Entertainment · Film · 1 hr ago
Director Duos Gain Ground in This Year’s Oscar Race
Six films directed by pairs are in this year’s awards conversation, including “Project Hail Mary,” “La Bola Negra” and “You Can See Everything.”
The directors include longtime partners Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, known as Los Javis, and Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Only five director duos have been nominated for the Oscar for Best Director in the Academy Awards’ 98-year history.
The Directors Guild of America has a “One Director to a Film” rule, introduced in 1978, though pairs can request an exception by showing they intend to work together for life.
That rule could be an obstacle for Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, who had separate directing careers before joining forces on “You Can See Everything.”
More than one duo nominated this season would set a record, and past paired nominees have often won the award, including the Coen brothers and the Daniels.
Director duos feature prominently in this year’s Oscar conversation, with six films named as contenders.
Only five films in the Academy Awards’ history have had their directing duos nominated for Best Director.
More than one directing team nominated in the same season would set a record.
A Directors Guild of America bylaw limits its awards to one director per film, though duos can request a waiver.
Director duos who have been nominated have often gone on to win the Oscar.
- Who
- Director duos including Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim.
- What
- Director duos are prominent in this year’s Oscar conversation, but face hurdles to Best Director nominations.
- When
- The 2026 awards season. The article was published on November 9, 2026.
- Where
- The Oscar race; no single location is stated.
- Why
- The Directors Guild of America has a bylaw favoring one director per film, and its rules can influence the Academy’s Best Director race.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins won the directing Oscar for West Side Story.
The Directors Guild of America established its One Director to a Film bylaw.
Joel and Ethan Coen won the directing Oscar for No Country for Old Men.
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won the directing Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim attended a You Can See Everything Q&A at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
- Films in awards conversation
- Six: La Bola Negra, Project Hail Mary, You Can See Everything, Wicker, Clarissa and Mouse
- Oscar history
- Five films have had their directing duos nominated for Best Director
- DGA bylaw
- One Director to a Film; established in 1978
- Waiver requirement
- Duos must show they intend to be lifelong collaborators
- DGA Awards
- You Can See Everything was ruled ineligible for Best Director because the category excludes documentaries
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One Director to a Film