DGA Nominations: Emerald Fennell and Chloe Zhao Make the Cut, Three POC in First-Time Feature

On the same day that the BAFTA Awards weighed in with their choices on the best film and directing achievements of the year, the prestigious (and typically more telling of Oscar nominations) DGA Awards dropped their nominees, with some historic nods.

Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) became the eighth and ninth women ever to be nominated by the Directors Guild of America. Zhao is the first woman of color to ever be nominated. They join a small list of women that have been recognized by the large guild – Lina Wertmüller (“Seven Beauties”), Barbra Streisand (“The Prince of Tides”), Jane Campion (“The Piano”), Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”), Valerie Faris (“Little Miss Sunshine” who shared her nom with co-director Jonathan Dayton), Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty”) and Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”).

The first-time feature film director category, which was introduced in 2015, had many of the year’s top awards contenders in the mix but no overlap, which was surprising considering Fennell made the main lineup. Three filmmakers of color made the lineup including Radha Blank (“The Forty-Year-Old Version”), Fernando Frias de la Parra (“I’m No Longer Here”) and Regina King (“One Night in Miami”). The trio are joined by Darius Marder (“Sound of Metal”) and Florian Zeller (“The Father”)

Past winners for the first-time feature director have included Alex Garland (“Ex Machina”), Garth Davis (“Lion”), Jordan Peele (“Get Out”), Bo Burnham (“Eighth Grade”) and Alma Har’el (“Honey Boy”), with only Davis and Peele securing Oscar nominations. Burnham famously beat Bradley Cooper (“A Star is Born”), who was nominated in both DGA categories but was snubbed for an Oscar nomination in best director.

There have been four women previously nominated for first-time director – Marielle Heller (“The Diary of a Teenage Girl”), Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”), Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim”) and the aforementioned Har’el.

“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,” said DGA President Thomas Schlamme. “I congratulate our five nominees whose diverse and extraordinary films embodied that universal power in a year that will never be forgotten.”

With one day of Oscar voting remaining, how much of an impact will this have, or does is double down on what many of us already know?

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures

  • Lee Isaac Chung, “Minari” (A24)
    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)
    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)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)
    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)
    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)
    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 Frias de la Parra, “I’m No Longer Here” (Netflix)
    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)
    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)
    Unit Production Manager: Amy Greene
    First Assistant Director: Matthew Vose Campbell
  • Florian Zeller, “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
    First Assistant Director: George Every
    Second Assistant Director: Jamie D. Allen

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries

  • “Boys State” (A24/Apple TV Plus) – Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
  • “The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics) – Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
  • “My Octopus Teacher” (Netflix) – Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed
  • “The Painter and the Thief” (Neon/Elevation Pictures)
  • “Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO) – David France

Last year, Sam Mendes won the top film award for Universal Pictures’ “1917” before losing best picture and director to Neon’s “Parasite” from Bong Joon-ho.

This year’s DGA Awards will take place on Saturday, April 10, with details to come on how the ceremony will be handled. Prolific TV director and former DGA president Paris Barclay is set to receive the DGA Honorary Life Member Award.

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