The Directors Guild of America just announced the nominations. And they are:
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up In The Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
No real surprises here, though some wondered if Clint Eastwood, Lone Scherfig, or the Coens might sneak in at Daniels’s expense. This makes Daniels the first-ever African American to be nominated. The DGA Award is a pretty solid predictor of the eventual Oscar winner for Best Director; the Academy and DGA have only ever honored different directors six times. Bigelow is considered this year’s favorite, though only one of the above nominees built a whole planet on his computer.
Directors Guild Announces 2009 Nominees [indieWIRE]