Guide to Oscar: Best Director

The Best Director category is one of the original Oscar categories. In the first year of the award there were two Best Director categories, one to recognize work on drama films and one to recognize work on comedies. In every year since the first, there has only been one Best Director award given out.

This year's nominees:

Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris

7th nomination for Director. Previously won for Annie Hall and nominated for Interiors, Broadway Danny Rose, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Bullets Over Broadway.

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

First nomination.

Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

2nd nomination. Previously nominated for The Thin Red Line.

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

2nd nomination for Director. Previously nominated for Sideways.

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

7th nomination for Director. Previously won for The Departed and nominated for The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas, The Last Temptation of Christ and Raging Bull.