OSCARS 2014: Know Your Nominees: Best Director.

2014 best director nomineesIn the days leading up to the 86th Academy Awards, FilmBuffOnline will be offering profiles on all the nominees in the major categories. Some may be well know, others might be new to you, but if you need a refresher on these talented nominees, here it is.

Alfonso Cuarón

AlfonsoCuaronNominated for: Directing the tale of a pair of astronauts stranded in space in Gravity.

Other honors for directing this film:

Won, Best Director, Austin Film Institute Awards.

Won, Best Director, Australian Film Institute Awards.

Won, David Lean Award for  Direction, 2014 BAFTA Awards.

Won, Best Director, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.

Won, Best Director, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards.

Won, Best Director, 2014 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Won, Best Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards.

Won, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, Directors Guild of America Awards.2nd Place, Best Director, Florida Film Critics Circle Awards.

Won, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Won, Best Director, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards. [TIE]

Won, Director of the Year, London Critics Circle Film Awards.

2nd Place, Best Director, National Society of Film Critics Awards.

Won, Best Director, Online Film Critics Society Awards.

Won, Best Director, Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards.

Won, Best Director, San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.

Won, Best Director, San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Satellite Awards.

2nd Place, Best Director, Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards.

Won, Best Director, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards.

Won, Best Director, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.

Where you might know him from:

Cuarón broke on to the scene with the racy Y Tu Mamá También, but many filmgoers might recognize his name from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or Children of Men.

History with Oscar:

Alfonso Cuarón is also nominated this year for Best Achievement in Film Editing (with Mark Sanger) and Best Motion Picture of the Year (with David Heyman). In addition, he has three prior Oscar nominations.

2003: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (with Carlos Cuarón), Y Tu Mamá También (Lost to Pedro Almodóvar, Talk to Her).

2007: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (with Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby), Children of Men (Lost to William Monahan, The Departed).

2007: Best Achievement in Film Editing (with Alex Rodríguez), Children of Men (Lost to Thelma, Schoonmaker, The Departed)

Steve McQueen

Steve McQueenNominated for: Directing the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man forced into slavery in 12 Year a Slave.

Other honors for directing this film:

Nominated, Best Director, Australian Film Institute Awards.

Nominated, David Lean Award for  Direction, 2014 BAFTA Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Director, Motion Picture, Black Reel Awards.

Won, Best Director, Boston Society of Film Critics Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards.

Won, Best Director, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, 2014 Critics’ Choice Awards.

2nd Place, Best Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, Directors Guild of America Awards.Won, Best Director, Florida Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture, Image Awards.

Won, Best Director, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards. [TIE]

Won, Best Director, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards.

Nominated, Director of the Year, London Critics Circle Film Awards.

3rd Place, Best Director, National Society of Film Critics Awards.

Won, Best Director, New York Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Online Film Critics Society Awards.

Won, Director of the Year Award, Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Nominated, Best Director, Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Satellite Awards.

Won, Best Director, Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards.

3rd Place, Best Director, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards.

Won, Best Director, Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.

Where you might know him from:

McQueen was a big name in the art world before he turned his attention to film directing with Hunger and Shame.

History with Oscar:

This is Steve McQueen’s his first Oscar nomination but he is also nominated this year for Best Motion Picture of the Year as Producer of 12 Years a Slave.

 

Alexander Payne

Alexander+Payne+12th+Annual+AFI+Awards+Arrivals+JWpOhfhl_brlNominated for: Directing the story of a old man on a road trip to claim an imaginary fortune in Nebraska.

Other honors for directing this film:

Nominated, Best Director, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards.

3rd Place, Best Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, Director’s Guild of America.

Nominated, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Independent Spirit Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards.

Where you might know him from:

Payne also directed Sideways, About Schmidt, and Election.

History with Oscar:

Alexander Payne has been nominated for an Oscar five times in the past, winning twice.

2000: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (with Jim Taylor), Election (Lost to John Irving, The Cider House Rules).

2005: Best Achievement in Directing, Sideways (lost to Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby).

2005: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (with Jim Taylor),  Sideways (Won).

2012: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash), The Descendants (Won).

2012: Best Motion Picture of the Year (with Jim Burke and Jim Taylor), The Descendants (Lost to The Artist).

David O. Russell

david o russellNominated for: Directing a meeting of con artists, FBI agents and corrupt politicians in American Hustle.

Other honors for directing this film:

Nominated, Best Director, Australian Film Institute Awards.

Nominated, David Lean Award for  Direction, 2014 BAFTA Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.

Won, Capri Director Award, Capri, Hollywood

Nominated, Best Director, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, 2014 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, Directors Guild of America Awards.

Nominated, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards.

2nd Place, Best Director, New York Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Satellite Awards.

Where you might know him from:

Russell has directed films such as Spanking the MonkeyThree Kings, and I Heart Huckabees.

History with Oscar:

David O. Russell has been nominated for one Oscar but is also nominated this year for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

2011: Best Achievement in Directing, The Fighter (Lost to Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech).

2013: Best Achievement in Directing, Silver Linings Playbook (Lost to Ang Lee, The Life of Pi).

2013: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, Silver Linings Playbook (Lost to Chris Terrio, Argo)

 

Martin Scorsese

Martin_ScorseseNominated for: Directing the true story of Wall Street criminal Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Other honors for directing this film:

Nominated, David Lean Award for  Direction, 2014 BAFTA Awards.

2nd Place, Best Director, Boston Society of Film Critics Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, 2014 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, Director’s Guild of America.

Nominated, Director of the Year, London Critics Circle Film Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Satellite Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.

Where you might know him from:

Scorsese is one of the honored and reknown directors in film today, with a resume that includes Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed and many others.

History with Oscar:

Martin Scorcese has been nominated for an Oscar ten times in the past, winning once, and is nominated for another award this year–with Graham King for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Hugo.

1981: Best Director, Raging Bull (Lost to Robert Redford, Ordinary People).

1989: Best Director, The Last Temptation of Christ (Lost to Barry Levinson, Rain Man).

1991: Best Director, Goodfellas (Lost to Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves).

1991: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (with Nicholas Pileggi), Goodfellas (Lost to Michael Blake, Dances with Wolves).

1994: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (with Jay Cocks), The Age of Innocence (Lost to Steve Zaillian, Schindler’s List).

2003: Best Director, Gangs of New York (Lost to Roman Polanski, The Pianist).

2005: Best Achievement in Directing, The Aviator (lost to Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby).

2007: Best Achievement in Directing, The Departed (Won).

2012: Best Motion Picture of the Year (with Graham King), Hugo (Lost to The Artist).

2012: Best Achievement in Directing, Hugo (Lost toMichel Hazanavicius, The Artist)

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About Bill Gatevackes 2070 Articles
William is cursed with the shared love of comic books and of films. Luckily, this is a great time for him to be alive. His writing has been featured on Broken Frontier.com, PopMatters.com and in Comics Foundry magazine.
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