--- title: Oscars 2015: Best Picture and Best Director Difference description: 'Selma' is a contender for Best Picture but not Best Director. Why? canonical: https://time.com/3672130/oscars-2015-best-picture-best-director-difference/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-16T19:43:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:03.547Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Oscars 2015: How Are Best Picture and Best Director Different? og:description: "Selma" is a contender for Best Picture but not Best Director. Why? og:url: https://time.com/3672130/oscars-2015-best-picture-best-director-difference/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt111a03d9c29d3a6a/69877a8b428a9e0f26cc6a51/academy-award-oscar.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Nate D. Sanders Auctions Collection Of Academy Award Oscar Statuettes Set To Be Auctioned og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Oscars 2015: How Are Best Picture and Best Director Different? twitter:description: "Selma" is a contender for Best Picture but not Best Director. Why? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt111a03d9c29d3a6a/69877a8b428a9e0f26cc6a51/academy-award-oscar.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Oscars 2015: How Are Best Picture and Best Director Different? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Know Right Now: Oscars 2015 [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Oscars 2015](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JpREzVUG.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2015-02-20. Hollywood is preparing for its biggest night. Watch the latest #KnowRightNow to catch up on all the Oscars buzz._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jan 16, 2015 7:43 PM UTC  Nate Sanders displays the collection of Oscar statuettes that his auction company will sell online to the highest bidder on Feb. 24, 2012 in Brentwood, California. Nate Sanders displays the collection of Oscar statuettes that his auction company will sell online to the highest bidder on Feb. 24, 2012 in Brentwood, California.Toby Canham—Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jan 16, 2015 7:43 PM UTC Each year at the Oscars, there’s a divergence: Some of the Best Picture nominees are left out of the Best Director field, and, for the first time this year, a Best Director nominee fails to crack the Best Picture list. How can one of the year’s best films not be one of the best-directed? (Aside from the fact that there are more nominees for Best Picture than Best Director.) And how can one of the best-directed films of the year fail to be one of the year’s best? It’s actually fairly straightforward: Directors like to honor veterans, strong stylists, and people who look like themselves. TIME staff writer Daniel D’Addario explains the history of the category and what they’ve honored over time. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3672130/oscars-2015-best-picture-best-director-difference/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3672130/oscars-2015-best-picture-best-director-difference/"},"headline":"Oscars 2015: How Are Best Picture and Best Director Different?","datePublished":"2015-01-16T19:43:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:00:03.547Z","description":"Selma is a contender for Best Picture but not Best Director. 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