Greta Gerwig, Sam Mendes on their Oscar nominations

Greta Gerwig said that she wants to keep battling for Oscars and Sam Mendes said that he believes the success of his film, up for ten Oscars including best picture and best director, was partly due to timing.

Los Angeles: Greta Gerwig seemed to have moved beyond the fact that no women were nominated for best director at this year's Oscars. The Little Women director said that she just wants to continue to fight.

"I think that there is sort of a ground surge and the women, as always, have been there and been talented and been ready. So the thing I just keep thinking is like I just want to keep my head down and just keep getting in that battle because you can't you know, you can't be in a conversation if you haven't made a film. So that's the thing that I want to keep doing. And you can't control the rest of it."

Gerwig made the comments during an interview Monday (27 JAN. 2020) at the Oscars luncheon, the annual event that serves as a meet-and-greet, celebration and training session for each year's class of Oscar nominees.

"The thing that I am sort of relentlessly focused on and the thing that I care about most is that—to get that next at bat. I mean, because that's the only thing I can do and can control. And I think for all of us, it's just like keep making the work and making work and making the work."

1917 director Sam Mendes said he believes the success of his film, up for ten Oscars including best picture and best director, was partly due to timing.

"I'm completely thrilled. I mean, I couldn't be happier mainly that the picture has got an audience, it's found an audience," said Mendes. "And what's happened in this particular awards season, which doesn't always happen as you know, is that the awards have led straight into the audience response for the movie. You know, we are in the middle of a perfect storm whereby we opened just at the point where the movie got awards interest and that translated into box office, and that almost never happens."

The Oscars will take place on February 9 in Los Angeles.

From APTN inputs.