First-Time Directors Reveal How They Sidled Their Way Into the Oscar Race

Five new awards contenders (including Denzel’s son) share their debut jitters, the best advice they received and how “you have to bring … your entire being to the film.”

With every awards season comes something new: emerging talent, groundbreaking technology, fresh storylines. This season, at least six new directors hit the ground running. Actor Embeth Davidtz (Schindler’s List, Matilda and The Morning Show) wrote and made her feature directorial debut, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, about a white Zimbabwean family following the Rhodesian Bush War; actor Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire, Fargo, American Hustle), a grandson of John Huston, wrote and helmed 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 (Black Panther, Mudbound) jumped behind the camera for The Fire Inside,another boxing movie; Josh Margolin wrote and directed Thelma, based on something that happened to his grandmother; and film editor William Goldenberg (Argo, Zero Dark Thirty) helmed Unstoppable, about a boxer born with one leg.

In an exchange conducted several weeks ago, Davidtz, Washington, Huston, Morrison and Margolin (Goldenberg was unable to participate due to his production schedule) discussed the challenges they faced, whom they turned to for advice and what it was like getting a movie made in a world of ongoing tension and conflict.

Why did you feel that now was the right time to make your directorial debut? 

EMBETH DAVIDTZ In many ways, the directing of the film chose me. I had optioned the book in order to play the part of the mother. Then I wrote the screenplay, but I couldn’t find a director who I felt really understood the material. That’s when I made the leap to direct it myself.

JACK HUSTON For me, it was about waiting for the right idea. I’ve tinkered with stories and have written all my life, so when I conceived Day of the Fight, I knew in my heart it was the one to go all-in for. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of my heroes, and through my years on set, I’ve learned that confidence is key in creating a great picture. Ultimately, it comes down to mutual trust and how far you’re willing to go to push the boundaries together.

MALCOLM WASHINGTON I really never thought of it in these terms. I think this specific work found me at a time when I was most ready to engage in its themes. It was a text that I was immediately inspired by and needed to engage with, whether I was making the film or not. I was trying to imagine my future and make sense of the present by looking into my past, and ultimately beyond myself, and into the legacies of my ancestors. They spoke to me with this work. 

JOSH MARGOLIN The movie is inspired by a real scam incident that happened to my grandma a few years back. The idea started to take shape in the wake of that, and sitting down to write it forced me to really take stock of our relationship and the moment she was facing in life. The movie became a love letter to her and a way to celebrate her spirit and tenacity. It was very much born of my own life, and I couldn’t imagine handing it over to someone else. I’d spent a lot of my 20s focusing on writing, acting and editing, but this one was just a story I wanted to tell. It would have felt so odd to just be like, “Hey, please tell the story of my grandma through the lens of a lo-fi action movie!” I also knew the tone was going to be a tightrope walk, but it was a tightrope I was excited to try to make it across.

RACHEL MORRISON When Barry Jenkins and Elishia Holmes brought me The Fire Inside, I was so moved and inspired by Claressa’s story that I knew this was the one to go all-in on. For years, many of my collaborators, such as Ryan Coogler and Rick Famuyiwa, had tried to convince me to take the leap into directing, but I felt I still had so much more to give as a cinematographer. After lensing Black Panther and Mudbound, every script I read to shoot felt like a step backward, and I knew it was time for a new challenge. But still, it took many moons to find a script that felt worthy of the risk.