Hey, Female Directors, Steven Spielberg Has Some Good News For You

Steven Spielberg  said Tuesday the time has come for female directors to get their due, even though they didn’t at the Golden Globes .

Asked to respond to Natalie Portman ’s “and here are the all-male nominees ” jab as she introduced the exclusively male nominees in the Globes’ Best Director category, Spielberg gave an encouraging assessment of sexism in Hollywood.

“There’s ... a watershed happening right now , slowly, maybe not fast enough, for women directors,” the three-time Oscar winner told Entertainment Tonight at the National Board of Review Awards in New York. “I mean you have Patty Jenkins [‘Wonder Woman’]. We have some amazing women that have come forward, you know, ‘Mudbound’ and ‘Lady Bird.’ ”

Both Portman and Barbra Streisand, who pointed out that no woman has won a Globe for Best Director since she did for “Yentl” in 1984 , presumably spoke up because Jenkins, Dee Rees of “Mudbound” and National Board of Review winner Greta Gerwig of “Lady Bird” were excluded from the Globes nominees.

But Spielberg believes the more prestigious Academy Awards will correct that. “This is a pretty incredible year, and I think you’ll be seeing some nominations,” said the director of “The Post.” “I’m predicting at the Oscars this year for a woman director, if not several.”

Jenkins, who received a Spotlight Award at the National Board of Review dinner, gave Portman the thumbs-up for her zinger. “It made me laugh, and it made me smile,” the “Wonder Woman” director said. “Look, it’s been a little glaring that women directors don’t get nominated so often and it is odd.”

For the record, Kathryn Bigelow’s victory for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010 remains the only Best Director Oscar won by a woman. Last year’s Oscars had no women nominees.

The 2018 nominations will be announced on Jan. 23.