The Oscars really snubbed Luca Guadagnino twice over

Is there a reason that the director of two of the best films of 2024 were snubbed? And not just kind of snubbed but completely shut out from the Oscars?

I am referring to Luca Guadagnino. The director of both Challengers and Queer had a banger of a year in regards to his films and yet both films were left out of the Academy Award nominations. It really does beg the question: Do the voters just not watch Guadagnino’s work?

I ask because some of them have admitted to not finishing The Brutalist because they thought it was too long (boring excuse). Otherwise, if feels weird that not even Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross got a nod for their score for Challengers. Especially when they won the Golden Globe and have been nominated everywhere else.

We all know that award season is a game. A constant back and forth on who granted access, who sent the most elaborate of packages. But I, like many others, are not swayed by that and instead rally behind the films we love. It is why movies like Challengers and even my beloved Hit Man stayed part of the conversation.

Throughout the entire year of film, Guadagnino was brought up because of his two films and yet both were complete shut out. Why? Were the votes between Queer and Challengers or something? Because there is no logical explanation for this!

As a fan of Christopher Nolan, Greta Graig, and David Fincher, I am no stranger to my favorite directors being left out. Now Luca Guadagnino is part of that. And I don’t want that for my favorite creatives!

The best directors are often ignored

As I said before, award season is a game. Sometimes, you see a director who deserves it finding success. I am happy for The Brutalist‘s Brady Corbet and The Substance‘s Coralie Fargeat. If I am being honest, my only real annoyance out of the director nominees is Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez. And that’s because I found that film to be a bad musical.

But if you take Guadagnino’s snub twice over out of this, it is extremely odd to not see actors and actresses who have BEEN nominated elsewhere absent. No Zendaya or Daniel Craig? Really the cinematography and score snub make no sense at all.

So I have to come to the conclusion that those voting simply refuse to acknowledge how good Guadagnino is and how brilliant born Challengers and Queer are. Because what other explanation is there for this snub?