The announcement of the nominations for the prestigious Directors Guild of America award this week revealed that some of cinema's most respected filmmakers will be going head-to-head in competing for the gongs.
Britain's Stephen Daldry is in the running, but he's facing some tough competition from veterans Peter Jackson, Roman Polanski and Martin Scorsese. First-time director Rob Marshall, who won a Golden Globe for Chicago, has also been nominated.
The winner of the prize usually goes on to scoop best director at the Academy Awards. The DGA ceremony has been running for 54 years and in that time there have only been five occasions when the winner did not receive the best director Oscar, too.
Scorsese, who has never won an Academy Award, will receive the organisation's lifetime achievement prize at the ceremony on March 1. The legendary filmmaker, who was behind such iconic movies as Raging Bull and Taxi Driver, is considered the frontrunner for the Oscar, but some Hollywood insiders think it unlikely the DGA will give him both best director, for Gangs Of New York and the lifetime achievement gong.
Roman Polanski is also strong contender with his holocaust drama The Pianist which won a Palme d'Or at Cannes. The second instalment in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy has earned Peter Jackson a nomination, while Stephen Daldry and Rob Marshall are shortlisted for The Hours and Chicago respectively.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
