After last Oscars’ historic record of three female-directed films in Best Picture, we are again headed towards another round of awards season, albeit with no clear frontrunners yet as of the time of writing. Since 2017’s #MeToo, mainstream media outlets have been more cognizant of the routine exclusion of women in the Best Director conversation. Many cinephiles have also been vocal in addressing this issue, more than ever.
The issues female directors face is deeper and more systemic than just the awards season. However, this process of instant canonization is symptomatic of which kinds of art and artists are given more value by the critics and the industry. The fact we only had our ninth female nominee for Best Director at the last Oscars - in the Academy’s 96 years of existence - speaks loudly to this problem...
This year, are we going to have our tenth female nominee in Best Director? Here are this year’s possible contenders:
Coralie Fargeat - THE SUBSTANCE (MUBI, Sep 20)
Cannes: Best Screenplay
TIFF: People's Choice Award - Midnight Madness
One of the buzziest titles out of Cannes, this body horror/satire about the beauty standards imposed by society on women continues to get raves from critics and audiences alike as well as mid-screening walkouts. Lead star Demi Moore is also getting Oscar buzz for Best Actress. While the genre is far from what Oscars typically goes for, a changing Academy membership might be more receptive to this film. The passion this film is getting is the kind that will push Fargeat in Director, maybe even Picture too. (Metacritic: 85 / Rotten Tomatoes: 88%)
Halina Reijn - BABYGIRL (A24, Dec 25)
Venice Film Festival: Volpi Cup for Best Actress
Oscar winner Nicole Kidman headlines this film and even bags the Best Actress award from Venice. Following her indie hit Bodies Bodies Bodies, Reijn even gets her own buzz for her take on sex and power dynamics. While erotic thriller is another genre that the Academy is typically averse to, the response this film got is promising. A24 is already an established entity to Academy voters and though the distributor has a full plate this season, a December release suggests confidence from the distributor. (Metacritic: 82 / Rotten Tomatoes: 93%)
Marielle Heller - NIGHTBITCH (Searchlight, Dec 6)
TIFF: Tribute - Performer Award (for Amy Adams)
Marielle Heller continues her directorial streak with this highly buzzed adaptation of a famous novel. The result is ultimately well-received, with particular praise for Adams’ “go-for-broke” lead performance and Heller’s direction, noted for its big swings and tonal shifts. Don’t be deceived by its lower-than-usual numbers in MC and RT; Adams is very much in play in Best Actress (three of the last four Best Actress winners were from Searchlight). If she is going on a victory lap, she might just take the film with her. (Metacritic: 62 / Rotten Tomatoes: 64%)
Rachel Morrison - THE FIRE INSIDE (Amazon MGM, Dec 25)
TIFF: Special Presentations (Official Selection)
Morrison makes the leap to the director’s seat after becoming the first woman to be nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscars. Unlike the previous contenders, this biopic is very much in the Academy’s wheelhouse. Centering on the life of Olympian Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, this film is written by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). Even if its distributor already has another big contender in its hands with Nickel Boys, a Christmas release denotes confidence in this crowdpleaser’s awards prospects. (Metacritic: 78 / Rotten Tomatoes: 95%)
Payal Kapadia - ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT (Janus/Sideshow, Nov 15)
Cannes: Grand Prix
The most acclaimed title of the five, this probably also has the biggest hurdle to overcome with its nominations. After becoming the first Indian film to compete in Cannes’ main competition since 1994, it went on to win the Grand Prix and continues to be a favorite in the film festival circuit. However, political reasons might stop this from becoming India’s submission for International Feature Film. But with glowing reviews and a strong rooting factor, it might just make it against all odds (remember how Anatomy of a Fall made it in Picture and Director last year despite not being selected as its country’s submission). (Metacritic: 93 / Rotten Tomatoes: 100%)
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Nora Fingscheidt - THE OUTRUN (SPC, Oct 4)
Four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan is one of the big contenders for Best Actress for this Sundance release. A robust campaign from its distributor may push this film in other categories as well.
Andrea Arnold - BIRD (MUBI, Nov 8)
This indie darling is back in Cannes and has been touring film festivals for this coming-of-age drama starring Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Franz Rogowski (Passages).
Maura Delpero - VERMIGLIO (Sideshow, TBA)
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, this title is one of the frontrunners for Italy’s official submission for International Feature Film. Same distributor as All We Imagine as Light.
Angelina Jolie - WITHOUT BLOOD (TBA, TBA)
Oscar winner Jolie is also a Best Actress contender for her work in Pablo Larraín’s Maria. Her sixth directorial effort stars Oscar nominees Salma Hayek (Frida) and Demián Bichir (A Better Life).
Rungano Nyoni - ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL (A24, Dec 13)
From the director of the highly acclaimed I Am Not A Witch (UK’s Oscar entry in 2018), this film won the Best Director at this year’s Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Also distributed by A24.
THE REST OF THE FIELD (WELL, SOME OF THEM)
Déa Kulumbegashvili - April (TBA, TBA)
Mati Diop - Dahomey (MUBI, Oct 25)
Embeth Davidtz - Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (TBA, TBA)
Erica Tremblay - Fancy Dance (Apple, Jun 21)
Agnieszka Holland - Green Border (Kino Lorber, Jun 21)
Athina Rachel Tsangari - Harvest (TBA, TBA)
Molly Manning Walker - How to Have Sex (MUBI, Feb 2)
Jane Schoenbrun - I Saw the TV Glow (A24, May 3)
Maite Alberdi - In Her Place (Netflix, Oct 11)
Annie Baker - Janet Planet (A24, Jun 21)
Gia Coppola - The Last Showgirl (TBA, TBA)
Rose Glass - Love Lies Bleeding (A24, Mar 8)
Sydney Freeland - Rez Ball (Netflix, Sep 27)
Sandhya Suri - Santosh (Metrograph, TBA)
Minhal Baig - We Grown Now (SPC, Apr 19)
Do you predict any of these women to make it into this year’s Best Director lineup at the Oscars? Or do you expect Natalie Portman to present Best Director by saying:
