Awards season is here, and it should come as no surprise that Barnard women are once again in the spotlight.
Among this year’s Golden Globe nominees is Greta Gerwig ’06, the mastermind behind Barbie.
Two other Barnard alumnae were nominated for Emmy Awards: Donna Zakowska ’75, who — for the fifth time — is being considered for her late ’50s/early ’60s fits for the hit TV show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Sarah Botstein ’94, nominated twice for the docuseries The U.S. and the Holocaust.
Read more about Barnard’s powerhouse nominees below, and tune into the Globes (Sunday, January 7) and the Emmys (Monday, January 15) to see who takes the trophies.
Sarah Botstein ’94, Emmy nominated for Outstanding Directing of a Documentary/Nonfiction Program and as producer of Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
It didn’t take long for Botstein to make her mark after she left the gates of 116th and Broadway. Not quite ready for graduate school, the American Studies major took a job at a PR firm, which eventually led her to the most valuable connection in her career: an introduction to award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. The rest was history.
Over the past 25 years, Botstein, Burns, and filmmaker Lynn Novick have produced critically acclaimed documentaries that survey American history and historical figures.
Their Emmy-nominated project, The U.S. and the Holocaust, explores America’s understanding of the Holocaust and how the country’s views on immigration shaped that response. The film was personal for Botstein — her grandparents were Jewish and lived in Europe during World War II. They sought refuge in Switzerland before arriving in the United States in 1949 with Botstein’s father.
“I think the most rewarding experience of working on this film is how much I’ve learned about their history and trying to, in some interesting way, honor their memory and their experience by sharing the stories of people who had different and similar struggles,” she said in an interview with Barnard. [Update: The series won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing For A Nonfiction Program.]
In April of last year, the College hosted Botstein for a SPARK discussion on The U.S. and the Holocaust, along with a screening of the documentary.
Greta Gerwig ’06, Golden Globe nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay
Formed by a Barnard education, Gerwig has brought a commitment to female empowerment to all of her projects, championing strong female leads and narratives.
“I was instantly drawn to the place and the women. They all seemed like superheroes to me. And my whole life plan changed,” said Gerwig of her initial visit to Barnard.
Since Gerwig first entered the mainstream spotlight for her performances in films like Greenberg and Frances Ha, her cultural footprint has only gotten bigger. In 2018, she made her directorial debut with Lady Bird, a coming-of-age film about a Sacramento teenager trying to find her way in the world. Gerwig grew up in Sacramento and, like her character Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, longed to make the voyage to New York to pursue theatre.
Seven years later, with Barbie becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Gerwig ignited a pink revolution across the world and has become one of the top female directors to watch. In an impressive tour de force, Gerwig’s feminist fable racked up nine Golden Globe nominations, the most for any project this year. [Update: The movie took home a Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, as well as one for Best Original Song.]
The Barbie phenomena has made its way around the world and all the way back to campus, where some students were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Barnard Barbie galavanting around campus. On January 24, the College’s Office of Student Experience and Engagement will host Barbie Day on campus, including a screening of the film for students.
Gerwig’s next project will be two film adaptations from C.S. Lewis’ beloved series The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix.
Donna Zakowska ’75, Emmy nominated for Outstanding Period Costumes for a Series
From her workspace at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn over the past half decade, Zakowska has sewn together costumes that, while in some ways are relics of the past, were still the stuff of dreams for any New York woman: hats of all shapes and sizes, well-trimmed wool coats, bold colors, and decorative buttons galore.
These were the clothes that defined the character Miriam “Midge” Maisel, the audacious lead of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, whom actress Rachel Brosnahan said was in part inspired by Barnard alumna Joan Rivers ’54.
In a happy accident, Zakowska collided with fellow alumna and director Jamie Babbit ’93 during the making of two episodes of the show. While reminiscing on her college experience, Zakowska admitted that Midge Maisel would fit right into the amazing legacy of Barnard women.
“The thing about Barnard is it’s about being independent,” she said. “It’s about really having your own mind, making your own judgment.”
This year’s Emmy nomination is Zakowska’s fifth for her costume work on Mrs. Maisel. In 2019, she took home the prize for Outstanding Period Costumes.
While Zakowska may have landed in the world of costumes, that’s not exactly where she started. After graduating from Barnard, she worked as a professional dancer and learned painting and drawing in Paris before arriving at the Yale School of Drama to study costume, lighting, and set design.
In an interview last year with The New York Times about her work for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Zakowska shared how designing clothes helps her connect with the interior world of the show’s starlets.
“I have to feel the reality of the character,” she said. “You live the characters as a costume designer. You’re many people.”
