Martin Scorsese passes Steven Spielberg to become the most Oscar-nominated director of all time. This year, the director came out with the critically-acclaimed Killers of the Flower Moon, a near 3.5 hour long historical epic about the murders of members of the Osage tribe. This morning, it was announced that Scorsese was nominated for Best Director for the film at the 96th Academy Awards.
As recounts The Hollywood Reporter, Scorsese’s recent Oscar nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon makes him the most-nominated director in Oscar history. Scorsese has now been nominated for ten Best Director Oscars — for Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman, and now Killers of the Flower Moon. This achievement makes him the most-nominated director of all time, passing the record previously held by Spielberg.
Who Will Win Best Director At The Oscars?
Despite being nominated nine times previously, Scorsese has only won Best Director once, for 2006’s The Departed. This fact makes his chances at Best Director for Killers of the Flower Moon more likely. Not only is Killers of the Flower Moon excellent in its own right, but a win for the film would be akin to a lifetime achievement award of sorts for Scorsese, after decades of being celebrated at the Oscars with very few actual wins.
Scorsese’s competition for Best Director is stiff this year, however, diminishing his chances at the win. Scorsese is competing against the directors of two acclaimed international films (Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest and Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall), an indie darling turned creative genius in Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), and Oppenheimer’s Christopher Nolan. All of these directors, in their creativity, authorial control, and existing awards clout (in the case of Nolan) pose threats to Scorsese for different reasons, making a win for the octogenarian auteur far from a lock.
Oscars 2024 Best Picture Predictions: Nominees & Winner
The official Oscars 2024 nominations have been announced, including the 10 Best Picture nominees, and here’s a prediction of who will win.
At the time of writing, the biggest frontrunner for Best Director at the Oscars seems to be Nolan. Nolan took home the prize at the Golden Globe award this year, and scored a BAFTA nomination, whereas Scorsese was not even nominated for the latter award. Additionally, Oppenheimer scored the most Oscar nominations of any film this year, pushing it to the fore for major categories including both Best Picture and Best Director. So, while Scorsese still may have a shot at Best Director, Oppenheimer’s Nolan will be a tough one for Killers of the Flower Moon to beat.
