LOS ANGELES: “Oppenheimer” was voted the finest movie of the year by Hollywood directors on Saturday, which increased hopes that Christopher Nolan’s long search for an Oscar victory would soon come to an end.
Discover the latest triumph in filmmaking as Christopher Nolan Takes Top Prize for Oppenheimer.
The British director, who is renowned for creating difficult, commercially successful blockbusters but isn’t always a favorite among award voters, took home the top honor at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards in Los Angeles.
“It meant everything to me that my peers would think I deserved it,” director Christopher Nolan said of his movie on the creation of the atomic bomb.
Nolan had previously had four nominations for the DGA‘s highest honor, but none of them resulted in a win for his films “Memento,” “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,” or “Dunkirk.”
After losing his last five heads at the Oscars, he will now be seeking to end a similar losing trend there next month.
Throughout his career, Nolan praised his filmmaking team for bringing his most ambitious ideas to life, including a stunning recreation of the first atomic bomb test.
“People say, ‘Christopher Nolan destroyed a real airplane,’ and ‘Christopher Nolan blew up a building,’ or whatever,” he explained.
“I apologize, guys! It is entirely up to you and your groups. And creating “Oppenheimer” was the best you’ve ever done.
In the same year as their DGA award, 18 out of the last 20 winners also received the Best Director Oscar. The Oscars this year are scheduled for March 10.
Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”), Greta Gerwig (“Barbie”), Martin Scorsese (“Colours of the Flower Moon”), and Alexander Payne (“The Holders”) are the other directors nominated by the DGA for its top prize this year.
Nolan will compete against Scorsese and Lanthimos at the Oscars once more, but notably without Gerwig, whose shocking rejection by the Academy as the director of the popular feminist satire “Barbie” caused outrage.
Gerwig did not mention the Oscar controversy on Saturday, instead declaring that being recognized “in the company of my heroes” at the DGA gala meant “more to me than I could ever say.”
Jonah Hill was allowed to provide commentary. He entered the stage and spoke sadly, saying, “It would be irresponsible not to acknowledge the recent tragedies before we begin.”
“Of course, I’m referring to the fact that ‘Barbie’ only received eight Academy Award nominations.”
The film “Past Lives” directed by Celine Song, another Oscar best picture nominee, won the DGA award for best film by a first-time filmmaker.
“20 Days in Mariupol,” a documentary by video journalists that described in graphic detail the arrival of war in a besieged Ukrainian city that turned into one of the deadliest front lines in the Russian invasion, won the best documentary award.
“Three children were among the seven people killed when my hometown was bombed today. Thus, today is depressing “director Mstyslav Chernov remarked.
“Cinema doesn’t just leave these stories in history for future generations… it also helps us all deal with a sometimes unbearable world.”
Television is also honoured at the DGA Awards. “The Bear” took home the comedy prize, while “The Last of U” won for outstanding drama series episode.
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