Debra Granik for the directing category at the 2019 Academy Awards.

Campion was nominated for the Best Director Oscar in 1994 for “The Piano” — the film she won Best Original Screenplay for that same year. That makes her one of only five women to ever be nominated in the director category, and she’s now urging the Academy to make Granik the sixth.

“Over the last 20 years, Debra has become one of the most important voices in American cinema. And her film ‘Leave No Trace’ is certainly one of the most moving dramas of the year,” Campion wrote in the statement to IndieWire.

Also Read: Why 'Leave No Trace' Breakout Star Thomasin McKenzie Isn't Gunning for a Marvel Movie Anytime Soon

The film, which stars Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie as a father and daughter who live off the grid, was one of the best-reviewed movies to come out of Sundance this year and earned a 100 percent score from 199 critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

“This is a film filled with compassion and I would say with honesty — and it has had a powerful impact on audiences. Not because it is loud. It is delicate and intimate. But because the truth that Granik speaks quietly can be heard even in a noisy world,” Campion wrote after expressing her disappointment in AFI’s list of 10 Best Films of 2018 not including “a single film directed by a woman.”

Also Read: 'If Beale Street Could Talk,' 'Leave No Trace' Nominated for Top Independent Spirit Awards

“I am delighted that Debra has been nominated for Best Director at the Spirit Awards and won Best Director from the LA Film Critics. This is far-sighted recognition. I believe she should be part of the Best Director Oscar conversation.”

Read Campion’s full IndieWire statement here.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Why ‘Leave No Trace’ Breakout Star Thomasin McKenzie Isn’t Gunning for a Marvel Movie Anytime Soon

‘If Beale Street Could Talk,’ ‘Leave No Trace’ Nominated for Top Independent Spirit Awards

‘Leave No Trace’ Film Review: Debra Granik Returns With Another Subtle Powerhouse Drama

Source: the wrap feed