HOLLYWOOD -- The Director's Guild of America Wednesday nominated Woody Allen and four relative newcomers for best director of 1986.
Allen, a previous DGA and Academy Award winner, was nominated for his direction of 'Hannah and Her Sisters,' a bittersweet comedy of divorce and marriage in a middle-class New York family.
Randa Haines was nominated by her fellow directors for 'Children of a Lesser God,' a poignant love story of a troubled deaf girl and her teacher.
Veteran director James Ivory was nominated for a 'Room with a View,' a Victorian comedy-drama of manners and romance in turn-of-the-century England.
Rob Reiner was nominated for his direction of a group of young boys in the Pacific Northwest learning about life and friendship in 'Stand by Me,' Hollywood's biggest sleeper of last year.
Oliver Stone, a Vietnam veteran, was nominated for 'Platoon,' a blood-and-guts tale of combat in Vietnam.
Because the Director's Guild award historically has been an accurate gauge of nominees for the Oscars, it generally is accepted that best director nominees are an indicator of which pictures and directors will win Academy Award nominations.
Only three times in history has the winner of a DGA award not gone on to win the best director Oscar. Most recently, the exception was Steven Spielberg for 'The Color Purple.'
This year's winner will be named at the 39th annual DGA awards banquet March 7.
The nominations were announced by DGA board member Franklin J. Schaffner. Following the announcement, nominees Haines and Reiner spoke briefly at the news conference.
'It's wonderful to be recognized by your co-workers and peers,' Haines said. 'It means a great deal to me.'
Reiner said, 'There are only two awards in this business that ultimately mean anything. The director's and writer's awards. They are not bought or campaigned for. They are voted by people who know what they are watching. It's nice to be noticed.'
In response to a question about so many new faces among the nominees, Reiner said, 'It's great to be nominated in the same group with Woody Allen. He's my favorite filmmaker of all time. As for being considered for the award with him -- forget it.'
