All Hail Martin Scorsese!

After a lifetime of being royally snubbed by the award-giving bodies, Martin Scorsese must have resigned himself to being unappreciated in his own lifetime. Sure, the man has a BAFTA on his mantelpiece and the odd trophy from Cannes and similar occasions, but for a man who is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in history, you've got to wonder whether there isn't some kind of massive conspiracy afoot for his list of Oscar and Golden Globe nominations to be without a single win. But the awards season is practically on our doorsteps and Marty's luck may just be changing. The Directors' Guild of America has taken it upon themselves to make sure that 2003 gets off to a good start for the Gangs of New York director and has bestowed upon him their Lifetime Achievement Award. Scorsese is one of only 30 directors to have received the Guild's highest honour, including names like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. "Because of his remarkable, groundbreaking films, his nurturing of young filmmakers and his ever-vigilant fight to preserve the legacy of motion picture art for future generations, it is my pleasure to announce that Martin Scorsese has joined this group of film giants," announced DGA president Martha Coolidge. "There are few who have impacted our industry in the numerous ways that Marty has." With the Golden Globes on Sunday night and the Oscars only a couple of months away, something tells us this will be the year that sees the director's trophy cabinet filling up at last. It's about time, frankly, and we'll have words with anyone who says it isn't so.