While publicly directors garner the most attention when it comes to a film's award season successes, insiders know that it is often a less lauded crewmember that deserves a substantial amount of this praise. This individual is the film's editor, a position in the industry that is woefully mysterious to and unsung by the wider world. Still, directors know the deal.

Many of the most esteemed contemporary American auteurs have recognized their editors as key collaborators in their filmmaking process. Since his directorial debut with 1967's Who's That Knocking On My Door, Martin Scorsese has been working exclusively with editor Thelma Schoonmaker, a partnership that has earned both Oscar accolades. Before the death of his long-time editor Sally Menke in 2010, Quentin Tarantino admitted that she was practically a screenwriter on each of his films as he views the editing process as the final stages of shaping his script. And the iconic Steven Spielberg has openly credited Jaws editor Verna Fields as saving the troubled production and faulty movie monster from being a laughingstock with her keen eye and restrained reveals of the slow-moving shark. Still, editors on the whole are largely unrecognized for their accomplishments and cutting savvy that molds not only the movies, but also the way modern movie audiences retain visual information.

This is why the ACE Eddie Awards are so important. Beyond being a telling indicators of Oscar's Best Feature picks, the ACE Eddies pay tribute to these often unapplauded artists who shape the face of modern cinema, giving them the acclaim they so rightly deserve. Presented by the American Cinema Editors, the 62nd Annual ACE Eddie Awards will honor the very best in film and television editing on February 18, 2012 in a ceremony hosted by quirky comedian Patton Oswalt.

Check out the film nominees below:

It's sure to be a tight race that will likely lead to an even fiercer Oscar competition. Four-time ACE Eddie winner Themla Schoonmaker, who has earned her seventh nomination for her work on Scorsese's Golden Globe-winning 3D spectacle Hugo, faces off against Kevin Tent, who has landed his fourth nod for collaborating with writer-director Alexander Payne. Spielberg's long-time cutting collaborator Michael Kahn has garnered his ninth and tenth ACE Eddie nominations for War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin, one year after having won the ACE's Career Achievement Award. And comedy cutters William Kerr & Michael L. Sale, who have scored their first nod for Bridesmaids, are squaring off against returning ACE Eddie noms like Dana E. Glauberman (Up In The Air, Juno, Thank You For Smoking) and Alisa Lepselter (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Sweet and Lowdown).

For the full list of nominees, check ACE's website.