LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Directors Guild of America Vice President Betty Thomas today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2005.
"What makes the DGA award truly meaningful to directors is the knowledge that only this award is decided solely by their peers -- the men and women who know the passion and energy that go into each production," said Thomas in announcing the nominations. "My congratulations to all five nominees for demonstrating how vision, when combined with skill and talent, can result in remarkable achievements on the screen."
The winner will be announced at the 58th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
GEORGE CLOONEY
--------------
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Warner Independent Pictures
Mr. Clooney's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Barbara A. Hall
First Assistant Director: David Webb
Second Assistant Director: Melissa V. Barnes
Second Second Assistant Director: Richard Gonzales
This is Mr. Clooney's first nomination.
PAUL HAGGIS
-----------
CRASH
Lions Gate Films
Mr. Haggis' Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Betsy Danbury
First Assistant Director: Scott Cameron
Second Assistant Director: Simone Farber
This is Mr. Haggis' first nomination.
ANG LEE
-------
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Focus Features
Mr. Lee's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Scott Ferguson, Tom Benz
First Assistant Directors: Michael Hausman, Pierre Tremblay
Second Assistant Director: Donald Murphy
Second Second Assistant Director: Brad Moerke
This is Mr. Lee's third nomination. He received a previous nomination
for SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) and won the DGA Award for Outstanding
Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN
DRAGON (2000).
BENNETT MILLER
--------------
CAPOTE
United Artists / Sony Pictures Classics
Mr. Miller's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Ellen Rutter, Caroline Baron
First Assistant Directors: Ronaldo Nacionales, Richard O'Brien Moran
Second Assistant Director: Charles Crossin
This is Mr. Miller's first nomination.
STEVEN SPIELBERG
----------------
MUNICH
Universal Pictures
Mr. Spielberg's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Ian Hickinbotham
First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
Second Second Assistant Director: Pierre Ellul
This is Mr. Spielberg's tenth nomination. He was previously nominated
for AMISTAD (1997), EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987), E.T.: THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL
(1982), RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981), CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD
KIND (1977), and JAWS (1975). He has won the DGA Award for Outstanding
Directorial Achievement in Feature Film three times: in 1998 for SAVING
PRIVATE RYAN, in 1993 for SCHINDLER'S LIST, and in 1985 for THE COLOR
PURPLE. Mr. Spielberg won the DGA's highest artistic honor, the Lifetime
Achievement Award, in 2000.
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-one out of fifty-seven 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.