Christopher Nolan, Celine Song, AP’s Mstyslav Chernov win at Directors Guild Awards

76th DGA Awards

Christopher Nolan was awarded the top prize at the Directors Guild Awards for “Oppenheimer” Saturday, solidifying his front-runner status for next month’s Oscars.

Christopher Nolan, director of the film “Oppenheimer,” poses backstage after winning the DGA Award for Theatrical Feature Film at the 76th DGA Awards, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Other winners at the untelevised ceremony in Los Angeles included Celine Song, for first time directorial achievement for her romantic drama “Past Lives,” and Mstyslav Chernov for the documentary “ 20 Days in Mariupol, ” a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline.”

Christopher Nolan, left, director of “Oppenheimer,” holds his DGA Awards Feature Film Medallion alongside cast member Cillian Murphy backstage at the 76th DGA Awards, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The Directors Guild of America also recognizes achievements in scripted and nonscripted television, with the drama series prize going to Peter Hoar for “The Last of Us” episode “Long, Long Time,” and the comedy trophy for Christopher Storer for the “Fishes” episode of “The Bear.”

Celine Song, director of the film “Past Lives,” poses with the Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film Director Award at the 76th DGA Awards at the Beverly Hilton, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The DGA award is a first for Nolan who had been nominated for the same award four times previously, for “Memento,” “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” and “Dunkirk.” This year, Nolan was up against some formidable competition in Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers” and Greta Gerwig for “Barbie,” who some pundits thought might have been capable of an upset win in response to her snub in the same category at the Oscars.

76th DGA Awards

The guild’s voting body consists of over 19,000 members, which is nearly double the entire membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But even with different voter makeups, only eight times in 75 years has the DGA winner not also gone on to take the directing Oscar. The most recent divergence was in 2019, when Sam Mendes won the DGA for “1917” and the Oscar went to Bong Joon-ho for “Parasite.” Last year, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won both for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

Mstyslav Chernov, right, director of the documentary film “20 Days in Mariupol,” holds his DGA Award for Documentary alongside presenter Jeffrey Wright backstage at the 76th DGA Awards, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

At the Oscars on March 10, Nolan’s fellow best director nominees include Scorsese, Lanthimos, Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest” and Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall.” Final Oscar voting begins on Feb. 22.

Directors Daniel Scheinert, left, and Daniel Kwan arrive at the 76th DGA Awards at the Beverly Hilton, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Greta Gerwig, director of the film “Barbie,” poses at the 76th DGA Awards at the Beverly Hilton, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Martin Scorsese, director of the film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” poses backstage at the 76th DGA Awards, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

76th DGA Awards