| 1. Bong Joon Ho – Parasite (Neon) – BAFTA, CCA, DGA, GG |
| 2. Sam Mendes – 1917 (Universal) – BAFTA, CCA, DGA, GG |
| 3. Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia) – BAFTA, CCA, DGA, GG |
| 4. Martin Scorsese – The Irishman (Netflix) – BAFTA, CCA, DGA, GG |
| 5. Greta Gerwig – Little Women (Sony/Columbia) – CCA |
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
| James Mangold – Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox) |
| Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight) – DGA |
| Todd Phillips – Joker (Warner Bros) – BAFTA, GG |
| Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story (Netflix) – CCA |
| Josh and Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems (A24) – CCA |
WATCH OUT FOR (alphabetical by film)
| Marielle Heller – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony/TriStar) |
| Jay Roach – Bombshell (Lionsgate) |
| Lorene Scafaria – Hustlers (STX) |
| Fernando Meirelles – The Two Popes (Netflix) |
| Lulu Wang – The Farewell (A24) |
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
| Terrence Malick – A Hidden Life (Fox Searchlight) |
| Pedro Almodóvar – Pain and Glory (Sony Classics) |
| Jordan Peele – Us (Universal) |
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AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future 
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B] 
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+] 
‘Minotaur’ Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Timeless, Domestic Epic is an Unflinching Look at Putin’s Russia [A] Cannes