Imperfect Paradise: Women speak a quarter of words in the 2026 Oscars Best Picture nominated films. What that tells us about the movies Hollywood values

About this episode

Emily Tarinelli discusses the underrepresentation of women in dialogue across the 2026 Oscars Best Picture nominated films and its implications for Hollywood's values.

The Academy has historically favored men when it comes to giving out its Oscars statuettes.  Women are once again not only underrepresented among this year’s Best Picture nominees, but also fared worse than last year. Emily Tarinelli analyzed how much female characters speak across the 10 nominated films, including top contenders like Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet . On Imperfect Paradise, Emily talks about her findings, why what female characters are saying on-screen matters, and what gender disparity in dialogue can tell us about the kinds of movies that are institutionally valued.  Read Emily’s full report at LAist.com. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

People in this episode

Guest: Emily Tarinelli

Topics covered

• gender disparity
• Hollywood
• Oscars
• female representation
• film analysis
• dialogue
• Best Picture nominees

Keywords

• Oscars
• female characters
• dialogue analysis
• Hollywood values
• Best Picture
• gender disparity
• film industry
• representation

Sponsors

SHOPIFY, Gordon and Dona Crawford

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LAist

Books & works: Sinners, Hamnet

More episodes of LA Made: The Other Moonshot

• Imperfect Paradise: From immigrant roots to celebrities, how LA became a soccer city · June 12, 2026 · 23 min
• Imperfect Paradise: The World Cup is more than just soccer. How it’s a flash point for politics, the economy and ICE for host cities like LA · June 5, 2026 · 26 min
• Imperfect Paradise: Voter Game Plan Part 5 – Your last chance to cram before the June 2 primary · May 29, 2026 · 25 min
• Imperfect Paradise: Voter Game Plan Part 4 — What you need to know about the key Orange County races · May 22, 2026 · 26 min
• Imperfect Paradise: Voter Game Plan Part 3 — The primary races for LA mayor and LA County sheriff heat up · May 15, 2026 · 25 min
• Imperfect Paradise: Voter Game Plan Part 2 — Voting for judges is one of your toughest ballot tasks. What to consider when making your choices · May 8, 2026 · 25 min