Denis Villeneuve’s Hopes for Best Director Oscar Fade with DGA Snub
Denis Villeneuve was a strong contender for Best Director at the 2025 Oscars following the release of Dune: Part Two, but his hopes have now been dashed with a snub from the Directors Guild of America (DGA) nominations. The DGA’s track record of predicting the Oscars’ Best Director winner is impressive, with only eight instances where the DGA winner did not win the Oscar.
The DGA nominations have now been announced, and Villeneuve did not receive a nomination. This is a significant blow to his chances of winning the Oscar, as the DGA has correctly predicted the winner of the Best Director category at the Academy Awards 70 times in the past 76 years.
While Villeneuve’s loss is a gain for the other five nominees, Jacques Audiard, Edward Berger, Sean Baker, Brady Corbet, and James Mangold, the director’s chances of receiving an Oscar nomination are still not entirely lost. The DGAs and Oscars have not always aligned on the five Best Director nominees, and Oscar voters have made exceptions for bigger names in the past.
However, Villeneuve’s fading presence in the race is evident, with other directors like Audiard, Berger, Baker, and Corbet racking up nominations from various awards ceremonies, including the BAFTA, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards. Coralie Fargeat, another contender, also received nominations from the BAFTA, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards, making her a strong challenger to Villeneuve’s nomination hopes.
Ultimately, while Villeneuve’s DGA snub has dealt a significant blow to his Oscar hopes, it is not impossible for him to still receive a nomination. However, his chances are now slim, and the director will need to rely on a strong finish to the awards season to turn his fortunes around.