TheDirectorsGuild of America (DGA) nominations are out, andDenis Villeneuveis nowhere to be found.
BecauseDune: Part Twowas such a blockbuster, some might dismiss it, and thus Villeneuve, from awards consideration. But that feels a bit foolish.
The Artist And The Technician
Directors tend to fall into two categories. You have artists and you have technicians. Stanley Kubrick? Artist. TheRusso Brothers? Technicians. Jane Campion? Artist.Shawn Levy? Technician.
One isn’t better than the other, as they’re usually two completely separate skill sets. Artists tend to make more nuanced, thoughtful pictures that push boundaries with their creativity and dynamism. While technicians manage huge blockbuster films that have a million moving parts, tremendous budgets, and cater to mass-appeal.
The uniqueness of the artistic approach tends to earn those movies more award recognition (though less audience interest) than the often safer product that is the blockbuster.
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The Parallel Between Villeneuve And Nolan
The thing about Denis Villeneuve is that he started quite firmly in that “artist” category. His early films, likePolytechnique,Incendies,Prisoners,Enemy, andSicariowere all artful works that earned him an incredible amount of loyalty from movie fans.
Much like Christopher Nolan, Villeneuve brought his artistic sensibilities to the blockbuster. First withArrival. ThenBlade Runner 2049,Dune, andDune: Part Two. Nolan won Best Director at the 76th DGA Awards becauseOppenheimerwas a perfect combination of the two approaches. Mass-appeal, big-budget, nuanced, creative.
That combination of qualities is the same reason James Cameron won the award at the 50th (Titanic), Spielberg at the 51st (Saving Private Ryan), and Peter Jackson at the 56th (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).
Our Take On Villeneuve’s Lack Of Nomination
For Villenueve to not be nominated is actually kind of crazy. Especially since the DGA nominatedDunein 2022. I would argue thatPart Twois superior in almost every way.
Personally, I’d removeEmilia PérezandConclavefrom the nominations and replace them withDune: Part Twoand Coralie Fargeat’sThe Substance.Pérezhas come undercontinued criticismfor its portrayal of its subjects. And whileConclaveis a solid film, it just pales in comparison to the scope and scale ofDune: Part Twoand the madness and creativity ofThe Substance. I still viewThe Substanceas the best movie of 2024.
Overall, the DGA not includingDune: Part Twofeels like a reminder of how disrespected genre films still are. Whether it’s sci-fi, horror, fantasy, action, or superhero movies. WhenThe Lord of the Ringswon Best Picture at the Oscars, it seemed like maybe things could change. But award voters continue to overlook and disrespect genre pictures. IfDune: Part Twodoesn’t merit consideration, what will?
Dune: Part Two
