One more reward for
Oppenheimer
which further cements his position as arch-favorite at the Oscars on March 10.
Its director Christopher Nolan won the main prize from the American directors union (DGA), a reliable barometer for the Oscars, on Saturday.
In nearly 80 years, nine times out of ten the guild's winner has won the Oscar for best director.
The last time there was disagreement was in 2020. The DGA favored Sam Mendes for
1917,
the Oscars Bong Joon Ho for the Palme d'Or
Parasite
.
Known for his complex blockbusters that pack the box office, Christopher Nolan has always had a harder time establishing himself in awards season.
Oppenheimer
is his first victory at the DGA Awards in five nominations!
On track for
Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception and Dunkirk
, he came back empty-handed.
At the Oscars, where
Oppenheimer
is in the running in thirteen categories, the statistics are the same with five unsuccessful nominations in the directing and screenplay sections.
“
The idea that my peers think I deserve this prize means everything to me
,” declared the Briton on stage at the DGA Awards, referring to his feature film dedicated to the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy.
Receiving his medallion, Christopher Nolan thanked his team for bringing his ambitious visions to life, including creating a breathtaking replica of the first atomic bomb test: “
Sorry, guys!
It all depends on you and your teams.
And you have never been as successful as when making
Oppenheimer.
Also read: Christopher Nolan will also receive an Honorary César
An oracle that has become less reliable?
The other directors competing this year for the DGA's Best Film of the Year award were Martin Scorsese for
Killers of the Flower Moon
, Greta Gerwig with Barbie, Yorgos Lanthimos and his
Poor Creatures
and Alexander Payne with
Winter Break
.
But this year, only three of the DGA Awards nominees will be in the running for the Best Director Oscar.
All the nominees, like Greta Gerwig (here accompanied by her Ken Ryan Gosling), received a medallion.
MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS
A sign of the growing internationalization of the Oscars, the branch of directors which decides the five contenders for the statuette, on March 10, emancipates itself from the DGA on two lucky ones by nominating the Frenchwoman Justine Triet (
Anatomy of a fall
) and the American Jonathan Glazer for his chilling portrait of the Shoah seen through the daily life of the Nazi leaders of Auschwitz,
The Zone of Interest
.
Two films, the main language of which is not English.
Also read: From Cannes to the Oscars, how Anatomy of a Fall is conquering the world
The influx of new members at the Oscars is increasingly leading the Academy to diverge from the guilds, considered precursors.
Thus the Oscars preferred to select Sandra Hüller rather than Margot Robbie in the best actress category.
The actors' union (SAG) had opted for the interpreter of
Barbie
.
Céline Song also awarded
Oppenheimer
wasn't the only DGA Awards winner.
The prize for best first film went to Céline Song for her intimate and very personal
Past Lives - Nos vies d'avant
about the reunion of two childhood friends.
The feature film is in the running for two Oscars.
Céline Song MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS
The prize for best documentary went to
20 Days in Mariupol
, which chronicles the arrival of war in a Ukrainian city that became the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Russian invasion.
“Today my hometown was bombed and seven people were killed, including three children.
So it’s a sad day,” said director Mstyslav Chernov.
“At the same time, I recognize the power of cinema... when these people are fleeing the bombs falling on them, they go and sit in basements and to combat their fear, they watch films,” he said. -he adds.
The DGA Awards also reward television works: the zombie apocalyptic dystopia
The Last of Us
won the prize for best episode of a drama series, and
The Bear,
a frenzied dive into the back kitchen of a Chicago restaurant, won the prize for the comedy.