Cuaron, Greegrass hailed by Directors Guild of America

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Alfonso Cuaron, Paul Greengrass, Steve McQueen, David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese were nominated Tuesday for the Directors Guild of America's top honor.

Cuaron was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2013 for his space epic "Gravity," while Greengrass earned the nod for his Somali pirate piece "Captain Phillips," McQueen for his 19th century Louisiana-set drama "12 Years a Slave," Russell for the 1970s crime caper "American Hustle" and Scorsese for the high-finance comedy "The Wolf of Wall Street."

"To be chosen by your peers in a year full of incredibly well-crafted films is the true marker of outstanding directorial achievement," DGA President Paris Barclay said in a statement. "The passion and vision of each of the nominees resulted in tremendously diverse films that kept audiences mesmerized. Congratulations to each of the nominees on a job very well done."

The winner will be named at the 66th annual DGA awards dinner Jan. 25 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Jane Lynch is to serve as host of the ceremony.