Oscars 2019 Nominations: 13 Biggest Shocks, Snubs & Surprises
7. Surprise: Pawel Pawlikowski - Best Director
Bradley Cooper's loss was Pawel Pawlikowski's gain, with the Cold War director earning his first Academy Award nomination for directing. It's not completely without precedent, since his Ida won Foreign Language and was nominated for Cinematography, but it's still a surprise to see him nominated here at the expense of some starrier names.
Pawlikowski's name hasn't really been in the conversation much in the build-up, with others frequently mentioned including Peter Farrelly (Green Book), Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk), Debra Granik (Leave No Trace), and Damien Chazelle (First Man).
He did get a BAFTA nod, but that had seemed like an anomaly coming into this. Cold War's Cinematography nod, though, shows how much it's caught the eye, which is reflected in its surprise nomination of Pawlikowski too.