Directors Vie for DGA's Top Honors
by David Germain, AP Movie Writer
DGA Award Nominee Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'
LO S ANGELES, California – The filmmakers behind a superhero saga, a street-orphan tale, two dramas about fallen politicians and the life story of a man aging backward are in the running for top honors from the Directors Guild of America. The winner will be named at the 61st Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 31, in Los Angeles.
Nominated for the guild's Feature Film award are Danny Boyle for the rags-to-riches story, "Slumdog Millionaire," David Fincher for the whimsica l romance, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Ron Howard for the Richard Nixon drama, "Frost/Nixon," Christopher Nolan for the Batman blockbuster, "The Dark Knight" and Gus Van Sant for the Harvey Milk biopic, "Milk."
Among Hollywood's many honors on the buildup to the Academy Awards, the Directors Guild prizes have one of the best track records for predicting eventual Oscar winners. Only six times in the guild awards' 60-year history has the winner f ailed to take home the directing Oscar.
Michael Sheen as David Frost and Frank Langella as Nixon in 'Frost/Nixon,'
directed by DGA Award Nominee Ron Howar d
Nolan is the odd man out at the guild awards, the only contender who did not also receive an Oscar nomination. Boyle, Fincher, Howard and Van Sant all are nominated for the best-director Oscar, along with Stephen Daldry for the Holocaust-th emed drama, "The Reader."
While "Slumdog Millionaire" started as an underdog that nearly went straight to DVD, it has emerged as a potential Oscar favorite. Audiences have embraced Boyle's tale of a poor boy rising to fame a nd fortune from the streets of Mumbai, and the film triumphed at the Golden Globes and Producers Guild of America Awards, while taking the prize for best ensemble cast from the Screen Actors Guild.
Among awards presenters are Joel and Ethan C oen, who won the guild prize and the directing Oscar a year ago for "No Country for Old Men." Others scheduled to present awards include current Oscar nominees Sean Penn, Marisa Tomei, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, Frank Langella, Viola Davis, Josh Bro lin, Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon.
Along with feature films, the Directors Guild hands out awards for achievements in documentary, commercials and TV programs including drama, comedy and daytime soap operas.
~Cheers
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