LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Directors Guild of America President Michael Apted today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2006.
"Each of these five nominees has demonstrated a remarkable ability to blend craft and vision in the pursuit of masterful storytelling," Apted said. "What makes it truly meaningful to directors is that this award is decided solely by their peers -- the men and women who know firsthand the passion, sweat and fear that goes into creating feature films. My congratulations to each of the nominees."
The winner will be announced at the 59th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
BILL CONDON
DREAMGIRLS
Paramount Pictures
Mr. Condon's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Patricia Whitcher
First Assistant Director: Richard Graves
Second Assistant Director: Eric Sherman
Second Second Assistant Director: Renee Hill-Sweet
This is Mr. Condon's first nomination.
JONATHAN DAYTON & VALERIE FARIS
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Mr. Dayton and Ms. Faris' Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Michael Beugg
First Assistant Director: Thomas Patrick Smith
Second Assistant Director: Gregory Smith
Second Second Assistant Director: Kate Greenberg
This is Mr. Dayton and Ms. Faris' first nomination.
STEPHEN FREARS
THE QUEEN
Miramax Films
Mr. Frears' Directorial Team:
Production Manager: Sue Claverly
First Assistant Director: Stuart Renfrew
Second Assistant Director: Rickay Graysmark
Third Assistant Director: Lucy Egerton
This is Mr. Frears' first feature film nomination. He was nominated
for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies For Television for
FAIL SAFE (2000) along with co-director Marty Pasetta.
ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU
BABEL
Paramount Vantage
Mr. Inarritu's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Ann Ruark
First Assistant Director: Sebastian Silva
This is Mr. Inarritu's first nomination.
MARTIN SCORSESE
THE DEPARTED
Warner Bros. Pictures
Mr. Scorsese's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Carol Cuddy
First Assistant Director: Joseph Reidy
Second Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen
Second Second Assistant Director: John Silvestri
This is Mr. Scorsese's seventh nomination. He was previously nominated
for THE AVIATOR (2004), GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002), THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
(1993), GOODFELLAS (1990), RAGING BULL (1980) and TAXI DRIVER (1976).
In 1999 Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural
DGA Honors Gala and he won the DGA's highest artistic honor, the Lifetime
Achievement Award (for distinguished achievement in film direction),
in 2003.
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.
Fifty-two out of fifty-eight times since the DGA Award's inception in 1949, the DGA Award winner has won the corresponding Best Director 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(r) 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(r) 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. 2003: Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for Chicago at the 55th Annual DGA Awards while Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for The Pianist.
For more information about the DGA Awards, including past winners, upcoming deadlines and the press credential application, visit www.DGA.org.