Christopher Nolan has been elected president of the American Directors Guild and will take over the reins as the union prepares for future negotiations with major studios.
Nolan, the Oscar winner and one of the most successful helmers of his generation, is the successor to Lesli Linka Glatter, who served two terms at the helm and was first elected in 2021.
“Being elected president of the American Directors Guild is one of the greatest honors of my career,” Nolan said. “Our industry is going through incredible changes and we are grateful for entrusting this responsibility to our guild membership. We would like to thank President Glatter for their leadership over the past four years. We look forward to her and the newly elected committee achieving important creative and economic protections for our members.”
For the past four years, DGA has been focusing its lobbying efforts in Sacramento on set safety issues. The union has pushed a pilot program that calls for safe supervisors in a series of productions supported by California film and television tax incentives.
The union was also heavily involved in lobbying this year to expand its California tax credit and include a wider range of works.
In negotiations, the union has focused on expanding the remaining streaming in foreign countries. Once tradition is achieved, DGA will have their first conversation with the alliance of film and television producers by early next year. In the final contract cycle of 2023, DGA was one of three big three unions that reached a new contract without a halt. DGA’s latest agreement runs until June 30, 2026.
Nolan’s elections provide a rare example of A-list players at the helm of the union at the peak of their professional strength. Nolan won two Oscars for his 2023 “Oppenheimer” stewardship. He has proven to be one of the film’s most versatile and most bankable helmers with his track record of handling everything from genre photography (“The Beginning of Batman”, “The Dark Knight”) to head drama (“Inception”), to “Memorabilia” and “Tennett”).
Nolan’s next big screen big swing is “The Odyssey,” an epic adventure story released by “The Odyssey.”
Nolan was elected on Saturday night, with 167 representatives representing more than 19,500 guild members holding a biennial meeting of the DGA. Among the election results:
**Laura Bercy has been re-elected as Vice President of the nation
**Paris Barclay has been re-elected as secretary treasurer
**The following were also selected: First Vice President Todd Holland; Vice President Ron Howard. Third Vice President Gina Prince Bi Bi Bi Bi Bi D’Biod. 4th Vice President Seice Mann; 5th Vice President Millicent Shelton. 6th Vice President Lily Orssouski; Joyce Thomas, secretary’s assistant finance officer.
