DGA Film Nominations: Tarantino, Scorsese, Mendes, Bong & Waititi Eye Top Prize

Annnd … action! The Directors Guild has raised the curtain on the film nominees for its 72nd annual DGA Awards.

Vying for the marquee Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film prize are Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), newly minted Golden Globe winner Sam Mendes (1917), Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit).

“In a year full of excellent films, DGA members have chosen an extraordinary group of filmmakers to nominate for this year’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film Award,” Directors Guild President Thomas Schlamme said. “These directors represent the highest standard of filmmaking, and their films are a testament to innovative storytelling, artistic achievement and the passion that filmmakers share with their audiences. Being nominated by their peers is what makes this award particularly meaningful for directors, and I congratulate all of the nominees for their outstanding work.”

Notably absent from the list are Pedro Almodóvar (Pain and Glory), Todd Phillips (Joker), Clint Eastwood (Richard Jewell), James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari) and Rian Johnson (Knives Out).

While no women made the Feature Film noms list, female filmmakers are well represented in the First-Time Feature category. The rookies vying for that prize are Mati Diop (Atlantics), Alma Ha’rel (Honey Boy), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Tyler Nilson & Mike Schwartz (The Peanut Butter Falcon) and Joe Talbot (The Last Black Man in San Francisco).

Booksmart’s Olivia Wilde is among those who missed the cut there.

The winners in all categories, along with the TV nominees revealed Monday and the others to be announced Friday, will be honored January 25 in a ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles.

Here is full list of film nominations for the 72nd DGA Awards:

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM FOR 2019

BONG JOON HO
Parasite
(Neon)

Mr. Bong’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Park Min Chul
• First Assistant Director: Kim Seong Sik

SAM MENDES
1917
(Universal Pictures)

Mr. Mendes’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: Callum McDougall, Hannah Godwin
• First Assistant Director: Michael Lerman
• Second Assistant Director: Joey Coughlin

MARTIN SCORSESE
The Irishman
(Netflix)

Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: John A. Machione, Carla Raij
• First Assistant Director: David Webb
• Second Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
• Second Second Assistant Director: Trevor Tavares
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Ryan Robert Howard
• Location Manager: Kip Myers

QUENTIN TARANTINO

Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood
(Columbia Pictures)

Mr. Tarantino’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: Georgia Kacandes, Nathan Kelly
• First Assistant Director: William Paul Clark
• Second Assistant Director: Christopher T. Sadler
• Second Second Assistant Director: Brendan “Bear” Lee
• Additional Second Assistant Directors: Debbie Chung, Katie Pruitt

TAIKA WAITITI
Jojo Rabbit
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mr. Waititi’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: Václav Mottl, Pavel Voráček
• First Assistant Director: Mark Taylor
• Second Assistant Director: Martina Götthansová
• Second Second Assistant Director: Martina Frimelová

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT OF A FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR FOR 2019

MATI DIOP
Atlantics
(Netflix)

Ms. Diop’s Directorial Team:

• First Assistant Director: Vincent Prades

ALMA HAR’EL
Honey Boy
(Amazon Studios)

Ms. Har’el’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: David Grace
• First Assistant Director: Sean Vawter
• Second Assistant Director: Colin Flaherty
• Second Second Assistant Director: Sarah Balboa

MELINA MATSOUKAS
Queen & Slim
(Universal Pictures)

Ms. Matsoukas’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: Pamela Hirsch, Max Berryhill (Los Angeles Unit)
• First Assistant Directors: HH Cooper, Joe Suarez (Los Angeles Unit)
• Second Assistant Directors: James Roque, Johnny Recher (Los Angeles Unit)
• Second Second Assistant Directors: Sumner Boissiere, Tami Kumin (Ohio Unit)

TYLER NILSON & MICHAEL SCHWARTZ
The Peanut Butter Falcon
(Roadside Attractions)

Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Manu Gargi
• First Assistant Director: James Grayford
• Second Assistant Director: Dee Jones
• Second Second Assistant Director: Michael McKay

JOE TALBOT
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
(A24 Films)

Mr. Talbot’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Natalie Teter
• First Assistant Director: Hilton J. Day
• Second Assistant Director: Dominic Martin
• Second Second Assistant Director: Jeremiah Kelleher
• Additional Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Gilbert