The DGA shakes things up with a Mangold nomination

by Cláudio Alves

The guilds are going wild for James Mangold's A COMPLETE UNKNOWN.

The Directors Guild of America has had its say, nudging the awards season in one clear direction. And that is the way for A Complete Unknown, James Mangold's latest biopic which has amassed strong box office numbers and now is a threat for a Best Director Oscar nomination. Nathaniel was right to predict him in our first round of Team Experience punditry. But along with Mangold's inclusion come many notorious absences, including Jon M. Chu, whose best chance at a major Best Director prize was this guild honor whose tastes run closer to the Hollywood mainstream than the Academy's branch tends to be. Denis Villeneuve and Coralie Fargeat are also nowhere to be found, while RaMell Ross and Payal Kapadia were only honored in the First Feature category. 

Discover the complete list of DGA nominees after the jump…

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Oscar Volley: Venice and Cannes loom over Best Director

Here's Nathaniel R and Elisa Giudici on the Best Director race...

ANORA, Sean Baker | © NEON

NATHANIEL: Elisa, my far away friend, I miss attending festivals with you. One of the greatest joys of film festivals, as opposed to normal moviegoing / movie coverage, is that it's a departure. It's both more intimate (you're choosing a bunch of films to watch alone even if you're discussing them later with strangers and friends) and more expansive: generally speaking you see films from all over the world (if you're doing it right) and it's more auteur-focused. The latter brings us to today's volley topic: BEST DIRECTOR...

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An Early Look at the Best Director Oscar Race

by Eric Blume

Will THE BRUTALIST's "big bold vision" secure Brady Corbet his first Oscar nomination?

While The Film Experience writers gear up for their own Oscar predictions, I (probably like you) spend my time on several other industry sites to see what the current predictions are.  

This is a super fun time of the year, because nobody is out with citations or nominations, so it's not yet thuddeningly predictable.  Which makes it all the more surprising is that everywhere I read, almost ALL the forecasters seem to have the same five names listed as our nominees for the Best Director Oscar...

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Venice 2024: Jury of One

by Elisa Giudici

As the Venice Film Festival draws to a close, the time has come to reflect on the competition, predict who will claim the prestigious Golden Lion, and consider which films will carry momentum into Oscar season. Above all, it's time to think about what will truly remain from this year's edition.

Overall Festival Impressions

Last year’s festival lacked consistency, with a mix of standout films and titles that induced sheer embarrassment. This year, however—thanks in part to a much stronger and more compelling Italian contingent—the competition has been far more solid, with only a couple of notable failures and several standout films. In fact, considering the lackluster showing at Cannes this year, Venice could very well take the title of Festival of the Year. The event is anchored by The Brutalist by Brady Corbet, a monumental work operating on a level unmatched by any other film this year. Almodóvar, Guadagnino, Salles, and Bing have also impressed...

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Venice '24: "The Brutalist" is monumental

Please join us in congratulating Elisa Giudici on this milestone, her 100th post for The Film Experience. Direct from Venice, Italy. And what a film, apparently, for this occassion. 

by Elisa Giudici

THE BRUTALIST

After multiple attempts, Brady Corbet has finally made his Great American Film. It’s always risky to make such a statement, but The Brutalist isn’t just the standout film of this year’s Venice Film Festival, nor merely the most ambitious and monumental project of 2024; It's a work destined to leave a lasting legacy. With the right reception, this could easily become a landmark in cinema history...

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