First-Time Directors Reveal How They Sidled Their Way Into the Oscar Race
Every awards season brings fresh elements: rising stars, innovative creations, captivating narratives. This year, at least six new directors have made their mark right from the start. Actress Embeth Davidtz, known for her roles in “Schindler’s List,” “Matilda,” and “The Morning Show,” wrote and directed her feature directorial debut, “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, a film about a white Zimbabwean family during the Rhodesian Bush War”; actor Jack Huston, a grandson of John Huston, wrote and led the boxing drama “Day of the Fight“; Malcolm Washington, son of Denzel Washington, co-wrote and directed “The Piano Lesson, based on the August Wilson play”; cinematographer Rachel Morrison, who has worked on “Black Panther” and “Mudbound,” took charge behind the camera for “The Fire Inside“, another boxing movie; Josh Margolin wrote and directed “Thelma, inspired by a true story that happened to his grandmother”; and film editor William Goldenberg, who has worked on “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” directed “Unstoppable“, a film about a boxer born with one leg.
