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Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium

February 4, 2017

69th Annual DGA Awards

A standing room only crowd packed the DGA’s Los Angeles Theater on Saturday morning, February 4, 2017, as all five nominees for the Guild’s award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2016 – Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Garth Davis (Lion), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), and Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) – joined moderator Jeremy Kagan onstage for the 26th annual Meet the Nominees symposium.

Welcoming the audience, DGA President Paris Barclay said, “Today’s symposium is a celebration of the craft of directing. These five filmmakers and their insights will now become part of the lasting legacy of the Guild – joining the more than 75 directors who have attended over the years to illuminate the process behind the artistry. This is the first time in many years we have had five newcomers to this stage. It’s a testament to the strengths of their visions, their extraordinary ability to take us deep inside places we’ve never been, making us care deeply about people who are often very different from us. I don’t know if you agree, but for many of us, generating that kind of empathy, in a world where it seems in increasingly short supply, is desperately needed and worth saluting. Sit back, relax, and get ready to be intellectually stimulated.”

Following the traditional screening of a clip from each film, Kagan led the nominees in a lively and roundtable discussion of the myriad aspects of the creative process that goes into the making of a feature film worthy of a DGA Award nomination. As each revealed some of the struggles they faced in getting their films made and offered entertaining and illuminating behind-the-scenes stories from their various sets, the spirit of camaraderie and mutual respect was evident. Although In a matter of hours, only one of them would be able to take home this year’s DGA Award for Feature Film Award, it was clear that they were all winners.

You can watch the full panel by clicking the video below. Or listen to the panel in podcast form by clicking one of the following links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Find all of our DGA podcast episodes here.

 

Below find a photo gallery and video highlights from each director.

Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium:

  • Directed by: Jim Drake
  • Director of Photography: Chad Wilson
  • Stage Manager: Tracey Smith Baumert

Pictures & Video

photos by Alberto Rodriguez/Getty Images & Byron Gamarro

View slideshow
Watch Highlight
INTRODUCTION: DGA President Paris Barclay welcomes the audience to the 26th Annual Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Damien Chazelle drew inspiration in part from Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset in considering how his musical could play with time and reflect the interiority of the characters in La La Land.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Barry Jenkins recounts how he helped an actor approach one of Moonlight's most intimate scenes by helping him figure out the answer for himself.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Kenneth Lonergan discusses his editorial strategy of portraying Lee Chandler (played by Casey Affleck) as a person who still carries his tragic past with him wherever he goes.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Denis Villeneuve speaks about the difficulties of editing Arrival and striking a balance between the intellectual challenge of the film's form and clearly communicating the emotional core of the story.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Garth Davis describes how shooting Lion on location in India was tough, but was ultimately necessary to create a powerful film.
Directors Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Garth Davis (Lion) and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) talk about the making of their films during the 26th annual Meet the Nominees: Feature Film symposium.
DGA President Paris Barclay welcomes everyone to the 2017 edition of the Meet the Nominees: Feature Film symposium and introduces the nominees.
The nominees receive a standing ovation as they enter the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
Directors Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Garth Davis (Lion) and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) join the Meet the Nominees: Feature Film symposium moderator Jeremy Kagan onstage.
Director Garth Davis discusses how he elicited performances out of his child actor in Lion.
Director Damien Chazelle describes how he filmed an elaborate song and dance sequence for La La Land.
Director Kenneth Lonergan speaks about what inspired him to make Manchester by the Sea.
Director Denis Villeneuve recalls a key scene from the making of Arrival.
Director Barry Jenkins describes how he overcame a problem while making Moonlight.
Moderator Jeremy Kagan asks a question.
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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