Academy Award nominations are right around the corner, and the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. 2nd St., is celebrating the Oscars with a Best Director film series. The theatre is screening films from past Best Director winners 7 p.m. Tuesdays until Feb. 26, two days after the 91st Academy Awards ceremony.

“With the Oscars coming up usually in February, beginning of March, we always like to do an Oscars series,” Marketing Director Jeanine Holcomb said. “Last spring we did Best Picture, and this year is Best Director. It’s a fun way to do movies from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.”

Tuesday evening’s film was director Billy Wilder’s 1945 drama “The Lost Weekend,” starring Ray Milland, Jane Wyman and Phillip Terry. The film was the second of the series after the screening of the 1937 film “The Awful Truth” on Jan. 8. Wilder won Best Director in 1946 for his noir screen adaptation of Charles Jackson’s autobiographical novel, with the film taking home a total of four Academy awards and three Golden Globes.

Milland plays Don Birnam, a young writer in New York City struggling with alcoholism. Don’s brother Wick, played by Terry, and Don’s girlfriend Helen, played by Wyman, are deeply concerned about his well-being but at a dead end when it comes to knowing how to deal with him.

“The Lost Weekend” is considered the first Hollywood film to show the harsh reality of alcoholism. Previous films used alcohol dependence, addiction or plain drunkenness as comedic devices, while Wilder depicted the crippling, exhausting effects of drinking on the individual and those close to them. Milland gave a performance so raw and authentic it earned him the Oscar for Best Actor.

Holcomb said what’s special about the Best Director series is not only the eras of film but the wide variety of genres.

“You really get a wide variety, and you really get different genres to pick from,” Holcomb said. “We’ve got comedies; we’ve got war epics; we’ve got all different types, so if you like classic films from any genre, this is the series for it.”

The next film in the series is the 1953 romance “From Here to Eternity,” directed by Fred Zinnemann, which earned eight statues including one for Zinnemann. The steamy drama stars Montgomery Cliff, Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in a story about a lustrous affair, a harsh betrayal and a soldier’s loyalty.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by visiting the Egyptian Theatre’s website or on the day of the screening at the box office. An individual series ticket is $8 or $6 with a student ID.