Alt awards favour surprise films

The Golden Globes may be cancelled, and the Oscars themselves in dire jeopardy, but this annual awards season continues to throw up surprises. The latest is the choice of films nominated for best director by the Directors Guild of America, usually a good indicator of which films might be nominated for best director Oscars. Both Ridley Scott (American Gangster) and Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd), who have appeared on other pre-Oscar shortlists, have both been omitted in favour of a more adventurous selection.

The directors nominated are Julian Schnabel (for Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Sean Penn (for Into the Wild), Tony Gilroy (for Michael Clayton), Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men and Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood, which stars Daniel Day Lewis in a role that many in Hollywood believe makes him a dead cert for the best actor Oscar in February.

"What makes this award truly meaningful to directors is the knowledge that only this one is decided by their peers," said Michael Apted, president of the Directors Guild President. He might have added that what makes it even more meaningful to the winner is that they are very likely to go forward and win an all-important Oscar. Since the DGA began giving awards for film directing in 1949, only six winners have failed to claim the Oscar as best director in the same year. Last year was no exception: Martin Scorsese won best director at both the DGAs and the Oscars for The Departed.