Awards Spotlight: ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ Director John Lee Hancock, Which 5 Directors Will Make The Oscar Ballot?, Dual Writing & Directing Wins

AWARDS ORIGINALS

BEST DIRECTOR

 

Awards Spotlight: ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ Director John Lee Hancock Talks Casting & What He Learned From Clint Eastwood

A lawyer before throwing caution to the wind to pursue a career in film, Hancock left his native Texas for L.A., where he found himself working as a screenwriter on Clint Eastwood’s A Perfect World and Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil. On The Alamo, The Rookie, and Oscar-winning The Blind Side – and now Saving Mr. Banks – he saddled up into the director’s chair himself. (SSN)

In a Heated Race, Which 5 Directors Will Make the Oscar Ballot?

It’s mostly true that Best Picture and Best Director go hand-in-hand during awards season, since the Academy now allows for up to 10 Best Picture nominees but still only five in the Best Director category, a director could walk away empty-handed even if their film takes home the top prize. SSN takes a look at the leading contenders to make the ballot for Best Director. (SSN)

Winning Writing and Directing Oscars in the Same Year Doesn’t Happen as Often as You’d Think

Only twelve have been awarded for this ultimate creative achievement, and while three members of the club are potential winners again this year—Woody Allen and the Coen Brothers—there are five others who have at least an outside shot at becoming lucky number thirteen. SSN takes a look. (SSN)  

OTHER ORIGINALS

 

Film Development For 12/12/13: Patricia Riggen To Direct True-Life Chilean Miner Feature ‘The 33′

SSN’s weekly report on the latest new attachments and projects in film development. (SSN)