In at least one big way, 2021 is a historic year for the Oscars

Above : Filmmaker Chloé Zhao on the set of her Oscar-nominated film “Nomadland.” (Photo: Searchlight Pictures)

I’m not sure the general public is aware of just how unique this year’s Academy Awards contest is.

Case in point: the fact that two – count them, two – women have been nominated for Best Director. We’re talking about Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” and Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”

Note this: The first Oscar ceremony was held on May 16, 1929. And from that point until this year, only five other women had ever been nominated for Best Director – Kathryn Bigelow being the sole winner for her 2008 film “The Hurt Locker.”

And, yes, I know: There have been far fewer women directors to consider for such an award. Underscoring that fact, the other day, while doing some research, I googled the term “greatest film directors.” The results were interesting.

Among the 51 pictures of filmmakers that showed up on my computer screen, all but one were men. The sole woman was Bigelow.

And while Bigelow is a skilled director, I would hardly describe her as the greatest woman filmmaker. What about Agnes Varda , Jane Campion , Lina Wertmuller and Mira Nair , just to name a few?

Or, going back a century, imagine what Nell Shipman ’s career might have been had she not clashed with both her investors and a prominent L.A. theater owner.

At this point, Zhao appears to be the voting favorite . But this is the Oscars, and anything can happen. David Fincher , director of “Mank” – which earned 10 nominations – is up for his third try at an Oscar, and he could prove a spoiler.

Still, Zhao didn’t just direct her film, she edited it, too. And if that isn’t the sign of a complete filmmaker, I don’t know what is.

The awards broadcast is scheduled for April 25.