As the summer winds down, the Oscar race will take over and this year the director battle is heating up to be incredibly competitive.

The race is usually dominated by auteur directors who are well respected in the industry. Previous winners have included Alfonso Cuaron, Ang Lee, Michel Hazanavicius and Tom Hooper.

One of the biggest contenders of the year is undoubtedly Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for his new film "Birdman." Inarritu has been nominated before for "Babel" and his latest is generating a lot of buzz.

"Birdman" is slated to open the Venice Film Festival as well as the New York Film Festival. Additionally, the film will open in October, which has been a lucky month for Oscar winners. Inarritu is well-respected in the industry and this is his most ambitious feature to date.  

Richard Linklater is likely to get his first Oscar nomination in the directing category. His feature "Boyhood" has obtained universal acclaim and is becoming a huge box office success. Since the movie was filmed over 12 years, it is likely the Academy will reward him for his ambitious project.

Bennett Miller already won the Cannes award for Best Director and, after its initial festival run, "Foxcatcher" is generating a ton of Oscar buzz. Miller was already nominated for Director back in 2006 for "Capote" and he is becoming well respected. As a result this latest film could mark his second nomination in the category.   

It seems that Christopher Nolan gets into the conversation every time he makes a film. However, the Academy has failed to award or nominate him for anything at this point.

But everything could change this year as Nolan could be looking at his first director nomination. His new film "Interstellar" is expected to be his most Oscar-friendly feature to date. The Academy has been generous to special effects-driven films in the past four years and Nolan's nomination could be a continuation of trend.

The Weinstein Company has a number of movies this year but the most Oscar-friendly film is "Big Eyes" by Tim Burton. Burton has never been nominated for directing and his new film is generating buzz for him. The fact that the helmer is moving back to the Indie world and that the Weinstein Company will be distributing is a good sign for Burton.

Wes Anderson could also be a huge surprise especially since "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was a box office success. Anderson is widely respected and adored in the industry. However, his films seem to be too weird for the Academy. If "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is a breakout during awards season, then Anderson could be on the road to his first nomination.

Meanwhile, David Fincher could pick up his third nomination for "Gone Girl." The director has been considered overdue especially after he lost for his film "The Social Network." However, Fincher has never been nominated for his thrillers because they are a bit too dark for the Academy. "Gone Girl" could suffer that fate.    

Mike Leigh is likely to garner a nomination for his work on "Mr. Turner." The director has been nominated on various occasions and, after the great reception at Cannes, this could be his next Oscar nomination.

Paul Thomas Anderson could also be back in the race. The director is extremely respected among filmmakers but is sometimes too experimental for the Academy's tastes. His latest "Inherent Vice" is said to be extremely experimental and similar to "The Master." As a result, Anderson could be lose yet another opportunity.

Other directors that could be in the conversation include J.C. Chandor for his work in "A Most Violent Year" as well as Jean-Marc Vallee for "Wild." James Marsh could be a surprise for "Theory of Everything" while Angelina Jolie could be the sole woman nominee of the year for her film "Unbroken."