Pakistan, Jan. 27 -- Natalie Portman is speaking out about the lack of female representation in this year's Oscars nominations.

The actress highlighted the "persistent barriers for women" in filmmaking while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah to promote her latest film, The Gallerist, on Saturday, January 24.

Portman, 44, expressed frustration over the Best Director category, where only one woman, Chloe Zhao for Hamnet, received a nomination.

"So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women. You just see the barriers at every level because so many were not recognised at awards time," she told Variety. The actress continued, "Between Sorry Baby and Left-Handed Girl and Hedda and The Testament of Ann Lee Extraordin...