This year at the Academy Awards could be historical in Best Director category. In the 80-year history of the Academy Awards, there have been three female nominees for Best Director, the most recent being way back in 1992 with Jane Campion (The Piano). Campion’s nomination was perhaps the best shot at a win for a female director, until this year, as Kathryn Bigelow is the favorite – and slowly gaining steam – for the job she did on The Hurt Locker. Bigelow was able to do what so many other directors have tried to do but failed, and that is tell a compelling story about the war in Iraq. Bigelow is getting the entire buzz early and often, and once the historical angle of this story picks up steam, expect her to run away with the win.
Bigelow’s closest competition might be her ex-husband, James Cameron
, who has publicly supported Bigelow winning. Cameron set a new bar for technical filmmaking with Avatar, and this should get him a slot easily in the nominee pool. Lost in the shuffle here is Quentin Tarantino, who directed what I feel to be the best movie of 2009, and one of the best of the decade, Inglourious Basterds. Of course, Tarantino’s War fantasy may be too “out there” for stuffy Academy voters, as was the case back in 1994 when Pulp Fiction lost out to the safer pick, Forrest Gump. Nevertheless, expect Tarantino to get his second career nomination.That leaves two spots left, one of which should go to Jason Reitman for
his timely character study, Up in the Air, leaving a knot of directors fighting for that fifth and final spot. There are a number of possibilities, including the Coen Brothers for A Serious Man, Pete Doctor and Bob Peterson for Pixar’s best film to date, Up, and, of course, Clint Eastwood for Invictus. However, the fifth director slot, much like the Best Actor pool, tends to 
lean towards a director who has no plausible chance of winning, but should be nominated. This year, that fifth spot goes to Lee Daniels for the urban drama Precious. Daniels should be recognized for making an unappealing story rather appealing, but don’t expect him to hoist the trophy over Bigelow this year.
his timely character study, Up in the Air, leaving a knot of directors fighting for that fifth and final spot. There are a number of possibilities, including the Coen Brothers for A Serious Man, Pete Doctor and Bob Peterson for Pixar’s best film to date, Up, and, of course, Clint Eastwood for Invictus. However, the fifth director slot, much like the Best Actor pool, tends to 
lean towards a director who has no plausible chance of winning, but should be nominated. This year, that fifth spot goes to Lee Daniels for the urban drama Precious. Daniels should be recognized for making an unappealing story rather appealing, but don’t expect him to hoist the trophy over Bigelow this year.PREDICTIONS:
James Cameron – Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
Lee Daniels – Precious
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Jason Reitman – Up in the Air
OTHER POSSIBILITIES:
Clint Eastwood – Invictus
Coen Brothers – A Serious Man
James Cameron – Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
Lee Daniels – Precious
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Jason Reitman – Up in the Air
OTHER POSSIBILITIES:
Clint Eastwood – Invictus
Coen Brothers – A Serious Man
Pete Doctor/Bob Peterson - Up
Michael Haneke – The White Ribbon
LONG SHOTS:
Spike Jonze – Where the Wild Things Are
Michael Haneke – The White Ribbon
LONG SHOTS:
Spike Jonze – Where the Wild Things Are
Jane Campion – Bright Star
