Golden Globes history! Regina King, Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell score record for Best Director

Golden Globes history! Regina King, Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell score record nods as three female directors are nominated for Best Director

Three female directors were nominated for Best Director – Motion Picture, a record nod from the Golden Globes.

Regina King, Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell each scored a nomination on Wednesday from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the 78th annual awards ceremony which will air live on Feb. 28.

The female-driven nominations are in stark contrast to last year’s ceremony where women were completely excluded from the category. 

Outstanding: Three female directors were nominated for Best Director – Motion Picture, a record nod from the Golden Globes

Regina King earned a nomination for her film through Amazon Studios, One Night in Miami.

Her movie follows a fictional night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcom X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown discussed their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge and Leslie Odom Jr. starred in the flick with a screenplay by Kemp Powers. 

Congrats: Chloé Zhao directed Nomadland, which follows a woman who loses everything during the Great Recession and takes a journey through the American West

Congrats: Chloé Zhao directed Nomadland, which follows a woman who loses everything during the Great Recession and takes a journey through the American West

Talent: Emerald Fennell switched gears from her acting roles and won a Best Director nomination for Promising Young Woman

Talent: Emerald Fennell switched gears from her acting roles and won a Best Director nomination for Promising Young Woman

Chloé Zhao directed Nomadland, which follows a woman who loses everything during the Great Recession and takes a journey through the American West.

Frances McDormand stars in the flick from Searchlight Pictures and earned a Best Actress nomination for her role.

Emerald Fennell switched gears from her acting roles and won a Best Director nomination for Promising Young Woman.

Boss: One Night in Miami follows a fictional night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcom X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown discussed their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the '60s

Boss: One Night in Miami follows a fictional night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcom X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown discussed their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s

Nomadland: Frances McDormand stars in the flick from Searchlight Pictures and earned a Best Actress nomination for her role

Nomadland: Frances McDormand stars in the flick from Searchlight Pictures and earned a Best Actress nomination for her role

Distributed by Feature Films, the movie follows a young woman (Carey Mulligan) as she seeks vengeance from her traumatic past. 

Mulligan also earned a Best Actress nomination for her role as Cassandra.  

David Fincher was also nominated for his Netflix film, Mank, and Aaron Sorkin earned a nomination for The Trial of the Chicago 7. 

Women were completely snubbed from last year’s category, and throughout its 78-year history, eight women have been nominated for Best Director.

Barbra Streisand (who was also nominated for The Prince of Tides in 1991) is the only woman to have earned the Best Director Golden Globe for Yentl.

Ava DuVernay was nominated in 2014 for Selma, Kathryn Bigelow was nominated in 2009 for The Hurt Locker, Sofia Coppola in 2003 for Lost in Translation and Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993.