The Oscar season is a-coming! And as the gallery of predictive award ceremonies like the Golden Globes and the PGAs announce their winners and nominations for the best of film in 2020 (and, um, some of 2021; it’s a weird award season!), one more potentially rabble-rousing organization has made their selections known.
TheDirectors Guild of America(DGA) has listed their nominations for both best director in film, but also best first-time director in film. As such, we have ten filmmakers to honor and speculate on who will make that leap into Oscar-land, whether for the vaulted Best Director award, a Best Picture nomination, or ideally both. Let’s examine them, shall we?
RELATED:2021 Golden Globes Winners: See the Full List
For my money,Chloé Zhaois the Best Director to beat. I think she’ll win this DGA award forNomadland, and I think she’ll win the Best Director Oscar, too. Her work practically screams with “prestige,” bittersweetly blending real people among movie stars to tenderly show a particularly American vision. But I’m also beyond happy to seeLee Isaac Chungnominated forMinari, another particularly American vision that is directed with beauty, warmth, and humor. It’s also a nice surprise to seeEmerald Fennellget honored as a director forPromising Young Woman; while I think she’s got a strong shot at Best Original Screenplay, her filmic style deserves attention, too. As for our Netflix boys ofDavid FincherandAaron Sorkin, well, at least the former knows how to competently construct a visual sequence.
The first-time filmmakers category features an eclectic array of new talent, with at leastRegina King(One Night in Miami) andDarius Marder(Sound of Metal) possessing a shot to nab an Oscar nod. It’s also refreshing to see a work of comedy honored, asRadha Blankwas for her autobiographical Netflix filmThe Forty-Year-Old Version.
Check out the full list of DGA 2020 nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film below.
Theatrical Feature Film
First-Time Feature Film
KEEP READING:‘Ted Lasso,’ WandaVision' Among 2020 Directors Guild of America Awards TV Nominations
