DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for the Year 2004

DGA 57th Annual Awards 2004

January 6, 2005

LOS ANGELES, CA: Directors Guild of America President Michael Apted today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2004.

"What makes this award truly meaningful to directors is the knowledge that only this award is decided solely by their peers – the men and women who know the blood, passion, and fear that go into each production," said Apted. "I offer my hearty congratulations to all the nominees for demonstrating how vision, when combined with skill and talent, creates excellence on the screen."

The winner will be named at the 57th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 29, 2005, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):

Clint Eastwood CLINT EASTWOOD
Million Dollar Baby
(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Mr. Eastwood's Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Tim Moore
  • First Assistant Director: Robert Lorenz
  • Second Assistant Director: Donald Murphy
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Katie Carroll
  • Additional Second Assistant Director: Ryan D. Craig

This is Mr. Eastwood's third DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He received a previous nomination for Mystic River (2003) and won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Unforgiven (1992).

Marc Forster MARC FORSTER
Finding Neverland
(Miramax Films)

Mr. Forster's Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Tim Porter
  • First Assistant Director: Martin Harrison
  • Second Assistant Director: Finn McGrath
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Rosie Newall

This is Mr. Forster's first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

Taylor Hackford TAYLOR HACKFORD
Ray
(Universal Pictures)

Mr. Hackford's Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Barbara A. Hall
  • First Assistant Director: Jerry Grandey
  • Key Second Assistant Director and Additional First Assistant Director: Darrell Woodard
  • Additional Key Second Assistant Director: Stephen LoNano
  • Second Second Assistant Directors: James Roque, Jr., Ann C. Salzer
  • Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jason Altieri, Jimi Woods, John Riley
  • DGA Trainee: Jackie Frost

This is Mr. Hackford's second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).

Alexander Payne ALEXANDER PAYNE
Sideways
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mr. Payne's Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Ginger Sledge
  • First Assistant Director: George Parra
  • Second Assistant Director: Nick Satriano
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Susan Walter

This is Mr. Payne's first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

Martin Scorsese MARTIN SCORSESE
The Aviator
(Miramax Films)

Mr. Scorsese's Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Jan Foster
  • First Assistant Director: Joseph Reidy
  • Second Assistant Director: Christopher Surgent
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Peter Dress

This is Mr. Scorsese's sixth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for Gangs of New York (2002), The Age of Innocence (1993), Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980) and Taxi Driver (1976). In 1999 Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala and he won the DGA's highest artistic honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award (for distinguished achievement in film direction) in 2003.

The DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally been one of the industry's most accurate barometers for who will win the Best Director Academy Award.

Fifty out of fifty-six times since the DGA Award's inception in 1949, the DGA Award winner has won the corresponding Best Director Academy Award®. The six exceptions are as follows:

  • 1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar® for Oliver!.
  • 1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA's nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.
  • 1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar® went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.
  • 1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters selected Mel Gibson for Braveheart.
  • 2000: Ang Lee won the DGA Award for his direction of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon while Steven Soderbergh won the Academy Award for Traffic.
  • 2003: Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for Chicago at the 55th Annual DGA Awards while Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for The Pianist.

The winner in the Feature Film category will be announced at the DGA Awards dinner and ceremony on Saturday evening, January 29, 2005 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Of note: The date for next year's (2006) DGA Awards has been set for Saturday, January 28, 2006.

Contact
DGA Communications Department (310) 289-5333
press@dga.org