As awards season approaches, we are often blindsided by the paucity of women being recognized as filmmakers. Thankfully, the nominations for the 2025 Golden Globe Awards brought a pleasant surprise in this category.

French filmmaker Coralie Farja and Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia received nominations for “The Substance” and “All We Imagine as Light,” respectively, in the 2025 Golden Globe nominations announced on Monday, December 9. The Substance” and ‘All We Imagine as Light,’ respectively.

They are nominated alongside Jacques Audiard for “Emilia Perez,” Sean Baker for “Anora,” Edward Berger for “Conclave,” and Brady Corbet for “The Brutalist.” (Best Director is one of the few categories at the Golden Globes that does not distinguish between musical/comedy and drama.)

The nominations for Farrugia and Kapadia were unexpected. Their nominations were expected to go to two Hollywood masters of the big screen: John Chu for “Wicked” and Denis Villeneuve for “Dune: Part 2.”

“Substance” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was an instant hit, winning Best Screenplay. Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, the film is a feminist horror that tackles standards of beauty, a genre award voters usually overlook in the horror genre.

All We Imagine as Light, on the other hand, continues the Globes' trend of recognizing international films across categories. Kapadia's drama about three nurses and friends in Mumbai also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it became the first Indian film to win the prestigious Grand Prix.

“The Substance” and “All We Imagine as Light” received additional nominations; “The Substance” was also nominated for Best Picture in the Musical/Comedy category, and director Farjeer was nominated for Best Screenplay. Lead actors Moore and Qualley were nominated for Best Female Actor and Best Female Supporting Actor in a Musical/Comedy, respectively.

All We Imagine as Light, from India and France, was also nominated for Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language.

Farzia and Kapadia's wins follow two women nominated for Best Director at last year's Globes: Greta Gerwig for Barbie and Celine Song for Past Lives. However, 2023 was a step backward with a male-dominated nomination (Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog” won Best Director in 2022). Campion was nominated along with Maggie Gyllenhaal; 2021 was another major year with three women nominated (including trophy winners Regina King, Emerald Fennel, and Chloe Zhao).

The 2025 Golden Globe Awards will be held on Sunday, January 5, and will be hosted by Nikki Glaser. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET on CBS.