![Director Michael Haneke arrives at the 38th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards held at the InterContinental Hotel on Jan. 12 in Century City, Calif."Amour" is the first film Haneke has been nominated for in the Best Director category. He's also up for an Oscar for Writing - Original Screenplay.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/f9/43/f943cbcd1c45a958d4ec9e34aef53ba9pg?itok=OjL8RMkg "Director Michael Haneke arrives at the 38th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards held at the InterContinental Hotel on Jan. 12 in Century City, Calif."Amour" is the first film Haneke has been nominated for in the Best Director category. He's also up for an Oscar for Writing - Original Screenplay.")
![Director David O. Russell attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Russell nabbed his second Best Director nomination with "Silver Linings Playbook" in 2013. In 2011, he was nominated for his film "The Fighter."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/38/d7/38d7d53aed3afaa89fe75345b0c14892pg?itok=wJBdjp_e "Director David O. Russell attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Russell nabbed his second Best Director nomination with "Silver Linings Playbook" in 2013. In 2011, he was nominated for his film "The Fighter."")
![Director Benh Zeitlin attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif."Beasts of the Southern Wild" is Zeitlin's first full-length motion picture to go with his first nomination for the Academy Award's Best Director.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/22/41/2241476f30ac8affc3b0f10109b2aadfpg?itok=5H8qNwZg "Director Benh Zeitlin attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif."Beasts of the Southern Wild" is Zeitlin's first full-length motion picture to go with his first nomination for the Academy Award's Best Director.")
![Director/producer Ang Lee attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.The "Life of Pi" director has been nominated for Best Director twice before, in 2000 for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and again in 2005 for "Brokeback Mountain" when he won the honor.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/9a/aa/9aaaa712c6f23d7cc331ad0a4a82a8a1pg?itok=HiEz6xi1 "Director/producer Ang Lee attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.The "Life of Pi" director has been nominated for Best Director twice before, in 2000 for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and again in 2005 for "Brokeback Mountain" when he won the honor.")
The announcement of the 2013 Academy Award nominees for Best Director may have made more news for it's snubs than it nominations.
The category, which may be the most anticipated reveal during Sunday's Oscars, isn't without heavyweights, including Steven Spielberg for "Lincoln" and Ang Lee for "Life of Pi," but the absence of "Argo" director Ben Affleck and "Zero Dark Thirty" director Kathryn Bigelow left some crying foul.
To add insult to injury, Affleck took home the Directors Guild of America's top honor earlier this month, which usually serves as a barometer for who's likely to win the Oscar for the same category.
"I'm thrilled and honored that the academy nominated me as a producer of the movie," Affleck told the Associated Press. "I know our movie, we're a little bit underdog and a little bit the little engine that could, and you take me out of it maybe helps ... it's just about that picture. I feel like it's OK, I'm really lucky, I'm in a good place."
But instead of Ben it's Behn, as in "Beasts of the Southern Wild" director Benh Zeitlin. And Bigelow was ousted by surprise nominee Michael Haneke for his work on "Amour."
"Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell rounds off the category.
The Academy Awards run Sunday live on ABC at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Livestream will be running events live until Monday.
![Director/producer Ang Lee attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.The "Life of Pi" director has been nominated for Best Director twice before, in 2000 for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and again in 2005 for "Brokeback Mountain" when he won the honor.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/b8/04/b804495504b59c0ef82b080d8f7e2dd3pg?itok=iCvt-PJB "Director/producer Ang Lee attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.The "Life of Pi" director has been nominated for Best Director twice before, in 2000 for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and again in 2005 for "Brokeback Mountain" when he won the honor.")
![Director Benh Zeitlin attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif."Beasts of the Southern Wild" is Zeitlin's first full-length motion picture to go with his first nomination for the Academy Award's Best Director.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/0a/b8/0ab84932a2d998448e2191bcaab643ccpg?itok=Mn4CWKid "Director Benh Zeitlin attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif."Beasts of the Southern Wild" is Zeitlin's first full-length motion picture to go with his first nomination for the Academy Award's Best Director.")
![Director David O. Russell attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Russell nabbed his second Best Director nomination with "Silver Linings Playbook" in 2013. In 2011, he was nominated for his film "The Fighter."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/5a/09/5a09b4f042e0a611b262c80e4b3934c6pg?itok=eu_ihpdN "Director David O. Russell attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Russell nabbed his second Best Director nomination with "Silver Linings Playbook" in 2013. In 2011, he was nominated for his film "The Fighter."")
![Director Michael Haneke arrives at the 38th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards held at the InterContinental Hotel on Jan. 12 in Century City, Calif."Amour" is the first film Haneke has been nominated for in the Best Director category. He's also up for an Oscar for Writing - Original Screenplay.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/6f/25/6f2518b762471a809c48751ee30a9eeepg?itok=aEBU5w7x "Director Michael Haneke arrives at the 38th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards held at the InterContinental Hotel on Jan. 12 in Century City, Calif."Amour" is the first film Haneke has been nominated for in the Best Director category. He's also up for an Oscar for Writing - Original Screenplay.")
![Director Steven Spielberg attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Nominated for "Lincoln," Spielberg is by far the most decorated director in the Best Director category. He's bee nominated for the Oscar seven times, winning twice for "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/ec/f3/ecf30d3a63a8cd3b68c0b108bd3bd96epg?itok=wD9fEBEa "Director Steven Spielberg attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 4 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Nominated for "Lincoln," Spielberg is by far the most decorated director in the Best Director category. He's bee nominated for the Oscar seven times, winning twice for "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan."")
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