The League of Iowa Human & Civil Rights Agencies

A Milestone for Women

Published: March 8, 2010, New York Times

To the Editor:

A film buff all my life, I cheered when Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director (“ ‘The Hurt Locker’ Wins Big in Split Night at Oscars,” Arts pages, March 8).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose to reward a low-budget film about a real war in Iraq rather than the sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar,” about war against aliens on a distant planet. It was a triumph of sorts of reality over fantasy. A few years ago I saw the film “K-19: The Widowmaker” and left wondering who directed and captured so well terrifying scenes of a Soviet nuclear submarine coming apart at sea. It was Ms. Bigelow. Now she has shown she can compete and win in a business where guys often dominate.

Herb Linnen

Washington, March 8, 2010