The director said that many journalists did not attend the screenings that were set up for the film.
Melina Matsoukas wasn't surprised her movie, Queen & Slim, didn’t receive any Golden Globe nominations.
The 38-year-old director claims that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association refused to watch her film. Queen & Slim follows a young black couple, portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith, who go on the run after a fatal encounter with a racist cop.
"We held three screenings for the HFPA and almost no members attended," Matsoukas told Variety. "For me, it’s reflective of their voting body. It’s not reflective of the society in which we live in or the industry as it stands today. They don’t value the stories that represent all of us, and those stories are so often disregarded and discredited, as are their filmmakers."
"It’s extremely discouraging. It’s extremely infuriating. And it just represents an archaic system that is full of people who don’t value us," she added. ET has reached out to the HFPA for comment.
Matsoukas also claims that she had been warned by her team that the HFPA would not be attending the screenings.
Meanwhile, the HFPA disputed Matsoukas' claims, telling the publication that voters were sent screeners and, "The HFPA maintains that Queen & Slim was in the conversation amongst the membership."
Earlier this week following their nominations, the HFPA faced backlash for their lack of female directors in the top category. This year's nominations saw several women whose films were nominated in other categories overlooked.
Marielle Heller, who topped snub lists last year for her acclaimed Melissa McCarthy starrer Can You Ever Forgive Me?, was overlooked once again this year for her acclaimed Mister Rogers film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which did earn a nomination for supporting star Tom Hanks as the beloved children's TV host.
Lorene Scafaria's Hustlers did not get her a nomination, but did land Jennifer Lopez a Supporting Actress nod. Greta Gerwig's Little Women was shut out of all nominations except for nods for lead actress Saoirse Ronan and composer Alexandre Desplat.
Other female directors who made acclaimed films eligible in the category this year include Matsoukas, Mati Diop for Atlantics, Olivia Wilde for Booksmart, Chinonye Chukwu for Clemency, Jennifer Kent for The Nightingale and many others.
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