The Best Director race is one of the most crowded in years with many veterans and newcomers receiving buzz.
The current front runner is Steve McQueen for his work on "12 Years A Slave." The film premiered at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals where it received universal praise. The film also received an Oscar boost with critics calling it the favorite to win Best Picture this year.
Another director who received lots of buzz out of the festival circuit was Alfonso Cuaron for "Gravity." The film is being called the "Life of Pi" and "Hugo" of the year. Both those films were nominated for Best Director and Best Picture. Additionally, the film's scope and ambition has created buzz for Cuaron with the director almost guaranteed a spot amongst the five nominated directors.
Joel and Ethan Coen also have a shot at a nomination spot after winning the Grand Prize Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for "Inside Llewyn Davis." The directors have been favorites of the Academy for their past efforts and this one, which is being praised as their best, should resonate with voters.
Paul Greengrass is likely to get nominated after receiving praise for "Captain Phillips," while Ryan Coogler could be the next Benh Zeitlin for his work on "Fruitvale Station." Zeitlin's first film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" earned the director a Best Director and Picture nomination at last year's Oscars.
A couple of directors who have already won Oscars or have been nominated could also get nods. They include Martin Scorsese for "Wolf of Wall Street," Ron Howard for "Rush" and David O. Russell for "American Hustle." However, these films have either not been seen or have not generated the sufficient buzz yet.
Other possibilities include Alexander Payne for "Nebraska," Ridley Scott for "The Counselor," J.C Chandor for "All is Lost" and Bennet Miller for "Foxcatcher."
Long shots include Spike Jonze's for his work on "Her," Jean Marc Vallee for "Dallas Buyers Club," Jason Reitman for "Labor Day," and Lee Daniel's for "Lee Daniel's The Butler."
As awards season shapes up, the race will become clearer and will most likely find a definitive front runner.
