Although 4 Oscar-winning directors are already possibilities for 2023, they all face one problem.
It no longer helps to be white males or U.S. natives — as Spielberg, Scorsese & the half-French Chazelle are. Mendes, who’s English, has a slight advantage. What now may resonate well with Oscar’s far-flung voters are female directors, female-driven storylines & men with international profiles like:
* Maria Schrader, a native of Germany, for her drama SHE SAID (Universal/Annapurna/Plan B) with Carey Mulligan & Zoe Kazan. It’s based on Megan Twohey & Jodi Kantor’s bestseller about the Harvey Weinstein sex assault scandal, which they broke about in the NY Times.
*Sarah Polley for her drama WOMEN TALKING (UAR/Orion/Plan B), with Frances McDormand, about an isolated religious colony where women are suffering sexual assaults. Polley, a native of Canada, adapted WT from Miriam Toews’s novel.
* Luca Guadagnino for his drama BONES AND ALL (MGM/UAR) about a young black woman (Taylor Russell) surviving on society’s margins. Guadagnino, a native of Italy, directed & co-produced CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, a best picture Oscar nominee, starring Timothée Chalamet, in 2018.
* Yorgus Lanthimos for his romantic sci-fi drama POOR THINGS (Searchlight Pictures) about a young woman (Emma Stone – pictured) who’s brought back to life by an eccentric scientist. Lanthimos, a native of Greece, has had 3 Oscar noms — in 2019 for directing THE FAVOURITE & for co-producing that best picture nominee; and in 2017 for his original screenplay THE LOBSTER.