The DGA activated at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where we gave festival goers an inside look at how Directors approach their craft during our first ever The Art of Directing panel, hosted in partnership with Deadline, on September 5.
Directors Derek Cianfrance, Scarlett Johansson, Rian Johnson and Chloé Zhao shared some of their secrets to success, inspirations, and more during a conversation moderated by Deadline’s Box Office Editor and industry insider Anthony D’Alessandro. The panel was followed by a reception for attendees, with an opportunity for members to network. DGA Special Assignments Executive Jennifer Peat Jennifer Peat was on hand to answer questions about the Guild.
Cianfrance, whose latest feature Roofman world premiered at TIFF, treated the audience to revelations such as how even though he had 1,224 storyboards, he went experimental while making his feature, Blue Valentine. “Then when the time came to shoot the movie, I threw [the storyboards] away, of course. I didn’t want to be stuck to pictures. I wanted to find the new ones.”
Johansson, who just made her feature directorial debut with Eleanor the Great, shared how she admires her directing mentors, such as Jon Favreau’s approach with actors and how he could be “different things to different people” during production.
Speaking of her upcoming Shakesperean-period feature, Hamnet, Zhao told the audience she doesn’t rehearse scenes but utilizes other techniques in prep. “We do dream work, we do active imagination, we do tantric polarity workshops. My job is to create and use enough tools from old times and new ones to give them the space to make that connection.”
Johnson revealed that even though Wake Up Dead Man is their third Knives Out collaboration, actor Daniel Craig relearns detective Benoir Blanc’s southern accent for each film, “which is good because he doesn’t want to just be doing the impression so it’s a whole new process each time.”
The DGA is working to engage members and the industry through film festivals to make sure that our craft is front and center at these important industry events. Look for more exciting moments to come.
