From the pages of...
  • Originally published on
  • Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016
In this Jan. 2, 2016 file photo, Ridley Scott presents the Chairman’s award at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs, Calif. Scott, along with Adam McKay, Tom McCarthy and George Miller were nominated for the Directors Guild of America announced Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
DGA Award Feature Film Nominees: Inarritu, McCarthy, McKay, Miller, Scott
LOS ANGELES --

The Directors Guild of America unveiled the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2015: Alejandro G. Iñárritu for The Revenant (Twentieth Century Fox); Tom McCarthy for Spotlight (Open Road Films); Adam McKay for The Big Short (Paramount Pictures); George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros.); and Ridley Scott for The Martian (Twentieth Century Fox).

“What makes this year different is the unbridled ambition of the five nominated films – in theme, in production, in visual imagination,” said Paris Barclay, president of the DGA. “What makes this year the same is that the films were all chosen by the directors’ peers, and it’s clear our members love when people use their vision and skill to push the media to new heights. Congratulations to all of the nominees for their incredible work.”

The Revenant marks Iñárritu’s fourth DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2014 for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). He was also nominated in this category for Babel in 2006. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for “Best Job” (Procter & Gamble) in 2012.

Scott now also has four career DGA nominations. He was nominated in this category in 1991 for Thelma and Louise, in 2000 for Gladiator, and in 2001 for Black Hawk Down.

McCarthy, McKay and Miller are first-time DGA Award nominees.

The DGA Awards are a closely watched indicator of which directors will be likely Oscar nominees on Thursday, and which films have the strongest support from filmmakers. In an awards season lacking a clear front-runner, the only films to win the top nominations from producer, actor and director guilds are "Spotlight" and "The Big Short."
 
Notably left out by the directors' group were Todd Haynes for the period romance "Carol" and Steven Spielberg for his Cold War tale "Bridge of Spies." Being overlooked by the DGA doesn't mean that neither could land an Academy Award nod (the two groups haven't aligned perfectly since 2010), but at least four of the DGA nominees are likely to hear their names read on Thursday.
 
Last year, the overlooked Bennett Miller ("Foxcatcher") went on to replace Clint Eastwood ("American Sniper") at the Oscars, where Inarritu won best director for "Birdman." This year, Haynes could be the selection subbed in by the directors' branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures, which is a much smaller collection of filmmakers: about 400 members to the DGA's approximately 16,000.
 
A DGA nod is also good news for the best-picture chances of the five nominees. Since the Oscars expanded the best picture field, only one DGA-nominated movie has failed to also land in the best-picture nominees: David Fincher's "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
 

Here’s a rundown of nominees (and their directing teams) for OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM FOR 2015:

ALEJANDRO G. IÑÁRRITU
The Revenant
(20th Century Fox)
Mr. Iñárritu’s Directorial Team:
    Unit Production Managers: Drew Locke, James W. Skotchdopole, Doug Jones
    First Assistant Director: Scott Robertson
    Second Assistant Directors: Megan M. Shank, Matthew Haggerty, Jeremy Marks
    Unit Production Manager: Gabriela Vazquez (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)
    First Assistant Director: Adam Somner (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)
    Second Assistant Directors: Trevor R. Tavares, Jasmine Marie Alhambra (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)
    Second Second Assistant Directors: Brett Robinson, Kasia Trojak (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)

TOM MCCARTHY
Spotlight
(Open Road Films)
Mr. McCarthy’s Directorial Team:
    Unit Production Managers: D.J. Carson, Michael Bederman
    First Assistant Director: Walter Gasparovic
    Second Assistant Director: Penny Charter
    Assistant Unit Production Manager: Danielle Blumstein (Boston Unit)
    First Assistant Director: Christo Morse (Boston Unit)
    Second Assistant Directors: Conte Matal, Kristina Mariko Peterson, Annie Tan, Andrea O’Connor (Boston Unit)
    Second Second Assistant Directors: Phil Robinson, Mark Romanelli (Boston Unit)
    Additional Second Assistant Director: Scooter Perrotta (Boston Unit)

ADAM MCKAY
The Big Short
(Paramount Pictures)
Mr. McKay’s Directorial Team:
    Unit Production Manager: Louise Rosner
    First Assistant Director: Matt Rebenkoff
    Second Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen
    Second Second Assistant Director: Cali Pomés
    Second Second Assistant Director: Josh Muzaffer (New York Unit)
    Location Manager: Michael Kriaris

GEORGE MILLER
Mad Max: Fury Road
(Warner Bros.)
Mr. Miller’s Directorial Team:
    Unit Production Manager: Dean Hood
    First Assistant Director: PJ Voeten
    Second Assistant Directors: Samantha Smith, Wendy Croad, Chris O’Hara
    Second Assistant Directors: Eddie Thorne (Syndey Unit), Emma Jamvold (Syndey Unit)
    Second Second Assistant Directors: Danielle Blake (Syndey Unit), Joshua Watkins (Syndey Unit)

RIDLEY SCOTT
The Martian
(20th Century Fox)
Mr. Scott’s Directorial Team:
    Unit Production Managers: Francesca Cingolani, Miklós Tóth
    First Assistant Director: Raymond Kirk
    Second Assistant Directors: Sarah Hood, Bogi Móricz
    Second Second Assistant Director: Nick Thomas

Winners will be announced at the 68th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday evening, February 6, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.  The DGA Awards will be hosted by actor Jane Lynch.

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