The 10 Most Surprising Oscar Snubs

8) The Diary Of A Teenage Girl – Best Adapted Screenplay

Indie coming of age dramas come and go, but 2015 brought with it one of the most unique entries that the genre has ever seen, defying expectations to become one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl features a stunning lead performance from newcomer Bel Powley, a fifteen year old girl who begins a relationship with her mother’s older boyfriend. In a just world, Powley would have easily landed a nomination for her frank depiction of female sexuality, but the Oscars lean heavily towards a certain type of actress, so it’s no surprise that Powley was unfortunately overlooked.

However, the Academy Awards do tend to look out of their comfort zone more in the screenplay categories, nominating films like Ex Machina, which makes it even more disappointing that The Diary of a Teenage Girl wasn’t considered for Best Adapted Screenplay. The graphic novel that the movie is based on is cleverly brought to life in many of the film’s best scenes through illustrations that are used alongside the live action performers.

Few films have explored female sexuality as honestly and bravely as The Diary of a Teenage Girl. An Oscar nomination could have helped pave the way for more filmmakers to tackle this sorely under-represented area of cinema.