January 8, 2008
LOS ANGELES, CA - Directors Guild of America President Michael Apted today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2007.
“2008 marks the 60th Anniversary of the DGA Awards. We are very proud to have today’s five nominees join the illustrious list of directors that have been nominated for directorial excellence in feature filmmaking over the past 59 years,” said Apted. “What makes this award truly meaningful to directors is the knowledge that only this one is decided by their peers – the men and women who know first-hand the passion, sweat and fear that goes into each production.”
The winner will be named at the 60th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 26, 2008, at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
There Will Be Blood
(Paramount Vantage and Miramax Films)
Mr. Anderson's Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Daniel Lupi
- First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
- Second Assistant Directors: Eric Lasko, Ian Stone, Richard Oswald
- Second Second Assistant Director: Jenny Nolan
This is Mr. Anderson’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.
JOEL COEN & ETHAN COEN
No Country For Old Men
(Miramax Films and Paramount Vantage)
The Coens' Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Graf
- First Assistant Director: Betsy Magruder
- Second Assistant Director: Bac DeLorme
- Second Second Assistant Director: Jai James
This is Mr. Joel Coen’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for Fargo (1996). This is Mr. Ethan Coen’s first DGA Award nomination.
TONY GILROY
Michael Clayton
(Warner Bros.)
Mr. Gilroy’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Christopher Goode
- First Assistant Director: Steve Apicella
- Second Assistant Director: Michael Pitt
- Second Second Assistant Directors: Matt Power, Jason Ivey
This is Mr. Gilroy’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.
SEAN PENN
Into The Wild
(Paramount Vantage)
Mr. Penn's Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: John J. Kelly
- First Assistant Director: David Webb
- Second Assistant Director: Dylan Hopkins
- Second Second Assistant Directors: John R. Saunders, Ian Calip
This is Mr. Penn’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.
JULIAN SCHNABEL
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(Miramax Films)
Mr. Schnabel’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Stéphan Guillemet, A.F.R., Jon Kilik
- First Assistant Director: Stéphane Gluck, A.F.A.R.
- Second Assistant Director: Mathilde Cavillan
This is Mr. Schnabel’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.
The DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally been one of the industry’s most accurate barometers for who will win the Best Director Academy Award.
Only six times since the DGA Awards began in 1949 has the Feature Film winner not gone on to win the corresponding Academy Award.
The six exceptions are as follows:
- 1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar® for Oliver!
- 1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA's nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.
- 1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar® went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.
- 1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters selected Mel Gibson for Braveheart.
- 2000: Ang Lee won the DGA Award for his direction of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon while Steven Soderbergh won the Academy Award for Traffic.
- 2002: Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for Chicago at the 55th Annual DGA Awards while Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for The Pianist.
The winner in the Feature Film category will be announced at the 60th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.