Jane Campion
Directing Nominations: “The Piano” (1993)
Other Oscar History: Campion won a Screenplay Oscar for “The Piano,” which also picked up awards for Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin, and eight nods in total, including Best Picture. Beyond that, “The Portrait of A Lady” got two nominations, including one for Supporting Actress for Barbara Hershey, while “Bright Star” got a nod for Costume Design.
What She Should Have Won For: If we could give Campion an Oscar for the TV show “Top Of The Lake,” maybe her finest hour, we would, and “The Piano” was certainly deserving of the attention it received, a tougher and more powerful film than it might have appeared on the surface. But if we were going to pick out any picture, it might be Campion’s most recent theatrical feature, 2009’s tremendous and underrated “Bright Star.” A biopic of poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw), following his romance with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), the film is a delicate and quietly passionate love story that (complete with photography from the then-unknown Greig Fraser, who is now one of the best in the game) captures all the complexity of an early affair, while simultaneously paying tribute to Keats’ work. Making a film about poetry work is quite a feat, and one that Campion deserved more recognition than she got for.
Next Chance To Win: After heading up the Cannes jury this year, it looks like Campion’s next could be an adaptation of Rachel Kushner‘s acclaimed novel “The Flamethrowers.”
Honorable Mentions: As we said above, we’ve limited this to directors who actually have Best Director nominations, so obvious picks like Spike Lee, Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater will be dealt with a future piece. Among those who have nominations in the past, but didn’t make the cut here, are Spike Jonze, Peter Weir, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, Michael Haneke, Jason Reitman, Bennett Miller, George Clooney, Fernando Mereilles, Atom Egoyan, Neil Jordan, John Singleton, Stephen Frears, John Boorman, and plenty more. Let us know who you think is the most overlooked in the comments section.