Directors Guild Nominates Zhao, Fennell, Sorkin, Fincher and Chung

Here's an undisputed fact: The studio and independent system is white-male dominated, all of this hoopla that a bunch of black and female filmmakers deserve their fair share of awards is quite simply overreaching and a form of virtue signalling. The odds are heavily stacked for white male directors making the best films of the year. That’s just a fact.

It'll take time for the industry to catch up to inclusive filmmaking, despite all that, yeah, count me as disappointed that Eliza Hittman, Kelly Reinhardt and Kitty Green aren't part of the current awards chatter, they made great films this past year.

The Directors Guild of America has existed for over 70 years. In that seven-decade span, only five women were ever nominated in the Feature Film category; Lina Wertmüller (“Seven Beauties”), Barbra Streisand (“The Prince of Tides”),  Kathryn Bigelow twice (“The Hurt Locker,” and “Zero Dark Thirty), Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) and Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”).

You can add two more. Today’s announcement of the five DGA nominees included “Nomadland’s” Chloe Zhao and “Promising Young Woman’s” Emerald Fennell. Two female directors nominated in the same year. The times are changing and, frankly, all the better for it.

This year’s film nominees are as follows:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2020

Lee Isaac Chung
Minari (A24)

Emerald Fennell
Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

David Fincher
Mank (Netflix)

Aaron Sorkin
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

Chloé Zhao
Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

The DGA Awards will be handed out during a virtual ceremony on Saturday, April 10.