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; only six times since the DGA Awards began in 1948 has the Feature Film winner not gone on to win the corresponding Academy Award:

• 1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar(R) 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(R) 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.
• 2002: Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for Chicago while Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for The Pianist.

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Source: Directors Guild of America

Directors Guild of America Third Vice President Taylor Hackford announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2008. The winner will be named at the 61st Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday evening, January 31, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):

DANNY BOYLE — SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
(Fox Searchlight Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Mr. Boyle’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Sanjay Kumar
• First Assistant Director: Raj Acharya
• Second Assistant Director: Avani Batra
• Second Second Assistant Director: Sonia Nemawarkar

This is Mr. Boyle’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

DAVID FINCHER — THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
(Paramount Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Mr. Fincher’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Daniel M. Stillman
• First Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
• Second Assistant Director: Allen Kupetsky
• Second Second Assistant Directors: Pete Waterman, Stephen F. Lonano

This is Mr. Fincher’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He previously won the DGA Commercial Award for Speed Chain (Nike), Gamebreakers (Nikegridiron.com), and Beauty for Sale (Xelibri Phones) in 2003.

RON HOWARD — FROST/NIXON
(Universal Pictures)

Mr. Howard’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Kathleen McGill
• First Assistant Director: William M. Connor
• Second Assistant Director: Kristen Ploucha
• Second Second Assistant Director: Scott R. Meyers

This is Mr. Howard’s fourth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category for Cocoon in 1985, and won the Award in 2001 for his direction of A Beautiful Mind and in 1995 for Apollo 13.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN — THE DARK KNIGHT
(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Mr. Nolan’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: Kevin De La Noy, Susan Towner, Jan Foster
• First Assistant Director: Nilo Otero
• Second Assistant Director: Brandon Lambdin
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Jessica Franks
• Second Second Assistant Director: Greg Pawlik
• Location Manager: James R. McAllister

This is Mr. Nolan’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for Memento in 2001.

GUS VAN SANT — MILK
(Focus Features)

Mr. Van Sant’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Barbara A. Hall
• First Assistant Director: David Webb
• Second Assistant Director: John R. Saunders
• Second Second Assistant Director: Ian Calip
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Cindy A. Taylor

This is Mr. Van Sant’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for Good Will Hunting in 1997.

The winner in the Feature Film category will be announced at the 61st Annual DGA Awards Dinner and ceremony on Saturday evening, January 31, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

Source Directors Guild of America

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