Barbra Streisand calls out female directors being overlooked in powerful Time's Up speech

Barbra Streisand couldn't quite believe her ears when she was informed backstage that she was the only woman to ever win the Best Director award at the Golden Globes.

"Did I hear right?" she said, puzzled, on-stage when she recounted this anecdote prior to announcing the nominees for Best Motion Picture.

"I was the only woman—did I hear right?— the only woman to get the Best Director award," Streisand said. "And, you know, that was 1984. That was 34 years ago."

"Folks, time's up!" Streisand bellowed.

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Streisand won the Golden Globe for Best Director for Yentl, a film about a young Jewish woman who disguises herself as a boy so she can study Judaism, because girls are prohibited from studying about religious scripture.

Streisand had a message for her colleagues seated before her. "We need more women directors and more women to be nominated for best director. There are so many films out there that are so good directed by women," she said.

She added that she's "very proud" to stand in a room with people who "speak out against gender inequality, sexual harassment, and the pettiness that has poisoned our politics."

"And I'm proud that our industry, faced with uncomfortable truths has vowed to change the way we do business," she said.

She also talked about the power of film to change people's views and to effect change within society.

"Truth is powerful and in a really good film we recognise the truth about ourselves, about others, and it's so powerful that it can change people's minds, touch people's hearts, and ultimately even change society itself," said Streisand.

Hear, hear.