Filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow (1951- ) is the only woman ever to win directing awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Directors Guild of America, the National Board of Review, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, and the American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Films. It is worth noting that Bigelow won for action thrillers and war films (STRANGE DAYS, THE HURT LOCKER, ZERO DARK THIRTY), genres traditionally dominated by male directors. If you’re a female director and you want to win an award… toss that rom-com script in the trash.