ACE’s Key Contenders
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Andrea Arnold BIRD ✪
Edward Berger CONCLAVE ✪
Frances Ford Coppola MEGALOPOLIS ✪
Luca Guadagnino QUEER ✪
Greg Kwedar SING SING ✪
Yorgos Lanthimos KINDS OF KINDNESS ✪
Steve McQueen BLITZ ✪
George Miller FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA ✪ †
Todd Phillips JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX ✪
Paolo Sorrentino PARTHENOPE ✪
Denis Villeneuve DUNE: PART TWO ✪
On ACE’s Radar
Ali Abbasi THE APPRENTICE
Jacques Audiard EMILIA PEREZ
Sean Baker ANORA
Wes Ball KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
James L. Brooks ELLA MCCAY
Mimi Cave HOLLAND, MICHIGAN
Jon M. Chu WICKED
Kevin Costner HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA
David Cronenberg THE SHROUDS
John Crowley WE LIVE IN TIME
Audrey Diwan EMMANUELLE
Clint Eastwood JUROR NO. 2
Robert Eggers NOSFERATU
Jesse Eisenberg A REAL PAIN
Coralie Fargeat THE SUBSTANCE
Nora Fingscheidt THE OUTRUN
Alex Garland CIVIL WAR
Rose Glass LOVE LIES BLEEDING
Michael Gracey BETTER MAN
Reinaldo Marcus Green BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
Luca Guadagnino CHALLENGERS
James Hawes THE AMATEUR
Marielle Heller NIGHTBITCH
Azazel Jacobs HIS THREE DAUGHTERS
Barry Jenkins MUFASA: THE LION KING
Duke Johnson THE ACTOR ▲
Bong Joon-ho MICKEY 17
Jonathan Kent LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
Kwame Kwei-Armah THE COLLABORATION
Pablo Larraín MARIA
Mike Leigh HARD TRUTHS
Barry Levinson ALTO KNIGHTS
Shawn Levy DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Kobi Libii THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES
Richard Linklater HIT MAN
David Lowery MOTHER MARY
Tina Mabry THE SUPREMES AT EARL’S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT
Kelsey Mann INSIDE OUT 2
Rachel Morrison FLINT STRONG
Morgan Neville PIECE BY PIECE
Jeff Nichols THE BIKERIDERS
Joshua Oppenheimer THE END
Oz Perkins LONGLEGS
Daina O. Pusić TUESDAY
Johan Renck SPACEMAN
John Ridley SHIRLEY
Joachim Rønning YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA
RaMell Ross THE NICKEL BOYS
Michael Sarnoski A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE
Aaron Schimberg A DIFFERENT MAN
Paul Schrader OH, CANADA
Trey Edward Shults Untitled Trey Edward Shults Project ▲
Kim Sang-man UPRISING
Tilman Singer CUCKOO
Taika Waititi KLARA AND THE SUN ▲
Sean Wang DIDI
Malcolm Washington THE PIANO LESSON
Jon Watts WOLFS
Robert Zemeckis HERE
✪ Expected to be key contender in category
▲ Eligibility for Oscars 2025 in question
† Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures