Directors Guild Names Its Nominees

JAN 10, 2011 - The Directors Guild of America, which represents men and women who make movies, announced today its nominees for 'Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2010'. They are:

1. DARREN ARONOFSKY - Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures);

2. DAVID FINCHER (pictured) - The Social Network (Columbia Pictures);

3. TOM HOOPER - The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Co.);

4. CHRISTOPHER NOLAN - Inception (Warner Bros.); and

5. DAVID O. RUSSELL - The Fighter (Paramount and Weinstein Co.)

Conspicuously missing from the list are the Coen Brothers, Ethan and Joel who helmed the remake of True Grit. It should be noted that none of the above nominees has won a DGA award before, whereas the Coens were nominated in 1997 for Fargo, and won the trophy for 2007's No Country For Old Men.

A DGA nod is important in the race for the Oscars because it is one of the most prestigious honours in the American film industry. There is a strong correlation between DGA nominees and directors who will vie for Oscars, the world's top movie honors.

In all but six years since the DGA began giving out awards in 1948, its winner of Best Director has won the Academy Award, and traditionally the winner of Best Director has often seen his or her film go on to take Best Movie Oscar. Last year's DGA winner, Kathryn Bigelow of The Hurt Locker, also won the Best Director Oscar and as well as Best Picture.

The DGA gives out its awards on January 29. Oscar nominees are named on January 25, and the winners on February 27.