Best Director: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water (2018)

A trio of Mexican directors dominated the Best Director category with Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and Guillermo del Toro earning half of the 10 wins of the past decade, and for good reason. The rest of the decade’s winners were filled with high-profile nominees, including Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper, and Ang Lee, who picked up his second win with Life of Pi, while Damien Chazelle got his first win with his sophomore film La La Land. However, of all the winners, I couldn’t go with anyone as my top choice but Guillermo del Toro. His effortless infusion of genre into a classic Hollywood love letter speaks volumes of his talents and deserves to be recognized.