'You Can See Everything' ruled ineligible for DGA feature directing award
The Directors Guild of America says A24's "You Can See Everything", by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, will compete only in the documentary directing category. It will not compete for the theatrical feature award, which is a bellwether for the Oscar for best director.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1A DGA representative confirmed to Variety that "You Can See Everything", the A24 film by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, will compete only for the guild's outstanding directorial achievement in documentary award. VarietyLC “will compete solely in the outstanding directorial achievement in documentary category and will not be considered for outstanding directorial achievement in theatrical feature film” Read at Variety ↗ Mixed · 2The guild pointed to its rule book, which says "re-releases, animated films and documentaries are not eligible" for the theatrical feature award. Variety said the line leaves no room for a hybrid or an exception. VarietyLC ““re-releases, animated films and documentaries are not eligible.” That line in the rule book seems to leave no room for a hybrid or an exception.” Read at Variety ↗ /FilmN “documentaries are ineligible for that award” Read at /Film ↗ Left · 1Variety reported that A24 and several awards strategists had hoped the film's blend of nonfiction and staged narrative would let the guild treat it as both a feature and a documentary. The guild classifies films by how they are produced and submitted, and on that measure it considers this a documentary. VarietyLC “The guild classifies films based on how they are produced and submitted, and “You Can See Everything” is a documentary by that measure” Read at Variety ↗
Centre · 1The film blurs documentary and narrative filmmaking. Amanda Seyfried, who played Holmes in "The Dropout", reprises the character in recreations of moments Fielder and Oppenheim did not or could not film, and Christopher Abbott plays Holmes's husband Billy Evans. /FilmN “she gets back into character as Holmes in recreations of moments during the production that Fielder and Oppenheim didn't or couldn't film” Read at /Film ↗ Mixed · 2The DGA feature award is a reliable guide to the Oscar for best director. Both outlets say the DGA winner has failed to win the Oscar only eight times, most recently when Sam Mendes won the DGA for "1917" and Bong Joon-ho won the Oscar for "Parasite" at the 92nd Academy Awards. VarietyLC “Only eight times in the guild’s history has the DGA winner failed to go on to win the Oscar for best director.” Read at Variety ↗ /FilmN “Sam Mendes received the DGA award for "1917" only for Bong Joon-Ho to win Best Director for "Parasite"” Read at /Film ↗ Mixed · 2Variety said the ruling removes a key piece of precursor momentum, though a documentary win at the guild could still help the film's standing with the Academy. /Film said the film now faces higher odds in the best director race, while best picture seems still to be in play. VarietyLC “the film loses a key piece of precursor momentum” Read at Variety ↗ /FilmN “(Best Picture, however, seems to still be in play.)” Read at /Film ↗
Left · 1The 174-minute film opened in theaters on Oct. 16 and has drawn strong reviews and box office. It will be eligible for best documentary feature at the 99th Academy Awards and will also be submitted in categories including best picture, director, supporting actress (Seyfried) and supporting actor (Abbott). VarietyLC “The 174-minute film opened in theaters on Oct. 16”“best picture (Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, Tatiana Bears, Maggie Ambrose and Jack Davis), director (Fielder and Oppenheim), supporting actress (Seyfried), supporting actor (Christopher Abbott)” Read at Variety ↗ Mixed · 2A24 and its strategists are in talks with BAFTA, SAG-AFTRA and the Golden Globes about how to classify the film. Nominations for the 79th DGA Awards will be announced in January. /Film noted that the Academy has a conservative record on category-pushing acting, citing Andy Serkis's Gollum. VarietyLC “A24 and its strategists remain in active conversations with other guilds and awards bodies, including BAFTA, SAG-AFTRA and the Golden Globes” Read at Variety ↗ /FilmN “the Academy has a conservative track record on acknowledging category-pushing acting” Read at /Film ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Variety broke the news with a DGA confirmation. It frames the story as an awards-strategy setback that is grounded in the guild's rules.
- Emphasis
- The guild's rule-book wording, A24's failed hope for a dual classification, the bellwether history and the full list of Oscar submissions.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Offers no commentary on the film's content beyond its hybrid form.
- Charged language
- “bellwethers”
- For example
-
“The ruling matters because the DGA feature award is one of the most reliable bellwethers in the Oscars.” — Variety
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- /Film follows up on Variety's report. It leads with praise for the film and its hybrid nature, then treats the ruling as a complication for its Oscar prospects.
- Emphasis
- The film's blending of documentary and narrative, Seyfried's performance, and the Academy's historical resistance to documentaries and unusual acting.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Includes no direct DGA or A24 statement of its own and relies on Variety for the ruling.
- Charged language
- “taken the world (and the box office) by storm”“barnstormer”“brilliant”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The DGA says the film will compete only in the documentary directing category.
- Documentaries are ineligible for the DGA theatrical feature award under its rules.
- The DGA feature winner has failed to win the best director Oscar only eight times.
- A24 is submitting the film in several Oscar categories, including best picture, director and supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried.
Directors Guild of America organisation
The DGA, through a representative speaking to Variety, says the film is a documentary by how it is produced and submitted. It cites a rule excluding documentaries from the theatrical feature award.
“A representative for the DGA confirmed to Variety that the A24 documentary” — Variety
You Can See Everything other
A24 and its strategists had hoped for dual classification. They remain in talks with other guilds and awards bodies and still hope the film is embraced across the board at the Oscars.
“There’s still hope for it to be embraced across the board at the Oscars.” — Variety
Nathan Fielder person
Fielder is named as co-director and producer in the film's Oscar submissions. The coverage quotes no statement from him on the ruling.
“director (Fielder and Oppenheim)” — Variety
Left1 article
-
Neutral Straight awards-trade report built on a DGA confirmation, with rule text and Oscar context.
Centre1 article
-
/FilmN ·
You Can See Everything Deemed Ineligible For A Major Award On The Road To The Oscars
Sympathetic Enthusiastic follow-up that treats the ruling as a hurdle for a celebrated film.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 27 Oct 18:15 First VarietyLC ‘You Can See Everything’ Ruled Ineligible for DGA Feature Prize, Will Compete Only in Documentary Category
- 28 Oct 21:27 +27h 12m /FilmN You Can See Everything Deemed Ineligible For A Major Award On The Road To The Oscars
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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