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Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium

The 24th annual Meet The Nominees: Feature Film Symposium was held on Saturday morning, February 7, 2015. All five nominees, Directors Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Clint Eastwood (American Sniper), Richard Linklater (Boyhood) and Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) joined moderator Jeremy Kagan onstage before a packed crowd in the Directors Guild’s Los Angeles Theater One.

DGA President Paris Barclay kicked off the event welcoming the audience and expressed his own excitement for what was to come. “For us directors and our teams, its particularly a unique opportunity to hear from our fellow filmmakers those inside stories that each of the nominees covets about how they took some risks and broke some rules, and brought their films to life.”

As the directors took the stage after screening a clip from each film, Kagan noted how, “This year is in a way different than years before because the five films are such different genres and different expressions. But at the same time, they represent the diversity that can be expressed in our craft.” Kagan instead linked the films together through examining the directing process and personal stories behind making the nominated films.

Below find a photo gallery and video highlights from each of the directors, as well as the full event recording.
Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium:
  • Directed by: Jim Drake
  • Stage Manager: Tracey Smith Baumert

Pictures & Video

photos by Byron Gamarro & Alberto Rodriguez

Watch Highlight
FULL TALK (2:24): Jeremy Kagan leads a discussion with the five nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film.
Watch Highlight
DGA President Paris Barclay welcomes members and guests to the 24th Meet the Nominees event for Feature Film Directors.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: The long takes highlighted in Birdman presented Alejandro Iñárritu with several complicated challenges he had to tackle during pre-production.
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HIGHLIGHT: Clint Eastwood talks about how he works to make his actors feel comfortable during takes.
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HIGHLIGHT: Wes Anderson describes his first fitting session with lead actor Ralph Fiennes and Costume Designer Milena Cononero.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Morten Tyldum explains how he changed his mind for the ending of The Imitation Game during the editorial process.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Richard Linklater reveals how he used the 12-year shooting on Boyhood to continually refine the final edit.
Directors Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game), Clint Eastwood (American Sniper), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), and Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman [Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance]), join moderator Jeremy Kagan onstage for the 24th annual Meet The Nominees: Feature Film Symposium.
DGA President Paris Barclay kicks off the 2015 edition of the Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium and introduces the nominees.
The nominees receive a standing ovation as they enter the theater.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu speaks about the challenges of making Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
Director Clint Eastwood speaks about how he found inspiration for the action scenes from his American Sniper cast.
Director Wes Anderson brings some of the humor from The Grand Budapest Hotel to the discussion.
Director Richard Linklater reveals some of the important decisions he had to make in locations and wardrobe for Boyhood.
Director Morten Tyldum describes how he prepared for scenes on The Imitation Game.
Moderator Jeremy Kagan asks a question.
Eastwood, Anderson, and Linklater discuss the process of making their films.
The nominees listen as Iñárritu makes a point.
Eastwood hears how Tlydum approached a problem.
Anderson listens to Eastwood’s answer to a question.
DGA members and guests fill the DGA’s Los Angeles Theater One for one of the premier events of the year.
DGA members and guests fill the DGA’s Los Angeles Theater One for one of the premier events of the year.

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5/31/2025 - 6/6/2025