Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, and Martin Scorsese have emerged as top contenders for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards, receiving nominations for its prestigious award. Their recognition follows closely on the heels of the Screen Actors Guild nominations announced earlier on Wednesday. The remaining contenders for the DGA's outstanding directorial achievement award are Alexander Payne for 'The Holdovers' and Yorgos Lanthimos for 'Poor Things.'
This marks Nolan's fifth DGA nomination, although he has yet to secure a win. He earned this nomination for his work on 'Oppenheimer.' Gerwig, nominated for 'Barbie,' had previously received a DGA nomination in 2017 for her film 'Lady Bird.' Scorsese's nomination for 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is an impressive feat, marking his 13th DGA nod. He has previously clinched two DGA wins, one for his film 'The Departed' in 2006 and another for his work on the TV series 'Boardwalk Empire.'
The DGA Awards nominations are often seen as a reliable indicator of the frontrunners for the Academy Awards. Over the past twenty years, the DGA award winner and the Oscar winner for Best Director have been closely aligned. Last year, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert received both awards for their film 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'
In addition to the top award nominations, the DGA also announced nominees for the category of first-time feature filmmaker. Cord Jefferson received a nomination for 'American Fiction,' Manuela Martelli for 'Chile '76,' Noora Niasari for 'Shayda,' A.V. Rockwell for 'A Thousand and One,' and Celine Song for 'Past Lives.' These talented filmmakers are being recognized for their impressive debut works.
The DGA has also revealed its nominations for best documentary, including '20 Days in Mariupol,' 'Bobi Wine: The People's President,' 'Beyond Utopia,' 'Kokomo City,' and 'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.' On the television front, HBO's acclaimed series 'Succession' leads the nominations in the TV category, with four out of five nominations for direction.
The 76th annual DGA Awards ceremony will take place on February 10th. As always, anticipation is high to see who will emerge victorious and set themselves on the path to potential Oscar glory.
