“Barbenheimer” forever! Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, the filmmakers behind last summer’s blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” are among the best feature film director nominees at the 76th annual DGA Awards.
The Directors Guild of America nominated five directors in total, including Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things” and Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers.”
“In a year full of so many extraordinary films, DGA members have nominated an incredible group of gifted storytellers,” Directors Guild of America president Lesli linka Glatter said in a statement. “Their films fused technical prowess with unique artistic visions that captured the depth of the human experience and left an indelible impact on audiences around the world. Congratulations to these superb directors on their well-deserved nominations.”
The DGA Award nominees are considered to be an important precursor to the Oscars. Conspicuous absences among this year’s crop include Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”), Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Justine Triet (“Anatomy of a Fall”) and Celine Song (“Past Lives”), all of whom are contenders in the best director race.
Nolan was recently awarded the Golden Globe for directing, beating Cooper, Gerwig, Lanthimos, Scorsese and Song in that contest. Butthe voting bodybehind the Globes, which is comprised of journalists, doesn’t overlap with the DGA Awards or Academy Awards, which counts industry professionals in their voting bodies.
In the category of first-time filmmakers, the DGA nominated Cord Jefferson for the literary satire “American Fiction,” Manuela Martelli for the political thriller “Chile ‘76,” Noora Niasari for her semi-autobiographical “Shayda,” A.V. Rockwell for the New York City-set “A Thousand and One” and Song for “Past Lives.”
Nominations on the TV front were previously announced, with HBO’s “Succession” earning a leading four nods. Other top contenders are HBO’s post-apocalyptic video game adaptation “The Last of Us,” Apple’s feel-good sports comedy “Ted Lasso” and Apple’s 1950s-set miniseries “Lessons in Chemistry.”
The winners will be announced at theDGA Awardson Feb. 10at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
See the full list of nominees below:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2023:
Greta Gerwig
“Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Yorgos Lanthimos
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Christopher Nolan
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
Alexander Payne
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Martin Scorsese
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films / Paramount Pictures)
Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film:
Cord Jefferson
“American Fiction” (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Manuela Martelli
“Chile ‘76” (Kino Lober)
Noora Niasari
“Shayda” (Sony Pictures Classics / ORIGMA 45)
A.V. Rockwell
“A Thousand and One” (Focus Features)
Celine Song
“Past Lives” (A24)
