The Directors Guild of America has narrowed down their picks for 2016’s best film directors.
Thursday, the DGA revealed their five nominees for outstanding directorial achievement in feature film are Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” Garth Davis for “Lion,” Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight,” Kenneth Lonergan for “Manchester By The Sea” and Denis Villeneuve for “Arrival.” All five men are receiving DGA feature film nominations for the first time.
“These phenomenal filmmakers have captured our hearts and minds, breathing life into stories rarely told and revealing worlds rarely seen,” DGA president Paris Barclay said in a statement. “What makes this recognition truly special is the knowledge that these five directors have made a lasting impression on their peers — directors and members of the director’s team who intimately understand the blood, sweat and tears necessary to create a feature film.”
Davis was also nominated for the DGA’s first-time film director award, along with Kelly Fremon Craig for “The Edge of Seventeen,” Nate Parker for “The Birth of a Nation,” Tim Miller for “Deadpool” and Dan Trachtenberg for “10 Cloverfield Lane.”
Over the last six decades, all but seven of DGA’s best directors have gone on to win the same award at the Oscars.
The winners will be announced at 69th Annual DGA Awards on February 4 in Los Angeles.
