12 directors snubbed by the Oscars

Director Ridley Scott, the man behind several classic films, has never won an Oscar despite being nominated for Best Director for films such as Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. He was even largely overlooked for such notable works as Blade Runner, Alien, American Gangster and House of Gucci. In 2024, Ridley Scott also failed to secure an Oscar nomination for the film Napoleon.

Expectations are high in 2024 for Christopher Nolan and his film Oppenheimer. The director has received Best Director nominations in the past for Interstellar and Dunkirk, but the man behind such hits as The Dark Knight and Inception has never managed to get his hands on a prestigious statuette to date!

Fans of the Barbie film are deeply disappointed by Margot Robbie’s absence from the Best Actress category. Just as unexpectedly, Greta Gerwig was also overlooked in the Best Director category.

The absence of Ben Affleck’s name from the list of favorite directors for his film Argo at the 85th Oscars in 2013 led to widespread criticism of the Academy. The directors shortlisted were Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook, Michael Haneke for Amour, Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Ang Lee won the statuette for Life of Pi.

From the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, as well as recent works such as The Post, Bridge of Spies and West Side Story, Steven Spielberg, despite his illustrious career, has often come away from the Oscars empty-handed.

Director Quentin Tarantino has a complex relationship with the Oscars, often falling by the wayside. He lost out to Forrest Gump with Pulp Fiction in 1995, was left without a nomination for Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2. Although nominated for Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, no statuette was won. In 2020, director Bong Joon-ho won Best Director for Parasite, surpassing Tarantino with Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

Bradley Cooper’s absence from the Best Director category at the 2019 Oscars for the film A Star Is Born disappointed many fans. It was Alfonso Cuarón who won the prestigious statuette for his film Roma ahead of strong contenders, including Spike Lee with BlacKkKlansman.

Quebec director Denis Villeneuve did not win the statuette despite being nominated for his work on Arrival. But it was his absence from the Best Director category for the hit film Dune, despite its 10 nominations at the 94th Oscars, that was a major disappointment for many fans.

Director Baz Luhrmann, behind Elvis, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet, has never been honored with an Oscar nomination in the Best Director category! His absence from the nominations for the 74th Oscars, particularly for Moulin Rouge, drew criticism from many observers.

The decision not to nominate Ava DuVernay in the Best Director category for Selma, despite the film’s nomination in the Best Picture category, was criticized by many observers.

The question has been raised as to why the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy didn’t win a statuette for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, but in particular for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Peter Jackson was, however, honored with a nomination for the final film in the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

The list of Martin Scorsese snobs is long. Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman come to mind. Scorsese is back in the running at this year’s 2024 Oscars with Killers of the Flower Moon. The director has only won one Oscar in this category, in 2007 with The Departed.