<P> Bigelow next directed The Hurt Locker , which was first shown at the Venice Film Festival in September 2008 , was the Closing Night selection for Maryland Film Festival in May 2009 , and theatrically released in the US in June 2009 . It qualified for the 2010 Oscars as it did not premiere in an Oscar - qualifying run in Los Angeles until mid-2009 . Set in post-invasion Iraq , the film received `` universal acclaim '' ( according to Metacritic ) and a 97 % `` fresh '' rating from the critics aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes . The film stars Jeremy Renner , Brian Geraghty and Anthony Mackie , with cameos by Guy Pearce , David Morse and Ralph Fiennes . She won the Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures ( becoming the first woman to win the award ) and also received a Golden Globe nomination for her direction . In 2010 , she won the award for Best Director and The Hurt Locker won Best Picture at the 63rd British Academy Film Awards . She became the first woman to receive an Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker . She was the fourth woman in history to be nominated for the honor , and only the second American woman . She defeated her ex-husband James Cameron in the category , for his directorial work in his sci - fi film Avatar , with a budget of $200 million . The Hurt Locker was far less expensive to make , relying on the use of hand - held cameras , long takes , and diligent sound design . </P>
<P> Bigelow next directed The Hurt Locker , which was first shown at the Venice Film Festival in September 2008 , was the Closing Night selection for Maryland Film Festival in May 2009 , and theatrically released in the US in June 2009 . It qualified for the 2010 Oscars as it did not premiere in an Oscar - qualifying run in Los Angeles until mid-2009 . Set in post-invasion Iraq , the film received `` universal acclaim '' ( according to Metacritic ) and a 97 % `` fresh '' rating from the critics aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes . The film stars Jeremy Renner , Brian Geraghty and Anthony Mackie , with cameos by Guy Pearce , David Morse and Ralph Fiennes . She won the Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures ( becoming the first woman to win the award ) and also received a Golden Globe nomination for her direction . In 2010 , she won the award for Best Director and The Hurt Locker won Best Picture at the 63rd British Academy Film Awards . She became the first woman to receive an Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker . She was the fourth woman in history to be nominated for the honor , and only the second American woman . She defeated her ex-husband James Cameron in the category , for his directorial work in his sci - fi film Avatar , with a budget of $200 million . The Hurt Locker was far less expensive to make , relying on the use of hand - held cameras , long takes , and diligent sound design . </P>
when did the first woman win the best director oscar
when did the first woman win the best director oscar
2010
2010