Directors Guild of America President Michael Apted today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2004.
"What makes this 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 blood, passion, and fear that go into each production," said Apted. "I offer my hearty congratulations to all the nominees for demonstrating how vision, when combined with skill and talent, creates excellence on the screen."
The winner will be announced at the 57th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 29, 2005, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
Warner Bros. Pictures
CLINT EASTWOOD
Mr. Eastwood's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Tim Moore
First Assistant Director: Robert Lorenz
Second Assistant Director: Donald Murphy
Second Second Assistant Directors: Katie Carroll
Additional Second Assistant Director: Ryan D. Craig
This is Mr. Eastwood's third nomination. He received a previous
nomination for MYSTIC RIVER (2003) and won the DGA Award for
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for
UNFORGIVEN (1992).
Miramax Films
MARC FORSTER
Mr. Forster's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Tim Porter
First Assistant Director: Martin Harrison
Second Assistant Director: Finn McGrath
Second Second Assistant Director: Rosie Newall
This is Mr. Forster's first nomination.
Universal Pictures
TAYLOR HACKFORD
Mr. Hackford's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Barbara A. Hall
First Assistant Director: Jerry Grandey
Additional First Assistant Director and
Second Assistant Director: Darrell Woodard
Key Second Assistant Director: Stephen LoNano
Second Second Assistant Directors: James Roque, Jr., Ann C. Salzer
Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jason Altieri, Jimi Woods,
John Riley
DGA Trainee: Jackie Frost
This is Mr. Hackford's second nomination. He was previously nominated
for AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (1982).
Fox Searchlight Pictures
ALEXANDER PAYNE
Mr. Payne's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Ginger Sledge
First Assistant Director: George Parra
Second Assistant Director: Nick Satriano
Second Second Assistant Director: Susan Walter
This is Mr. Payne's first nomination.
Miramax Films
MARTIN SCORSESE
Mr. Scorsese's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Jan Foster
First Assistant Director: Joseph Reidy
Second Assistant Director: Christopher Surgent
Second Second Assistant Director: Peter Dress
This is Mr. Scorsese's sixth nomination. He was previously nominated
for 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 out of fifty-six 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.
The winner in the Feature Film category will be announced at the DGA Awards dinner and ceremony on Saturday evening, January 29, 2005, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
Of note: The date for next year's (2006) DGA Awards has been set for Saturday, January 28, 2006.