Damien Chazelle’s La La Land tied the record for the most nominations in history at 14, but was coming up somewhat short ahead of the final categories, winning only Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song and Best Actress (grats, Emma Stone). But, despite the relatively light amount of wins, Damien Chazelle’s instant classic delivered for the 32-year-old director when he earned the Best Director Oscar, making him the youngest director in history to win the award.
And he was up against some heavyweights:
Barry Jenkins — Moonlight
Denis Villeneuve — Arrival
Kenneth Lonergan — Kenneth Lonergan
Mel Gibson — Hacksaw Ridge
With a few more categories left to go (UPDATE: La La Land won Best Picture UPDATE x2: NO IT DIDN’T), there’s still a good chance La La Land and Chazelle will be back on stage at the Dolby Theater to accept more awards for La La Land. And if he doesn’t this is one hell of a way to start a career after his previous film, Whiplash, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound Editing and Best Picture at the 2015 Academy Awards.
We’ll see what he has up his sleeve next when Ryan Gosling stars in his Neil Armstrong biopic The First Man.
