2023 DGA Awards: The Directors Guild film nominations have been announced

January 13, 2023

“Aftersun” and “Saint Omer” also received nominations in the first feature director category.

The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominations for its two film categories at the upcoming 75th annual DGA Awards.

While “Fabelmans” director Steven Spielberg’s best directorial performance in the theatrical feature category was the most-anticipated result for the second year running, the rest of the list calls for a longer conversation about how The Guild has shown unexpected progress. unfortunately, regression is expected.

After two consecutive years of a female director winning the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film (Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” in 2021 and Jane Campion for “Power of the Dog” in 2022), the guild does not. this year it even nominates a single woman in the category. Although this was predictable, as the most likely nominees, Sarah Polley, director of “Women Talking” and Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of “The Woman King”, both have films that did not collect as many awards overall as Martin McDonagh’s ” The Banshees’ movie. of Inisherin” or Todd Field’s “LIBRARY” still stings from the exclusion. It took more than 80 years for a woman to win the best director Oscar and another decade before it happened again, so the loss of momentum in the DGA Awards nominations raises concerns that consideration for female directors is slipping.

What is on the upswing, however, as evidenced by the nominations of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, is the consideration of directing duos. Historically, the guild has made it difficult for two people to even get joint directing credits on a project, requiring the pair to apply for an exception to the organization’s “One Director per Film” rule through the union’s Western Directors Council. With their second film, Kwan and Scheinert were able to prove that the guild is over its bias against co-directors, as they usually reserve only two names per nomination for projects directed by brothers such as the Coen brothers (winners for 2008’s No Country ). For old people”).

As for the most telling surprise of an outstanding directorial achievement in a theatrical feature, director Joseph Kosinski’s final nod confirms that “Top Gun: Maverick” is a real contender for more than just Best Picture. Many have nominated Avatar: The Last Airbender director James Cameron for a nomination, believing that his work could overshadow that of other filmmakers who have produced well-reviewed blockbusters in 2022, just as his film’s box office numbers are rising higher than they are now. other releases of the year, but the guild’s nomination seems to have “Top Gun: Maverick” catching the attention of more voters.

Moving on to 2022’s outstanding directorial achievement as the first feature film director, the guild happened to nominate four female directors, so the idea of highlighting more female directors somehow remains. This year’s group is very international, with French Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”) and Audrey Diwan (“Happening”), Croatian filmmaker Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic (“Murina”) and Scottish director Charlotte Wells (“Aftersun”) receiving nominations. . Not only is “Emily the Outlaw” director John Patton Ford the only person in the category this year, he’s also the only American. While the move is more in line with the Academy’s recent tastes, it calls into question the extent to which black American filmmakers are being overlooked by the guild. For example, “The Inspection” director Elegance Bratton and “Nanny” director Nikyatu Jusu are two first-time filmmakers who ended the year with high honors at several international film festivals, but did not make it to the DGA Awards film nominations.

“The work recognized this year represents the amazing power of film in the hands of these talented directors to tell deeply moving stories that touch us all deeply. In our highly collaborative creative process, peer recognition shows the heart and soul at the heart of these films, and we congratulate all five nominees for their superbly told stories,” said Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter.

While it’s always nice to see more nationalities on the list, and more attention should be paid to the growing number of directing duos, the DGA Awards nominations could do well next year if the guild wants to be more mindful of racial and gender inclusion. it fully reflects the positive changes pushed to the film industry.

The 75th Annual DGA Awards will take place on Saturday, February 18 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

See the full list of film nominees below, and click here for TV and documentary nominations.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film in 2022

Todd Field, “LIBRARY” (Focus Features)
Joseph Kosinski, “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight Pictures)
Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)

His outstanding performance as a first feature film director in 2022

Alice Diop, “Saint Omer” (Neon Rated)
Audrey Diwan, “Happening” (IFC Films)
John Patton Ford, “Emily the Outlaw” (Roadside Attractions/Vertical)
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic, “Murina” (Kino Lorber)
Charlotte Wells, ‘Aftersun’ (A24)

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