Do Directors Ever Win Best Picture For Their Actual Best Movie? Let's Answer An Electronic Mail Question

Mike Ryan

20 Mar 2026 — 3 min read

Warner Bros.

The Hard Pass turned six weeks old yesterday, so, again, thank you to everyone who supports this endeavor. I like doing it! And as long as you like reading it, I will continue to write these posts. I realize things are, um, fraught right now. I basically live my life as one ball of stress. But, here, I'm doing my best to keep things at least somewhat light because, maybe, we can have a few moments every day that aren't consumed by dread? Maybe we can still have time to really wrestle with issues like if the Sith need a better publicist? I will continue to be here for you when it comes to these kind of problems.

Also, if you have a question you would like answered for this feature, please email me at mikethehardpass@gmail.com. Okay, let's answer this week's question.

Is One Battle After Another PTA’s best movie? Curious how many directors have been awarded either Best Picture (or Director) for their best movie? How frequently does that apply? — Sinbad

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The Time Bruce Willis Randomly Called Me Out Of The Blue

Calling It The 'Dark Side' Of The Force Is Really Terrible Marketing

I Still Can’t Believe I Got To Interview Robert Redford

Here Are The Oscar Predictions