The Directors Guild Nominates Most Diverse Group Ever

BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN

The nominees for the 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards celebrate both feature-film and first-time directing achievements from the past year. Among the nominees for the 2021 ceremony are Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), and Steven Yeun (“Minari”), making this the most diverse group of feature-film nominees in the guilds history. This is the first time two females have been nominated for the prize in the same year. Zhao is the first woman of color to ever be nominated in the feature director category.

Two other women were nominated in the first-time director category: Radha Blank (“The Forty-Year-Old Version”) and Regina King (“One Night in Miami”).

Among the names expected to make the shortlist but didn’t are Spike Lee (“Da 5 Bloods”) and Paul Greengrass (“News of the World”).

The 73rd DGA Awards will be presented on April 10.

FULL LIST OF FILM NOMINEES:

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM FOR 2020

Lee Isaac Chung
MINARI
(A24)
Mr. Chung’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Dylan Brodie; First Assistant Director: Jeff Dubray; Second Assistant Director: Ann Laudick; Second Second Assistant Director: Stephen J. Hanan

Emerald Fennell
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
(Focus Features)
Ms. Fennell’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Reena Magsarili Raasch; First Assistant Director: Michael T. Meador; Second Assistant Director: Alexander Armero; Second Second Assistant Director: Anthony Manzo

David Fincher
MANK
(Netflix)
Mr. Fincher’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Allen Kupetsky; First Assistant Director: Richard Goodwin; Second Assistant Director: Samantha McGrady; Second Second Assistant Director: Matt McKinnon; Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jeff Goodell, John Stern, George Williams III

Aaron Sorkin
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
(Netflix; DreamWorks Pictures)
Mr. Sorkin’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Managers: Charles Miller, Stuart M. Besser, Jonathan Shoemaker; First Assistant Director: Joseph P. Reidy; Second Assistant Director: Rachel Jaros; Second Second Assistant Director: Justin Bischoff; Location Managers: Dennis Voskov, Nick Rafferty (Chicago Unit)

Chloé Zhao
NOMADLAND
(Searchlight Pictures)
Ms. Zhao’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Mary Kerrigan; First Assistant Director: Mary Kerrigan

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT OF A FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR

Radha Blank
THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
(Netflix)
Ms. Blank’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: James Price; First Assistant Director: Michael L. Walker; Second Assistant Director: Kenyon Noble; Second Second Assistant Director: Jonathan Santos; Location Managers: Katarina Dedicova, Tim Stacker

Fernando Frías de la Parra
I’M NO LONGER HERE
(Netflix)
Mr. Frías’s Directorial Team: Production Managers: Martín Pérez Valle, Assia Fratz (New York Unit); First Assistant Director: Carlos Suazo; Second Assistant Directors: Alí Santiago, Alex Burstein (New York Unit); Second Second Assistant Directors: Karen Alcázar, Anthony James Faure (New York Unit)

Regina King
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
(Amazon Studios)
Ms. King’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Paul O. Davis; First Assistant Director: Mark Anthony Little; Second Assistant Director: Kevin O’Neil

Darius Marder
SOUND OF METAL
(Amazon Studios)
Mr. Marder’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Amy Greene; First Assistant Director: Matthew Vose Campbell

Florian Zeller
THE FATHER
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Mr. Zeller’s Directorial Team: First Assistant Director: George Every; Second Assistant Director: Jamie D. Allen