Directors Guild nominee virgins will make up most of the competitors in this year's Director's Guild of America's award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2007.The nominees, including Sean Penn for “Into the wild” and Julian Schnabel for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” were announced by Directors Guild of America President Michael Apted and he proudly said: “2008 marks the 60th Anniversary of the DGA Awards. We are very proud to have today’s five nominees join the illustrious list of directors that have been nominated for directorial excellence in feature filmmaking over the past 59 years.”Joel and Ethan Coen have received a nomination for "No Country for Old men" and Joel was a 1996 DGA nominee for "Fargo." His brother Ethan, who shares directorial credit on "No Country for Old Men", is getting his first DGA nomination.Completing the nominations is first timer, Tony Gilroy for his work on “Micheal Clayton” as well as seasoned pro, Paul Thomas Anderson who is nominated for “There will be blood”Winning this award is a real privilege as Michael Apted pointed out: “What makes this award truly meaningful to directors is the knowledge that only this one is decided by their peers – the men and women who know first-hand the passion, sweat and fear that goes into each production.”The winner of the DGA award, which will be announced on January 26 at the annual DGA awards dinner, is usually a harbinger for the Best Director competition at the Academy Awards - and, more often than not, of what the Best Picture Oscar winner will be as only six times in the 60-year history of the Directors' Guild awards has the DGA-winning picture not gone on to win the top feature film prize at the Academy awards.
FemaleFirst – Ruth Harrison