Directors Guild of America President Paris Barclay announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2016.
“These phenomenal filmmakers have captured our hearts and minds, breathing life into stories rarely told and revealing worlds rarely seen,” said Barclay. “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.”
The nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2016 are (in alphabetical order):
DAMIEN CHAZELLE
La La Land
(Lionsgate)
Mr. Chazelle’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Michael Beugg
First Assistant Director: Peter Kohn
Second Assistant Director: Paula Case
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Bart Lipton
Second Second Assistant Director: Brett Robinson
Additional Second Assistant Director: Dodi Rubenstein
This is Mr. Chazelle’s first DGA Award nomination.
GARTH DAVIS
Lion
(The Weinstein Company)
Mr. Davis’s Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: Chris Webb
First Assistant Director: Ananya Rane (India Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Mark Ingram (Australia Unit), Sunny Tiku (India Unit), KP Singh (India Unit), Shaunak Kapur (India Unit)
This is one of two DGA Award nominations this year for Mr. Davis. He is also nominated in the First-Time Feature Film category for Lion. He was previously nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials in 2009 for “Shadow Puppets,” U.S. Cellular.
BARRY JENKINS
Moonlight
(A24)
Mr. Jenkins’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Jennifer Radzikowski
This is Mr. Jenkins’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.
KENNETH LONERGAN
Manchester by the Sea
(Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
Mr. Lonergan’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Declan Baldwin
First Assistant Director: Michael J. Moore
Second Assistant Director: David Blazina
Second Second Assistant Directors: Tim LaDue, Scooter Perrotta
This is Mr. Lonergan’s first DGA Award nomination.
DENIS VILLENEUVE
Arrival
(Paramount Pictures)
Mr. Villeneuve’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Stan Wlodkowski
First Assistant Director: Donald L. Sparks
Second Assistant Director: Brigitte Goulet
Second Second Assistant Director: Karine P. Labelle
This is Mr. Villeneuve’s first DGA Award nomination.
First-Time Feature Director Award
In addition, Mr. Barclay announced the five nominees for a new category, which debuted last year, recognizing the achievement of first-time feature film directors. First announced by Steven Spielberg at the 2015 DGA Awards, the Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director was created to showcase up-and-coming feature film talent.
“They say that ‘the only thing that stays the same is change,’ and that’s especially true when it comes to the art of filmmaking when driven by fresh viewpoints and new methods,” said Barclay. “The future of film is dependent on newly blazed trails and creative leaps of faith which is what we’re honoring with our first-time feature film director award. Congratulations to these five emerging filmmakers who have created projects that are as bold as they are innovative.”
GARTH DAVIS
Lion
(The Weinstein Company)
Mr. Davis’s Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: Chris Webb
First Assistant Director: Ananya Rane (India Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Mark Ingram (Australia Unit), Sunny Tiku (India Unit), KP Singh (India Unit), Shaunak Kapur (India Unit)
This is one of two DGA Award nominations this year for Mr. Davis. He is also nominated in the Feature Film category for Lion. He was previously nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials in 2009 for “Shadow Puppets,” U.S. Cellular.
KELLY FREMON CRAIG
The Edge of Seventeen
(STX Entertainment)
Ms. Fremon Craig’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Brendan Ferguson
Production Manager: Dan Clarke
First Assistant Director: James Bitonti
Second Assistant Director: Daniel Mansfield
This is Ms. Fremon Craig’s first DGA Award nomination.
TIM MILLER
Deadpool
(Twentieth Century Fox)
Mr. Miller’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: John J. Kelly
First Assistant Director: James Bitonti
Second Assistant Director: Daniel Mansfield
This is Mr. Miller’s first DGA Award nomination.
NATE PARKER
The Birth of a Nation
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Mr. Parker’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Mark Moran
First Assistant Director: Tomas Deckaj
Second Assistant Director: Mark C. Stevens
Second Second Assistant Director: Scott Bowers
This is Mr. Parker’s first DGA Award nomination.
DAN TRACHTENBERG
10 Cloverfield Lane
(Paramount Pictures)
Mr. Trachtenberg’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Dohrmann
First Assistant Director: Jason Blumenfeld
Second Assistant Director: Paul B. Uddo
Second Second Assistant Director: Jonathan M. Warren
Location Manager: Batou A. Chandler
This is Mr. Trachtenberg’s first DGA Award nomination.
Eligible directors for this award must have released his or her first feature-length film theatrically in Los Angeles or New York in 2016. Foreign films are eligible and the director does not need to be a DGA member.
The nominees in nine categories honoring outstanding directorial achievement in television, commercials and documentary for 2016 were announced on January 11, 2017.
The winners in all categories will be announced at the 69th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
