 | |
| Predecessor | Radio and Television Directors Guild |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1936; 89 years ago (1936) |
| Headquarters | 7920 Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles, California |
| Location |
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| Members | 18,000 |
President | Christopher Nolan |
National Vice President | Laura Belsey |
Key people | Paris Barclay, secretary-treasurer |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | Screen Directors Guild (1936–1960) |
| [1][2] | |
TheDirectors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainmentguild that represents the interests offilm andtelevision directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as theScreen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merged with the Radio and Television Directors Guild in 1960 to become the modern Directors Guild of America.[3]
The DGA hosts the annual DGA Awards, an important precursor to the Academy Awards.[4] In its 69-year history, the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has been a near perfect barometer for both the Best Director, and in some cases, the Best Picture Academy Award. Only seven times has the DGA Award winner not won the corresponding Best Director Academy Award.[5] Honorees are awarded with a statue manufactured bySociety Awards.
The inaugural DGA Student Film Awards were held in 1995. As of 2025[update] the DGA Student Spotlight Awards for Underrepresented Directors are awarded to a number of student filmmakers in anunderrepresented group in the industry, such asAfrican American,Asian American,Latino, women, and documentary film makers. Each winner receives a $2,500 cash prize.[6]
The rule that a film can only have one single director was adopted to preserve the continuity of a director's vision and to avoid producers and actors lobbying for a director's credit, or studios hiring multiple directors for a single film or television episode.
The rule is waived only for directorial teams recognized by the DGA who have a history of working together and sharing a common vision. Examples includeThe Wachowskis,Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris,Hughes brothers,Russo brothers,Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and theCoen brothers.[7] The Coens for years divided credit, with Ethan taking producing credit, Joel taking directing credit, and both of them sharing the writing credit (even though the two of them shared all three duties between themselves) untilThe Ladykillers in 2004.
An example of the DGA refusing to recognize a directorial team wasRobert Rodriguez andFrank Miller forSin City; they were rejected because they had never worked together before; Rodriguez quit the DGA so that Miller would share director's credit.[7]
For the filmBohemian Rhapsody, directorBryan Singer was fired due to frequent absences and clashing on the set, withDexter Fletcher replacing him with two weeks left of filming. Singer still received director credit and Fletcher received executive producer credit.
In the past, the DGA has also engaged in disputes with theWriters Guild of America (WGA) overpossessory credits, first used in the 1915 filmThe Birth of a Nation. The WGA tried to limit possessory credits to writers, but has always been successfully opposed by the DGA, leaving directors free to try to negotiate such credits if they wish.[8]
Not all Hollywood directors are DGA members. Notable exceptions includeGeorge Lucas andRobert Rodriguez.[7]Quentin Tarantino directed six feature films before becoming a DGA member, in 2012.[9] Those who are not members of the guild are unable to direct for the larger movie studios, which are signatories to the guild's agreements that all directors must be guild members.[7]
The following are the past Presidents of the Screen Directors Guild and the DGA:[citation needed]
| Term | President | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936–1938 | King Vidor | ||
| 1938–1941 | Frank Capra | ||
| 1941–1943 | George Stevens | ||
| 1943–1944 | Mark Sandrich | ||
| 1944–1946 | John Cromwell | ||
| 1946–1948 | George Stevens | ||
| 1948–1950 | George Marshall | ||
| 1950–1951 | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | ||
| 1951–1959 | George Sidney | ||
| 1959–1961 | Frank Capra | ||
| 1961–1967 | George Sidney | ||
| 1967–1971 | Delbert Mann | ||
| 1971–1975 | Robert Wise | ||
| 1975–1979 | Robert Aldrich | ||
| 1979–1981 | George Schaefer | ||
| 1981–1983 | Jud Taylor | ||
| 1983–1987 | Gilbert Cates | ||
| 1987–1989 | Franklin J. Schaffner | ||
| 1989–1993 | Arthur Hiller | ||
| 1993–1997 | Gene Reynolds | ||
| 1997–2002 | Jack Shea | ||
| 2002–2003 | Martha Coolidge | First female president | |
| 2003–2009 | Michael Apted | ||
| 2009–2013 | Taylor Hackford | ||
| 2013–2017 | Paris Barclay | First black and first openly gay president | [10] |
| 2017–2021 | Thomas Schlamme | [11] | |
| 2021–2025 | Lesli Linka Glatter | [12] | |
| 2025–present | Christopher Nolan | [13] |
The Director's Finder Series (or Director's Finder Screening Series), inaugurated in December 1998, provides for the screening ofindependent films with no U.S. distributor, and no previous TV or other distribution. Selected by alottery, the films are screened in DGA theatres in Los Angeles and New York City to an audience of DGA members and invited potential distributors. Many films have been picked up by distributors via the series that may not otherwise have been spotted.[14] The series was initiated by the DGA's Independent Directors' Committee, chaired bySteven Soderbergh, initially for U.S. films only, but later expanded to include Australian, Irish, British and New Zealand directors, via the International Association of English-Speaking Directors Organisation (IAESDO). By 2007, the series had screened more than 75 films.[15] The DGA has collaborated with organisations such as theScreen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI)[16] and theAustralian Directors' Guild (ADG), which nominate one film to participate.[15]
Australian entries, selected for the Finders Series Award by the ADG from a shortlist of four,[15] includeBoxing Day (2007), directed byKriv Stenders; and after a five-year lapse,[17] Tony Krawitz's documentaryThe Tall Man (2012),[18] and in 2014Catriona McKenzie'sSatellite Boy was selected for the series.[19]
Irish entries includeTerry McMahon'sPatrick's Day (2014)[20] and Ross Whitaker'sKatie (2018).[21]
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| Other | |
34°5′52″N118°21′45″W / 34.09778°N 118.36250°W /34.09778; -118.36250
