Awards season is now well underway, with The Brutalist and Emilia Perez the big winners at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
All eyes are now on the BAFTA Film Awards in February, with the shortlists released this week and the ceremony scheduled for Sunday, February 16.
Meanhile the Oscars, the world’s most prestigious film awards, will be held on Sunday, March 2, with the nominees announced on Thursday, January 23. They had originally been planned for Friday, January 17, but were delayed due to the LA fires.
Here are the bookies’ favourites for the Best Director when it is presented at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

1. Brady Corbet - The Brutalist
Following his triumph at the Golden Globes, Brady Corbet is the hot 1/3 favourite to add the Best Director Oscar to his mantlepiece. His epic historical drama 'The Brutalist' about Holocaust survivor László Tóth is also favourite for Best Picture. | Contributed

2. Sean Baker - Anora
Sean Baker is the 7/2 second favourite for Best Director for 'Anora'. Starring Mikey Madison, it's about an exotic dancer who bcomes romantically involved with the son of a Russian oligarch and won the Palm d'Or at Cannes. | Contributed

3. Jacques Audiard - Emilia Perez
Spanish-language film 'Emilia Pérez' has already won the Jury Prize and Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as picking up several Golden Globes. Director Jacques Audiard now has a 6/1 chance of picking up an Oscar for the crime musical about a cartel boss who fakes his own death to become a woman. | Contributed

4. Edward Berger - Conclave
Edward Berger is a 10/1 shot for Best Director for 'Conclave', his film adaptation of the Robert Harris book about the selection of a new Pope. Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci. | Contributed