Amid the ongoing writers’ and actor’s strike in Hollywood, another controversy has sparked as one of the members of Directors Guild of America has openly advocated against the election of 10 writer-directors to the guild’s board earlier this month saying that they were “primarily writers” and hailed from “fringe groups,” according to a report by Variety.
As per the report, according to a leaked email that has been circulating within the creative community, Linda Montanti, chair of the guild’s Western AD/UPM Council asked a group of DGA voters to not to support the board candidacies of several individuals who are members of both the DGA and WGA. Some of these individuals have been vocal about strike-related issues.
The list of targeted candidates includes writer-producer Boots Riley, Oscar-winning director and writer of ‘CODA’ Sian Heder, actor-filmmaker Justine Bateman, actor-writer Paul Scheer, and ‘Chernobyl’ creator Craig Mazin. DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter has reached out to the affected members after this unusual move, reassuring them that Montanti’s actions did not have the endorsement of top DGA leaders.
As Variety reported, Montanti sent an email— titled “Director members from fringe groups that we have been asked not to support”—two days ahead of the DGA’s 5th August biennial National Convention held at the DGA Theater. At the time email was sent, it had not been made public that the names mentioned in Montanti’s email were seeking election to the board and none of those were ultimately voted in.
This leaked email has sparked outrage among numerous industry insiders, keeping in mind the ongoing WGA strike that has entered its fourth month against major studios and streaming platforms, while SAG-AFTRA also joined the strikes on 14th July.
Meanwhile, in a surprising move, DGA successfully secured a new three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which was ratified by its members in June. This difference in labor actions has further intensified historical tensions between the WGA and DGA.
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