Veteran Helmers Seeking First-Ever Director Win Roar Back Into Oscars Race
Gregg Goldstein What do Pedro Almodóvar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Kenneth Branagh and Jane Campion have in common? They’ve helmed acclaimed films for decades, earned Academy Award nominations and done some of their best work this year … yet they’ve never won a director Oscar.In exclusive new interviews with Campion, Branagh, Almodóvar and Wes Anderson — plus some unpublished thoughts from Paul Thomas Anderson — this reporter discovered how they built on their distinctive histories and tackled new challenges in films that embody their mastery of the form.Since her first feature, 1989’s “Sweetie,” Campion has almost solely explored the inner lives of female protagonists.