This year's edition of the Oscars is expected to take place on March 27 at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with a ceremony that, hopefully, will allow many to return to its traditional format. At the moment, what we know for sure is that of the 276 films released in 2021 the Hollywood Academy admitted as contenders for 'Best Picture,' only 27.1% have a female director.

According to a study published on Tuesday, Jan. 25 by The Wrap, this figure is the same as last year. In that year, for the first time, two women competed in the 'Best Picture' category, after 93 editions.

This year, only 75 of the films in the running have at least one female director. Women directors are better represented in the 'Best Documentary Feature' category, although the percentage dropped from 46% last year to 43%. Of the 75 films, almost a third of them are documentaries.

Despite this small drop in numbers, in the 'Best Animated Feature' category also saw significant progress for women behind the camera, where 23% of eligible films had a female director, up from 7% in 2020.

In addition, it is recognized that other positions of power and responsibility are held by women in the industry. There are female producers, executive producers, studio heads and other positions that are often behind the spotlight.

In the history of the film industry's most important awards, only five women have received a nomination for 'Best Director,' and last year's winner Chloe Zhao (for Nomadland) and Kathryn Bigelow (for 2009's The Hurt Locker) are the only winners.