The DGA shakes things up with a Mangold nomination

by Cláudio Alves

The guilds are going wild for James Mangold's A COMPLETE UNKNOWN.

The Directors Guild of America has had its say, nudging the awards season in one clear direction. And that is the way for A Complete Unknown, James Mangold's latest biopic which has amassed strong box office numbers and now is a threat for a Best Director Oscar nomination. Nathaniel was right to predict him in our first round of Team Experience punditry. But along with Mangold's inclusion come many notorious absences, including Jon M. Chu, whose best chance at a major Best Director prize was this guild honor whose tastes run closer to the Hollywood mainstream than the Academy's branch tends to be. Denis Villeneuve and Coralie Fargeat are also nowhere to be found, while RaMell Ross and Payal Kapadia were only honored in the First Feature category. 

Discover the complete list of DGA nominees after the jump…

Feature Film

• Jacques Audiard, EMILIA PÉREZ
• Sean Baker, ANORA
• Edward Berger, CONCLAVE
• Brady Corbet, THE BRUTALIST
• James Mangold, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN 

Last year, the DGA went with Greta Gerwig and Alexander Payne, whereas the Academy preferred Jonathan Glazer and Justine Triet. It's easy to imagine a similar scenario this season, where a more unconventional work takes the place of at least one of these DGA nominees. The likeliest targets for replacement are Berger and Mangold, but a surprise Baker snub could still happen. As it stands, Audiard and Corbet feel like our frontrunners. 

Going beyond the 2023 season helps us see the patterns of the DGA and AMPAS relationship even better. In 2022, Joseph Kosinski received a DGA nod, but Ruben Östlund replaced him in the Oscar lineup.  In 2021, Denis Villeneuve gave way to Ryusuke Hamaguchi. In 2020, Aaron Sorkin was a DGA pick, while the Academy went with Thomas Vinterberg. In other words, someone like Coralie Fargeat could still make it to the AMPAS quintet. Indeed, it would be more surprising if the DGA five was merely replicated. That hasn't happened since 2009.

First-Time Theatrical Feature Film

• Payal Kapadia, ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
• Megan Park, MY OLD ASS
• RaMell Ross, NICKEL BOYS
• Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, ARMAND
• Sean Wang, DÌDI 

It'll always feel weird that these first feature categories don't consider documentaries in the same way they prize narrative features. Both Payal Kapadia and RaMell Ross have directed award-winning documentaries before trying their hand at fiction filmmaking this year. In Ross's case, it's especially galling since he was even Oscar-nominated for his efforts. Hell, he's already a DGA nominee, having been in the running for the Documentary award for Hale County This Morning, This Evening.

Documentary 

• Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev, PORCELAIN WAR
• Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie, SUGARCANE
• Johan Grimonprez, SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ÉTAT
• Ibrahim Nash'at, HOLLYWOODGATE
• Natalie Rae & Angela Patton, DAUGHTERS

You would think nominating three different directing duos would be a first for the DGA, but it has happened multiple times already. It's worth pointing out that all these films have been shortlisted by AMPAS for their own Documentary Feature prize. Not that this lineup's history perfectly matches the Oscar picks. In fact, such a thing has never happened.

Dramatic Series

• Alex Graves, THE DIPLOMAT (S02E06)
• Hiromi Kamata, SHOGUN (S01E06)
• Issa López, TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY (S04E06)
• Frederick E.O. Toye, SHOGUN (S01E09)
• Jonathan Van Tulleken, SHOGUN (S01E01) 

Comedy Series

• Lucia Aniello, HACKS (S03E09)
• Ayo Edebiri, THE BEAR (S03E06)
• Duccio Fabbri, THE BEAR (S03E03)
• Jeff Schaffer, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (S12E10)
• Christopher Storer, THE BEAR (S03E01) 

Movies for Television and Limited Series

• Kevin Bray, THE PENGUIN (S01E07)
• Alfonso Cuáron, DISCLAIMER
• Jennifer Getzinger, THE PENGUIN (S01E08)
• Helen Shaver, THE PENGUIN (S01E04)
• Steven Zaillian, RIPLEY 

It feels vaguely wrong that one show fills 60% of the allotted slots in each of the main TV categories. Even from a strategic perspective, this seems like a tricky situation. After all, will one episode be able to rise above the rest, or will Shogun, The Bear, and The Penguin split votes with themselves, opening the path for another victor? I could see López, Aniello, and Cuarón surprising here. Stranger things have happened.

Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming

• Paul G. Casey, REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER (S22E20)
• Jim Hoskinson, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT (S09E130)
• David Paul Meyer, THE DAILY SHOW (S29E89)
• Liz Patrick, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (S50E05)
• Paul Pennolino, LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER (S11E13) 

Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials 

• Hamish Hamiton, THE 96TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS
• Beth McCarthy-Miller, THE ROAST OF TOM BRADY
• David Paul Meyer, THE DAILY SHOW PRESENTS A LIVE ELECTION NIGHT SPECIAL WITH JON STEWART: INDECISION 2024: NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT NOW
• Glenn Weiss, THE 77TH ANNUAL TONY AWARDS
• Ali Wong, ALI WONG: SINGLE LADY

Reality Programs

• Neil DeGroot, GORDON RAMSAY: UNCHARTED (S04E02)
• Joseph Guidry, DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND (S01E07)
• Ari Katcher, JERROD CARMICHAEL REALITY SHOW (S01E04)
• Patrick McManus, AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR (S16E11)
• Mike Sweeney, CONAN O'BRIEN MUST GO (S01E04) 

Children's Programs 

• Kat Coiro, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (S01E01)
• Michael Goi, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (S01E01)
• Jim Mickle, SWEET TOOTH (S03E08)
• Jennifer Phang, DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED
• Amber Sealey, OUT OF MY MIND

Commercials

• Lance Acord, Park Pictures
• Kim Gherig, Somesuch
• Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim, Prettybird
• Andreas Nilsson, Biscuit Filmworks
• Ivan Zachariás, Smuggler

What does the DGA have against RuPaul's Drag Race? No matter how acclaimed or mainstream that reality competition gets, the Directors Guild never nominates it. Oh well, better luck next time. Regarding other matters, it's nice to see Lance Acord get recognition as a director since his genius work shooting such films as Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and Where the Wild Things Are earned him little in the way of big Best Cinematography prizes. Where were those Oscar nominations? He has also become a producer in the past few years. Daughters and the Earth Mama feature from last year were both executive produced by Sofia Coppola's former DP of choice.

What do you think about these DGA nominations? Is James Mangold coming for that Oscar nomination, or is he one of those guild honorees that the Academy rejects?

Comments

[Paranoid Android]

Also considering its overperformance with SAG, clearly the industry is pushing A Complete Unknown into some major noms that the ciritcs weren't.

Also, still find it hard to believe that a film as divisive and outre as Emilia Perez is going to lead the nomination count, but here we are..

[Gallavich]

It’s really weird that Wicked is getting a lot of love and the name of Mr. John M. Chu appears so rarely

[Mr Ripley79]

A Complete Unknown is peaking just at the right time,shiny and new it's flaws haven't had time to embed,backlash hasn't started so it will be a smooth sail to multiple acting noms and craft noms.

Yay! DiDi.

[thevoid99]

No Coralie Fargaet? BOO!!!!

[Frank Zappa]

Also, still find it hard to believe that a film as divisive and outre as Emilia Perez is going to lead the nomination count, but here we are.

Really? Think back two years...eleven nominations for my favorite film that season, which was nothing if not divisive and outré. Although I very much doubt that Emilia Pérez will win seven.

[Sad Man]

The Coralie Fargaet snub over Mangold is insane.

[Fabio Dantas Flappers]

Mangold is in.
Frankly, I loved it!
These five make a perfect lineup.

[Peggy Sue]

CORRECTION: The DGA fucks things up with a Mangold nomination