For the first time ever, two female directors were vying for the Best Director prize. Chloe Zhao (for road movie
Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (for rape revenge saga
Promising Young Woman) will compete with David Fincher (
Mank), Thomas Vinterberg (
Another Round) and Lee Isaac Chung (
Minari). Should either win, they’ll become only the second female director ever to take the prize, after Kathryn Bigelow won in 2010 for
The Hurt Locker.
More than anyone else, the focus will be on these newcomers. British filmmaker Fennell, famed for playing Camilla Parker Bowles in
The Crown, has three Oscar nominations in total (also Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay).