Congratulations: Lee Daniels Becomes First Black Director to Be Nominated for DGA

The Director's Guild of America has announced the nominees for its Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Award and Lee Daniels, director of Precious, is among those nominated.  The announcement was made in Los Angeles by DGA president Taylor Hackford yesterday.  During the announcement Hackford explained why the award means so much to directors:

"The DGA Award is especially meaningful to directors because it is decided solely by their peers - the men and women who have been in the same trenches and know exactly what goes into the crafting of a unique motion picture," said Hackford. "The five nominees for this year have each expressed an indelible vision that transported audiences to vivid vistas of cinematic art. My heartiest congratulations to all of the nominees."

 Lee, who beat out Clint Eastwood (Invictus) for the fifth nomination spot,  is the first Black director to be nominated for the award.   He will be competing against James Cameron (Avitar), Jason Reitman (Up In The Air), Quintin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds) and Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker).  The winner of the award will be announced at the 62nd Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 30, 2010, at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.