Best Director
Before the Academy expanded the Best Picture race to include up to 10 nominees, the Best Director category would often be a close mirror of the five recipients of a Best Picture nomination. However, not since 2008, when Julian Schnabel (deservedly) picked up a berth for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly has a director been nominated without their film in the Best Picture slot.
As a result, we can instantly narrow the list down to around 10 contenders. The only real locks on this category so far come from two directors who made audacious risks with their films and succeeded wildly. Richard Linklater, who crafted one of the year’s most enduring films despite shooting it as a side project for 12 years, is the man to beat. Alejandro González Iñárritu should be stiff competition, though, and his bold move to film Birdman in a way that gives the illusion of a two-hour long take is daring enough to earn another nomination.
The Academy, however, flirts with honoring new talent (remember Benh Zeitlin’s name drawing stunned surprise in the announcement room two years ago) and keeping with familiar names (Alexander Payne’s nod for Nebraska last year). Among less familiar names, both Ava DuVernay and Morten Tyldum likely have the best chances due to the widespread admiration of their period films Selma and The Imitation Game. James Marsh also has a solid chance for The Theory of Everything, although the category is normally delegated to critics’ darlings (like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and The Tree of Life). The Theory of Everything, despite outstanding performances, has earned mediocre reviews.
With so much new talent getting recognition in the category – Linklater, Tyldum and DuVernay have never received directing nods – one may expect a Hollywood heavyweight to fill the fifth spot. Gone Girl’s David Fincher and American Sniper’s Clint Eastwood both received much critical praise for their work and their oeuvre is familiar to the Academy. Bennett Miller and Damien Chazelle probably should be nominated for creating an indelible feel, style and atmosphere to their low-budget gems, Foxcatcher and Whiplash, but those films may be too small for a crowded slate.
That brings us to the final, and likely, fifth contender: Wes Anderson. Despite a few nominations for original screenplay, he has never been in this category. Given the momentum The Grand Budapest Hotel has seen in recent weeks, his chance to appear here rises by the day. He is a wild card pick, especially since directors often need an acting nomination for their films to secure a nomination in this category. However, given the technical expertise of his latest film likely to secure production and costume design, among other technical categories, he has a good enough chance to break out.
Predictions:
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay, Selma
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game