The Best Director race at the Oscars is always among the more intriguing ones. The choosing of five directors usually indicates which films are favored in the Best Picture category. The winner of this category is also a solid predictor of which film will win Best Picture, which makes it all the more anticipated. This race is a lot tighter than most of the other ones. Here is a breakdown of the race.
The Locks
Most races feature three spots that are already locked and two wide open spaces that are being contested by a number of different candidates. This race is different however; there are four directors locked and the final spot is crowded with contestants.
The first lock is Ben Affleck, director of "Argo." Affleck has won nine precursor awards from distinguished awards associations such as the San Diego Film Critics, Online Film Critics, and Internet Film Critics. He has also been nominated for a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards. Argo is one of the top contenders to win Best Picture and this secures Affleck's nomination. Despite a successful career, this will be Affleck second ever Oscar nomination. He won back in 1998 for his screenplay "Good Will Hunting."
The second lock is Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty." Out of all the directors in contention, Bigelow has won more accolades than anyone else. Her 11 awards have been bestowed by such critics organizations as the New York Film Critics, the National Board of Review, and the Washington DC Film Critics. Factor in her Golden Globe nomination and the fact that "Zero Dark Thirty" is a bonafide Best Picture front-runner and you can be assured that Bigelow gets her third Academy Award nomination. Back in 2010 she became the first woman to ever win the Best Director Award. She also won the Best Picture Award for "The Hurt Locker" that same year as one of the film's producers.
The third spot is secured for Steven Spielberg and his direction in "Lincoln." Surprisingly, Spielberg has not won a single precursor award this season, which might make many question his nomination in this category. He did receive a Golden Globe nod, but his nomination is secure mainly because of Lincoln's status in the race. The film has not won many critics awards, but it has generated more buzz than any other film this season and this will translate into a nomination for Spielberg. Spielberg has accumulated 13 nominations in his career and has won the Oscar three times.
The fourth spot in this category belongs to Ang Lee. The director of "Life of Pi" has won two precursors and has been recognized by virtually every critics circle among the top directors. "Life of Pi" is not slated for a big night at the Oscars (or at any awards ceremony to this point), but it will surely receive a plethora of nominations. Best Director and Best Film are among those. Lee has been nominated for three Oscars and won back in 2006 for his direction in "Brokeback Mountain."
Contenders for the Final Spot
The final spot is being contested by six different directors. The first contestant is Tom Hooper for his direction in "Les Misérables." The film is widely believed to be a lock for one of the top five Best Picture slots and that would give the Oscar winning director a leg up in the competition. He was nominated by the Critics choice but he has not won a single accolade. His omission from the Globes creates a bit of an issue for his chances however. Hooper won the Best Director Oscar in 2011 for "The King's Speech."
The second major contestant is David O. Russel for "Silver Linings Playbook." Russell's film is also expected to take up one of the top five slots in the Best Picture category, but he was ignored by the Golden Globes. He has won three precursors from such distinguished organizations as the Hollywood and Satellite Awards. Russell was nominated for the Oscar in 2011 for "The Fighter."
Despite entering the race late, Quentin Tarantino is a major contender to win the final spot in this race for his direction in "Django Unchained." Tarantino has only won one Best Director award, but he did pick up a Golden Globe nomination over the other contenders for the final spot. The fact that "Django" can still nab a Best Picture nod also bodes well for Tarantino's chances in this category.
Paul Thomas Anderson's hopes of picking up a nomination for "The Master" have been fading with his film's chances at a big night at the Oscars. "PTA" (as he is often called) has won three precursor awards, but has been repeatedly ignored by major film awards for Best Director nominations and it is possible he also gets the cold shoulder from the Academy. They have given him five nominations in the past (though three of them have been for writing), so there is always a possibility he steals the final spot by surprise.
The other Anderson, Wes, can also steal the final spot. His film "Moonrise Kingdom" has been building up steam over the last few months and with a Best Picture nomination likely, the Director slot could also be possible. He has won two precursors and remains a longer shot than the aforementioned directors, but do not count him out.
The final major contestant in this category is Michael Haneke for "Amour." The Austrian film has been winning the majority of the foreign film awards and his Palme D'Or victory back in May could help his chances. Directors of foreign films are usually not given nominations, but the Academy could try and mix things up by giving Haneke a nomination.
Prediction: The final spot goes to David O. Russel. "Silver Linings Playbook" is a contender to win the Best Picture award and Russell will not be ignored.