David Cronenberg

The master of the Canadian independent film, David Cronenberg, has never been nominated for an Oscar.  He’s been honored by the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars but the Academy itself has never seen fit to nominate him.

Some of that is because Cronenberg’s early films were all of the horror genre and that’s usually the kiss of death when it comes to the Oscars.  (Though that has started  to change in recent years….)  But, even as Cronenberg moved more into the “mainstream,” the Academy still seemed hesitant to embrace him.  After Map of the Stars, it was rumored that Cronenberg had retired from filmmaking and it seemed like the Academy’s only hope would be to eventually give him an honorary award, as they did for David Lynch last year.

Well, it turns out that the rumors of Cronenberg’s retirement were premature.  He’s got a film coming out later this year.  Now, I realize that David Cronenberg is about 80 years old and, in another ten years, he’ll be at an age when most people are very much retired.  That said, I hope he does have a few more films in him and I would love to see David Cronenberg win his first Oscar between now and 2032!  Seriously, I think his acceptance speech would be killer.  If nothing else, he deserves it for being such a good spot about appearing in Jason X.

Here are five other directors that I would like to see win their first Oscar within the next ten years:

2. Wes Anderson

He was previously nominated for Grand Budapest Hotel.  That this year’s French Dispatch was both praised and criticized as being “the most Wes Anderson film that Wes Anderson has ever made” is a sign of why he sometimes struggles with the Academy.  Anderson is one of those directors who people either love or hate.  You either respond to his trademark quirkiness or you sit there with a permanent frown on your face.  My hope is that enough people will love him that he’ll pick up his first directing Oscar in the next ten years.

3. Fran Kranz

Mass was one of the best and, in its low-key way, bravest films of 2021 and I can’t wait to see what Kranz is going to do next.  Somehow, it seems appropriate that the stoner from The Cabin In The Woods just might be our next great director.

4. Emma Seligman

Shiva Baby was one of the best films of 2021, with director Emma Seligman deftly mixing comedy, horror, drama, and even a little romance with the surest of hands.  Much as with Fran Kranz, I can’t wait to see what she does next.

5. David Lowery

Like Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater, David Lowery is a Texas filmmaker who has emerged as one of the best independent voices working today.  A Ghost Story and The Green Knight both deserved a bit more Oscar consideration than they were given.

6. Sofia Coppola

Get with it, Academy!