Shortlist announced for DGA prize

Nominees for the Directors Guild of America's (DGA's) top prize have been announced, with the winner hotly tipped to go on and take the Oscar for best director.

Martin Scorsese is included in the shortlist for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film award, after he made gangster thriller The Departed, while Bill Condon is nominated for forthcoming musical drama Dreamgirls, starring Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy.

The list also includes Leicester-born Stephen Frears for his duties on The Queen, with Amores Perros and 21 Grams director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu nominated after taking the helm of Babel.

Last but not least, husband and wife duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are up for the award, being recognised for their work on Little Miss Sunshine.

"We always told our cast that Little Miss Sunshine was about not looking at life as a contest, but seeing it more as a dance," Dayton told Reuters.

"So I can say that we are really enjoying this dance," he added.

Absent from the list is Clint Eastwood, who, after directing war epic Flags of our Fathers was widely expected to be included.

The prize is scheduled to be announced on February 3rd.

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