OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

Garrett Bradley for Time

Lee Isaac Chung for Minari

Spike Lee for Da 5 Bloods

Kelly Reichardt for First Cow

Chloé Zhao for Nomadland

AND THE WINNER:

KELLY REICHARDT FOR FIRST COW

This is the first win and fifth nomination for Kelly Reichardt. She was previously nominated for directing and writing Wendy and Lucy (2008) and before that editing Old Joy (2006). She was nominated for editing and writing First Cow.

First Cow is the Kelly Reichardt I unknowingly have been waiting my whole life to see. I have loved all her previous films but First Cow might just be the best she's ever made. The film acts like basically all her previous films as a way to recapture the western a genre which for decades has felt stale and never willing to change. It's admittedly a slow film and as I've seen not for everyone. I just adored it mostly for how comfortable I felt watching it. It was also a beautiful film to watch as well as take in when it came to the male friendship featured throughout.

While the film has gone overlooked at the end of this year I am happy to have the film and look forward to whatever she does next and am hopeful more people will realise how Reichardt is one of the best directors working and has been for the past 15 years.