Cameron, Reitman to vie for film-directing honour

Canadian-born directors James Cameron and Jason Reitman are among the five filmmakers nominated on Thursday for the Directors Guild of America's annual awards gala.

Kapuskasing, Ont.,-born Cameron, who won the honour in 1997 for his record-setting historical romance Titanic, is in the running this year for his epic, eye-popping science-fiction tale Avatar.

Reitman, who was born in Montreal, received his first DGA nomination for his latest film, the melancholy corporate downsizer comedy Up in the Air.

Also vying for the DGA film prize for the first time are Kathryn Bigelow, for her gritty Iraq drama The Hurt Locker, and Lee Daniels for his harrowing coming-of-age tale Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.

Rounding out the 2009 list is Quentin Tarantino for his Second World War reimagining Inglourious Basterds. Cult favourite Tarantino was last in the running for his 1994 hit Pulp Fiction.

"The five nominees for this year have each expressed an indelible vision that transported audiences to vivid vistas of cinematic art," DGA president Taylor Hackford said in a statement.

The annual honour is meaningful to finalists "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," he said.

The award is also a key barometer in the annual Oscar race. Since the DGA began handing out its awards in 1948, the guild's feature film winner has gone on to win the corresponding best director Oscar in all but six instances.

The guild will unveil its nominees for television, documentaries and commercials on Friday.

The winners will be announced at the 62nd annual DGA Awards dinner on Jan. 30. The Los Angeles ceremony will also include a tribute to Toronto-born filmmaker Norman Jewison, who is this year's recipient of the guild's lifetime achievement award.