“Ridiculous lol”: Taylor Swift under fire for appearing alongside Martin McDonagh in Variety’s Directors on Directors

Taylor Swift received backlash after being chosen to appear in Variety’s Directors on Directors this year. Netizens took to Twitter to criticize the singer and accuse her of depriving other struggling female directors who deserve more recognition.

Directors on Directors is a show that is organized every year, where renowned filmmakers analyze the biggest films of the current year along with their directorial experiences.

This year’s list of directors who will appear on the show includes pop superstar Taylor Swift, who is being recognized for directing her music video All Too Well, which released last November.

The series is scheduled to start with a conversation between Martin McDonagh and Taylor Swift and will premiere on December 12.

Ramin Setoodeh, co-editor-in-chief of Variety, said:

“Since Taylor Swift premiered her short film ‘All Too Well’ last winter in New York, Variety has been impressed with her vision as a director. We are delighted she is part of this lineup with James Cameron, Ryan Coogler, Gina Prince-Bythewood and the other most daring, accomplished directors of the year.”

Other filmmakers who are set to appear on the show include James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of the Water), Robert Rodriguez, Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King), Chinonye Chukwu (Till), Tyler Perry (A Jazzman’s Blues), Sarah Polley (Women Talking), Francis Ford Coppola, Joe Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), and Rian Johnson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery).

However, most people are not happy with Swift's inclusion in the list and have expressed their dissatisfaction with Variety’s choice. Many have critiqued Taylor on Twitter, saying that she only made a short music video, which doesn’t amount to the years of experience the other filmmakers appearing on the show have.

One user claimed that they love Taylor Swift but called the venture 'ridiculous.'

(image via Twitter/@hillmacmagill)

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Taylor Swift gets called out by netizens for allegedly using her 'privilege' to take part in Variety's Directors on Directors show

Taylor’s 15-minute music video for All Too Well starring actors Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien earned the singer a lot of praise and compliments from fans and critics. Her directorial skills were applauded after the short film was released. In September, the project was also presented by the singer at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The fact that Taylor might get nominated in the short film category at the Academy Awards has prompted people on social media to assume that she is aiming to bag an Oscar. Thus, she is partaking in Directors on Directors to build her firm foundation as a director.

Several individuals, including some of Taylor Swift’s fans, are not pleased with her being featured on the show.

Much of their major concern is that Taylor will be depriving many other directors who need this acclamation and exposure more than she does, and need an opportunity to showcase their work on a renowned platform.

Another user went on to make a list of women filmmakers for whom this platform could have been a great opportunity if Taylor’s music video hadn’t seemingly overshadowed their work.

Others are also questioning Taylor’s filmmaking experience and her knowledge of direction. They're deeming her to be extremely unfit to have a conversation with a veteran and Oscar-nominated director like Martin McDonagh.

Despite everything, some of her fans have stuck by her side and congratulated her for being featured in Directors on Directors.