As has been the case for several other awards this year so far, there is a refreshingly diverse – at least in terms of gender – crop of nominees in the directing category. The Directors Guild of America has Lee Isaac Chung, Emerald Fennell, Chloé Zhao, David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin competing for its top prize.
Chung, of course, is the director of Minari, while Fennell made Promising Young Woman, Zhao shot Nomadland, Fincher delivered Mank and Sorkin oversaw The Trial Of The Chicago 7. They've all been winning various trophies, though right now we'd put Zhao as the front-runner.
Also announced? The nominees for First-Time Filmmaker, which include The 40-Year-Old Version's Radha Blank, I'm No Longer Here's Fernando Frías de la Parra, Regina King of One Night In Miami, Darius Marder, director of Sound Of Metal and The Father's Florian Zeller.
"Throughout these challenging and isolating times, the universal power of film has served such a meaningful role in our culture—helping fulfill our needs for human connection, expanding our worldviews, and keeping us inspired through stunning storytelling and artistry," DGA President Thomas Schlamme says in a statement. "I congratulate our five nominees whose diverse and extraordinary films embodied that universal power in a year that will never be forgotten." The awards will be handed out at a virtual event on 10 April.