Historically, the Best Director category has been primarily filled by directors with films that come out late in the year, the classic awards season that starts in late November. This isn’t necessarily the rule anymore, with the past two Best Director awards going to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere, All at Once, released in July and March of their respective years. It’s possible to be nominated for the Oscar award with any release date and win the top prize. For all we know, this year’s winner has already been released.
Thus far, we have seen one clear frontrunner in Denis Villeneuve for Dune: Part Two. Frankly, this film is the current frontrunner for many awards, both above and below the line. This would make Villeneuve’s second nomination for Best Director, his first coming for the science fiction film Arrival. Many thought he could squeeze in for Dune: Part One at the 94th Academy Awards, but was ultimately edged out from the already stacked list by Kenneth Branagh for Belfast and Ryusuke Hamaguchi for Drive My Car, the latter of which displayed the continued growing success of international films and filmmakers garnering more attention by the Academy over the past decade.
Villeneuve’s popularity among film lovers has skyrocketed since the release of the first Dune, and he’s proven capable of several different kinds of films. Whether it’s a smaller, more intimate story like Enemy or Prisoners, a high-stress crime thriller like Sicario, or large-scale action adaptations like Dune, Villeneuve delivers entertaining, thought-provoking films time after time. He also offers a unique visual style, which puts some people off. His films are hyper-realistic in lighting and color without much extra flare to brighten things up. This near-brutalist imagery gives audiences something different than the bland color palette of a streaming show or film. It’s also the antithesis of over-stylized cinematography that blasts neon colors into every frame. This style sets him apart, allowing him to bring something only he could envision to the screen.
Another Spring contender could be director Luca Guadagnino for Challengers, a film that has already been memed to death on social media. Its instant online popularity may fade quickly, but ignoring a movie like this that takes the world by storm is impossible. Ironically, Zendaya is one of the stars carrying this one and Dune: Part Two. While Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name was nominated for Best Picture, he has never gotten a nod for directing. There’s clear evidence that the Academy responds to his films, and this is easily the most accessible film of his since the Best Picture nomination at the 90th Academy Awards. It’s also important to note that his film was meant to come out last fall, and another film will be released sometime this year. Queer, starring Daniel Craig, is also being eyed as a potential awards player, and whichever film is more palatable to audiences and voters alike could get Guadagnino a nomination that encapsulates love for both movies.
Thankfully, there are many more films to look forward to this year, and the release of George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga this past weekend will likely shake things up in several categories. As it stands, Denis Villeneuve is the clear-cut favorite in our eyes, but he will have to weather many storms in the coming months to keep that momentum going.
