Batman director gets DGA nod

2009-01-09 10:00

Los Angeles - British film-maker Christopher Nolan was on Thursday named among the nominees for the top prize at this year's Directors Guild of America (DGA) awards, a key indicator ahead of next month's Oscars.

Nolan, 38, received a nomination for the DGA's outstanding directorial achievement award for The Dark Knight, the critically acclaimed Batman blockbuster that smashed a slew of box-office records last year.

The DGA awards, which will be awarded in Los Angeles on January 31, are one of several movie industry guild awards shows seen as a gauge of likely contenders at the Academy Awards, which take place this year on February 22.

The Dark Knight has now been nominated for awards given by the Producers Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the American Society of Cinematographers, suggesting the superhero movie may well earn a best picture nomination when Oscar nominees are revealed on January 22.

Other nominees named on Thursday included Nolan's compatriot Danny Boyle, who earned a nod for Slumdog Millionaire, the uplifting love story about a Mumbai orphan who wins fame and fortune on an Indian television quiz show.

Oscar-winner Ron Howard also received a nod for Frost/Nixon, an adaptation of the stage play about the series of interviews between British television personality David Frost and disgraced former US President Richard Nixon.

Rounding out the field are David Fincher, who was nominated for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Gus Van Sant, who earned a nod for Milk.

- AFP