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2 0 I D G A M O N T H L Y I D G A M O N T H L Y DGA Awards Section Photo Credits: Elisa Haber, Shane Karns, Quintin Lundy, Emma McIntyre/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images and Howard Wise. See more photos and video, where available, from these events at www.dga.org Meet the Nominees Events Meet the Directorial Teams of the DGA Award-Nominated Projects On February 1, Assistant Directors, Unit Production Managers and Location Managers of the projects nominated for the 77th Annual DGA Awards were celebrated during the Western AD/UPM Council's 22nd Annual Meet the Teams event. Hosted by the Council's Education Committee and the Meet the Teams Organizing Committee, the online event gave DGA members the opportunity to hear fi rsthand accounts of what went into the making of these notable productions for fi lm and television. In a conversation moderated by 2025 Frank Capra Award Recipient Thomas J. Whelan and illustrated by clips from the nominated productions, the panelists covered subjects that included: working with their Directors; cross-boarding episodes on The Bear; shooting on real locations on Anora, creating a new, distinct version of Gotham for The Penguin; building a relationship with the cast and working with the background actors to portray people living in the '60s for A Complete Unknown; the unique equipment testing process on Nickel Boys; how the directorial team incorporated archival footage with newly shot footage to tell the story of Volkswagen's history in Lance Acord's commercial; and more, including advice to event attendees seeking to emulate their success. L-R First Row: 2025 Frank Capra Award Recipient Thomas J. Whelan (moderator), Director Duccio Fabbri (The Bear, "Doors", 1st AD The Bear, "Napkins" & "Tomorrow"); UPMs Olivia Kavanaugh (Anora) and Caroline Kousidonis (An American Love Story, Volkswagen). Second Row: UPM Kenneth Yu (Nickel Boys); 1st ADs H.H. Cooper (The Penguin, "Cent'anni" & "A Great or Little Thing") and Doug Torres (A Complete Unknown) and 2nd AD Sofía Blanco (Anora and The Bear, "Doors", "Napkins" & "Tomorrow") Third Row: 2nd AD Brad Robinson (A Complete Unknown and The Penguin, "Top Hat"); and Location Manager Keith Adams (The Penguin," Cent'anni", "A Great or Little Thing" & "Top Hat") discussed their work during the 22nd Annual Meet the Teams event. See more detailed descriptions of this event online at www.dga.org. Meet the Nominees: Documentary On February 5, DGA members assembled online for the 2025 edition of the Meet the Nominees: Documentary event. Following an introduction from Documentary Committee Co-Chair Alex Stapleton and nominee clips screening, the Directors engaged in an insightful dialogue around their projects moderated by Director Lisa Cortés. The nominated Directors — Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev (Porcelain War), Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie (Sugarcane), Johan Grimonprez (Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat), Ibrahim Nash'at (Hollywoodgate) and Natalie Rae & Angela Patton (Daughters) — shared how they planned their subject interviews and the process of gaining access to complex filming locations. They explained how their Directorial visions adaptively took shape throughout production through growing relationships with subjects and the intricacies of highlighting pressing issues while crafting sensitive storytelling and still upholding ethical obligations to real-life subjects. They also talked about navigating consent, portrayal consultations, post-release communication, and the collaborative yet creative relationships with participants. L-R First Row: Documentary Award Nominees Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev (Porcelain War), Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie (Sugarcane), Second Row: Nominees Johan Grimonprez (Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat), Ibrahim Nash'at (Hollywoodgate) and Natalie Rae & Angela Patton (Daughters), Third Row: Director Lisa Cortés (moderator) and Documentary Committee Co-Chair Alex Stapleton.