Actor-turned director Mel Gibson won the Oscar for best director for the Scottish epic "Braveheart," the movie in which he also starred.
The other nominees were:
Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas)
Figgis coached two stars to Oscar nominations in "Leaving Las Vegas," the bleak story of a writer and a hooker who cross paths.
Chris Noonan (Babe)
Noonan carried "Babe," an offbeat film about a pig to a surprising nomination for Best Picture. He has the unusual task of directing a cast of unruly farm animals and relatively few actors.
Michael Radford (Il Postino)
Radford directed "Il Postino" the only foreign-language film nominated in the best picture category this year.
Tim Robbins (Dead Man Walking)
Robbins directed his significant other, Susan Sarandon, in "Dead Man Walking." Robbins, who has been exiled from the Oscar podium after using the perch to make political pronouncements, may be back again.
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