Is it crazy to suggest that Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and Sean Baker (Anora) are the only two locks for a Best Director nomination at this stage in the season? Maybe there’s a scenario where one of them is Ben Affleck-ed and misses out, but it’s somewhat rare to find the challenge of locking in the five Best Director nominees this wide open as we enter the start of the precursor season.
You may say directors like Denis Villenueve (Dune: Part Two) and Edward Berger (Conclave) are also feeling safe for nominations, but it’s hard to forget both directors were snubbed in 2021 and 2022, respectively. You’d like to think the Academy will learn from their mistakes, especially in Villenueve’s case, but history has a nasty case of repeating at the Oscars.
If that’s our line of thinking, that really only leaves that fifth spot up for grabs. The Academy has a strong recent history of acknowledging a director of a film not in the English language, which bodes well for Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez). But it could also lead to a nomination for Mohammad Rasoulof (The Seed of the Sacred Fig). And what to make of Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)? The film’s strong box office and pop culture dominance inches Fargeat closer to breaking into the final five and stopping this from being a total sausage party.
BEST DIRECTOR PREDICTIONS:
1. Brady Corbet – The Brutalist (A24)
2. Sean Baker – Anora (Neon)
3. Denis Villenueve – Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)
4. Edward Berger – Conclave (Focus Features)
5. Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
IN CONTENTION
Pedro Almodóvar – The Room Next Door (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jon M. Chu – Wicked (Universal Pictures)
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu (Focus Features)
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance (MUBI)
Tim Fehlbaum – September 5 (Paramount Pictures)
Luca Guadagnino – Queer (A24)
Greg Kwedar – Sing Sing (A24)
James Mangold – A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
Steve McQueen – Blitz (Apple Original Films)
Mohammad Rasoulof – The Seed of the Sacred Fig (NEON)
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM Studios)
Ridley Scott – Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
Discover more from Filmotomy
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
