Ten Legendary Directors Who Never Got Nominated For An Academy Award
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
While we are still in Oscars mode — and considering I spotlighted twenty different stars that have yet to be nominated — I wanted to go one step further and observe the following ten cases of blasphemy. In the history of cinema, there are quite a few legendary filmmakers that never got nominated for a single Academy Award. I don’t mean just for Best Director. I mean not a single nomination outside of that (say, if these filmmakers also wrote their own screenplays, or edited their own features, or made short films that got nominated). To place that final proverbial straw to break the camel’s back, I am also including honorary Oscars (so no Jean-Luc Godard) and international feature film winners and nominees (the prize usually goes to the countries; so no Mira Nair). Other people nominated for these directors’ works are fine, because they’re being recognized and not the filmmakers themselves. These are iconic directors without a single nomination or win attached to their name, and I think it’s quite frankly shocking. A couple of these directors are still working today, so maybe their time will come, and the other directors can hopefully get some honorary love. From what I can tell, honorary Oscars aren’t typically given posthumously, but shouldn’t they be by now? The medium is well over one hundred years old, and many names are worth celebrating for their contributions to cinema. Either way, here are your (deserving) nominees.
Abbas Kiarostami
Considering that Abbas Kiarostami has made some of the greatest documentaries of all time, you’d think the late Iranian auteur would have wound up in one these categories. His narrative features were also outstanding, with Taste of Cherry being a Palme d’Or winner and all (and Certified Copy being one of the best films of the 2010’s). He got nothing for his writing, nor was he honoured as an international filmmaker. He was invited to be a part of the Academy as a member shortly before his passing, but I think at least an honorary Oscar is a must by now.
Fritz Lang
Okay, so Metropolis was made around the time that the first Academy Award nominated films were released (still, its absence is startling), but Fritz Lang had a long and illustrious career. I can maybe blame the lack of notice of international films around the start of the Oscars (many international filmmakers made their way to Hollywood, like Josef von Sternberg), but there isn’t even an honorary Oscar for the guy who made the greatest silent film of all time (which changed science fiction and cinematic techniques permanently).
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai is one of the most acclaimed directors of our time. He has not a single Oscar nomination to his name. Not for any of the international films that set the world on fire (particularly In the Mood for Love, considering the love for his earlier films took a bit longer to gestate over time, but this work was beloved instantly). Not for his singular direction. Nothing. His only film to be nominated at all is The Grandmaster for its cinematography and costume design. Not sure what the Academy has against Wong Kar-wai, but it’s a little ridiculous at this point.
Robert Bresson
Robert Bresson had a concise filmography full of mostly direct, no-nonsense films full of hyper tragedy. That may not have sat well with the Academy, but I can only imagine that they were also swept away by the French New Wave directors that would wind up taking pointers from Bresson (one of the more successful directors within the Academy from this movement being François Truffaut). Considering that many art directors throughout history owe a lot to Bresson, I think he warrants something from the Academy.
Claire Denis
Claire Denis is still going strong, having just won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Fire. Over the years, she has left her mark with a number of noteworthy films, including Beau Travail, White Material, and 2019’s High Life. The Academy clearly doesn’t know this. I’m aware the Academy has had major issues acknowledging women in the filmmaking industry for far too long, but knowing that Denis hasn’t been even noticed for decades feels insulting.
Yasujirō Ozu
The Academy has shown some love for Japan in their Best International Feature Film categories, and occasionally outside of it as well (Akira Kurosawa was nominated for Best Director for Ran, which he frankly should have won, and Hiroshi Teshigahara was nominated for his directing of Woman in the Dunes). However, Yasujirō Ozu is sadly not a part of this company, despite the fact that a number of his works — including Tokyo Story and Late Spring — are considered not only some of the best of the nation but of all time.
Andrei Tarkovsky
I am aware that the works of Andrei Tarkovsky aren’t for everyone, and that their stature have grown over the years, but if the BAFTAs can acknowledge The Sacrifice, then so can the Academy (besides, he has how many masterful works?). A director with a rare perfect filmography — and whose impact continues to be felt heavily within cinema circles today — not acknowledging Tarkovsky is wrong.
Ousmane Sembène
While the Academy has opened up its comfort zone a little bit with some love for international cinema (especially with international films having been nominated for Best Picture the last few years, and with the first winner with Parasite), there is still room to grow. African cinema just isn’t covered enough, and that’s where the master of the continent’s filmmaking artistry — Ousmane Sembène — comes into play. I don’t think his films were big enough to be noticed upon release during his prime, but some acknowledgement for putting an entire continent’s cinema on the map would be nice. Isn’t it time?
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
The works of Rainer Werner Fassbinder were being released around the time that the Academy was starting to really open up to recognizing international achievements, and the late auteur was prolific enough to have countless noteworthy works during his career. Perhaps his subject matter was too taboo or challenging, but the bulk of his films were released during the decade where the Academy got a little more daring (I mean The Deer Hunter won Best Picture), so I still feel like not even recognizing him even once is inexcusable.
Carl Theodor Dreyer
The final director here that has been completely ignored by the Academy Awards is Carl Theodor Dreyer. Consider that The Passion of Joan of Arc was a sensation upon release but apparently wasn’t good enough to go toe-to-toe with something like The Broadway Melody. His artistic vision would be released on an occasional basis afterward, but each and every film from that point onward was as strong as the last. Beside, wouldn’t Dreyer have been known as a major innovator who kept reinventing himself the decades into his career by the time Gertrud was released? Granted, it was more polarizing when it dropped, but if Cecil B. DeMille can be handed an Oscar for the atrocity known as The Greatest Show on Earth, then Dreyer can get something as well. Over ninety years since Joan of Arc came out, and there still isn’t even an honorary Oscar to his name.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from X University (formerly known as Ryerson), as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.