Poll Position: SAWards’ Best Breakout Director & Performance

Reading Time: 6 minutes

With Oscar nominations around the corner, Poll Position is transitioning for now to focus on the awards we all really care about here at Screenage Wasteland: our very own Sawwys!

Of course, I’ve been talking the SAWards alongside the Oscars in most categories, but there are a few cool categories we have here that the Oscars just can’t replicate.

This week I’ll be taking a look at the some of the best breakout directors and performances, and next week I’ll be looking at best characters and movie moments (there be spoilers ahead, so get watching!)

Best Breakout Direction

Let’s dive in to the best breakout directors of the year, which happen to be dominated by women.

Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

You can’t talk about this category without immediately thinking of Coralie Fargeat. I’d hazard to say most of us did not know who she was before we all watched The Substance (although she did have a previous film, Revenge, that was well-liked by those who saw it). Going from unknown to being in the thick of the race for Best Director is the definition of a breakout. And what direction! This is show-don’t-tell storytelling at its finest, grossest, and most propulsive.

JT Mollner (Strange Darling)

Another unknown unless you happened to see the 2016 western Outlaws and Angels, JT Mollner broke out on the scene this year with the excellent thriller Strange Darling. Shot exclusively on 35mm film, Mollner is always in control of each shot, and the story is interestingly told in six out-of-order chapters that pull the viewer in.

Mike Cheslik (Hundreds of Beavers)

While most directors have the assistance of millions of dollars and entire effects teams at their helm, Mike Cheslik comparatively built Hundreds of Beavers in a cave with a box of scraps. Cheslik had to direct every visual gag in this snowy slapstick special and truly took the visual effects, while rudimentary, in gonzo directions that push the boundaries of what an independent tiny film like this can be.

Arkasha Stevenson (The First Omen)

Arkasha Stevenson has some background in directing television, including the entire third season of Channel Zero. But The First Omen marked her first feature film, and man, she directed the hell out of this thing. I’m not an Omen fan, I’ve never seen the rest of the franchise, but all I could think about watching this movie is just how 70s it feels, and also “This is so well-directed.”

Zelda Williams (Lisa Frankenstein)

The daughter of Robin Williams, Zelda Williams made her own mark on the industry with her feature film debut Lisa Frankenstein. And what a debut! She puts a lot of style to match Diablo Cody’s zany script and the movie really pops. She gets a great performance out of Kathryn Newton and the hair and makeup on this movie is really underrated as well.

Aaron Schimberg (A Different Man)

A movie about a man who hates his appearance, so he changes it, only to find himself jealous of someone who looks just like he did—perhaps his problems were internal all along? A Different Man is a singularly unique telling of an identity crisis and Aaron Schimberg established himself as a voice to watch with how he brought something so different and made it work on screen.

Megan Park (My Old Ass)

Megan Park had already gotten some recognition for her streaming hit The Fallout last year, but My Old Ass puts her firmly on the map moving forward as the film strikes a great balance between comedy and heart with Park eliciting great performances from a young cast.

Rose Glass  (Love Lies Bleeding)

A bit less of a breakout since many people already were big fans of her debut feature Saint Maud, Rose Glass still put a stamp on cinema this year with an even better-received sophomore feature that cements her as a filmmaker to watch moving forward.

Francis Galliupi (The Last Stop in Yuma County)

This is less of a breakout and more of just a wonderful debut, but nobody has really seen this film. It is available to buy for $5 (or rent for $4) on Amazon Prime and probably other digital platforms for those who want to check it out. The Last Stop in Yuma County tells the story of several travelers stuck at a Texas gas pump waiting for a fuel truck to arrive as there are no other stations for 100 miles—and two of the people stuck there just pulled off a bank heist. It’s a great chamber piece that conjures comparisons to the Coen Brothers and the work of Jim Cummings (who stars here).

Best Breakout Performance

Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding)

Katy O’Brian is on track to actually win Best Supporting Actress at the 2025 SAWards for her role in Love Lies Bleeding, despite little recognition before that role. She’s a clear breakout and brings an interesting dynamic as an actress with a physicality that can’t be replicated. It would be easy to imagine another muscular actress landing this role based on the need for that build, and underperforming. But O’Brian is still a great performer under the muscles, making her a powerhouse to contend with moving forward.

Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing)

It turns out “Divine Eye” is a role Clarence Maclin was born to play—literally, since he is playing himself in Sing Sing. But even though he is just portraying himself, it’s a past version of himself as an inmate in Sing Sing prison and his transformation through the theatre program there. It’s raw and real, and Maclin steals the show in every scene he’s in. Hopefully, this is the start of a long career for Maclin.

Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge)

The lead role in Rebel Ridge nearly went to John Boyega—no disrespect to Boyega, but I’m glad it ended up in the hands of Pierre who really wowed many of us with his performance as Terry Richmond. There’s a cool intensity that Pierre brings to the character that makes him a joy to watch. It’s an understated performance, but one that certainly sticks with you.

Liza Soberano (Lisa Frankenstein)

One of the top takeaways from critics when Lisa Frankenstein debuted is that Liza Soberano is a burgeoning star. In her role as Taffy, the peppy cheerleader stepsister to Lisa Swallows, Soberano balances the tropey nature of her role against the unexpected earnestness of the character and her legitimate support of her oddball sibling. She also gets to show off her comedic timing delivering the work of writer Diablo Cody.

Maisy Stella (My Old Ass)

Playing a teenager can be hard as we’ve seen time and time again (some of that’s the writing) but Maisy Stella knocks it out of the park in My Old Ass as the carefree Elliott grappling with what the future holds. She never gets overly goofy, she is tapped into her character completely through lighter scenes and emotional moments.

Nell Tiger Free (The First Omen)

Making her feature film debut, Nell Tiger Free brings the heat in The First Omen as a new nun horrified by mysterious and sinister happenings at her convent. Horror roles can really give an actor a lot to work with if they’re not afraid to hold back, and Free absolutely commits, incidentally making The First Omen one of the best franchise films of the year.

Keith Kupferer (Ghostlight)

Keith Kupferer has been around the film industry for a while, but he’s never gotten a role like this that puts him front and center. But when he finally grabs the spotlight, he really shows how he can shine. Kupferer is tremendous as a grieving father who is also a simple man roped into a community production of Romeo and Juliet that helps him to process that grief. Kupferer is really believable as an everyman and expresses his feelings in ways that feel real.

Katherine Kupferer (Ghostlight)

A bit of a bonus pick here, joining Keith Kupferer in Ghostlight, is his daughter, Katherine Kupferer. At just 17 years old, she doesn’t have a lot of film credits to her name, but gets a chance to show her chops as the troubled daughter of the family as she also processes the same grief her father is going through. She has good comedic timing already and you can expect to see more of her soon, I’m sure.

Willa Fitzgerald (Strange Darling)

Willa Fitzgerald isn’t as green as some of the other actors on this list, but she turns in a star-making performance in Strange Darling that makes her worthy of a shout here. She’s not a household name, but her turn in the role has many SAW members considering her for not just a best breakout spot, but Best Actress overall.

Ryan Destiny (The Fire Inside)

It’s hard to believe how little film opportunity Ryan Destiny had coming into The Fire Inside, the story of American boxer Claressa Shields. While it doesn’t stray too far from the standard sports story, Destiny really fuels the narrative with her performance never leaning into anything melodramatic. Even emotional beats aren’t big, Oscar-winning crying scenes—they feel more down-to-earth thanks largely to Destiny’s performance.