When Sam Mendes came to the forefront of Hollywood with his astonishing 1999 debut feature “American Beauty,” he was primarily known as a director of theater in London. Suffice to say, his debut film changed his life, winning the Best Picture Oscar, among many other statuettes. However, the next two decades would be a mixed bag for Mendes, but he did manage to churn out a classic gangster film (“Road to Perdition”) and an all-time great Bond (“Skyfall”).
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The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.