2023 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Feature Film nominations: ‘The Fabelmans,’ ‘Top Gun’ in, women shut out of main category

Erik Anderson January 11, 2023

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) have announced their two feature film categories, where men reigned in one and women in another.

For Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Film, the DGA nominated Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Todd Field (TÁR), Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans). Despite a wealth of women directors again this year, including Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King), Chinonye Chukwu (Till), Maria Schrader (She Said) and Sarah Polley (Women Talking) none made the cut after two years in a row of female winners here that led to Oscar wins.

But don’t go looking for a 5/5 matchup with Oscar; the directing branch of the Academy hasn’t aligned with the DGA since the first year of the Oscars Best Picture expanded lineup in 2009. Before that it was 2005, 1998, 1981 and 1977. The Daniels, McDonagh and Spielberg made the Golden Globes cut (along with James Cameron for Avatar: The Way of Water and Baz Luhrmann for Elvis) where Spielberg won last night but also was the only one to fail to land a spot on the BAFTA longlist.

“The work recognized this year represents the amazing power of film in the hands of these gifted Directors to tell deeply moving stories that profoundly affect us all. The recognition by one’s peers in our highly collaborative creative process shows the heart and soul at the core of these films and we congratulate all five nominees for their powerful stories, brilliantly told,” said DGA President Leslie Linka Glatter.

In the newer category, Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director, women dominated with four of five spots for the first time in its 8-year history. Alice Diop (Saint Omer), Audrey Diwan (Happening), Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (Murina) and Charlotte Wells (Aftersun) were all nominated alongside John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal). Wells has won nearly a dozen first time feature director critics’ awards so far this season. There could be some dispute over Diwan’s nomination; Happening, which won the Golden Lion at Venice last year, is her second feature film. Her first was the 2019 film Losing It. No word on how her eligibility was decided.

Nominations for television were announced yesterday where Ozark, Station Eleven and Severance received mentions.

The 75th DGA Awards will take place on February 18 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Here are the nominees.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film

Todd Field, “TÁR” (Focus Features)
Unit Production Manager: Nigel Wooll, First Assistant Director: Sebastian Fahr-Brix
Joseph Kosinski, “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
Unit Production Managers: LeeAnn Stonebreaker, Tommy Harper, First Assistant Director: Scott Robertson, Second Assistant Directors: Andrew Stahl, Robert E. Kay, Second Second Assistant Director: Spencer Taylor
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
Unit Production Manager: Allison Rose Carter, First Assistant Director: Rodney Smith, Second Assistant Director: John Nasraway, Second Second Assistant Director: Ken C. Wu
Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
First Assistant Director: Peter Kohn
Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
Unit Production Manager: Carla Raij, First Assistant Director: Josh McLaglen, Second Assistant Director: Heather Wagner-Wang, Second Second Assistant Director: David Stickler

Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director

Alice Diop, Saint Omer (NEON)
Audrey Diwan, Happening (IFC Films)
John Patton Ford, Emily the Criminal (Roadside Attractions/Vertical Entertainment)
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, Murina (Kino Lorber)
Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (A24)

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.