Petition Regarding Screeners for DGA Members: 

We members of the Directors Guild of America hereby petition the DGA Councils and National Board to reevaluate the policy against screeners for the members of our Guild. 

Currently, the system for nominating and voting for best directorial  achievement of the year is not equal. It disenfranchises a great many, if not a majority, of the membership. We want to level the viewing opportunities which the other guilds and unions already enjoy. As the  premier Guild, we should offer this critical element to our voting membership.

We recognize that directors want their creations to be seen in a format for which  they are originally intended -- that is, a theatrical screen -- but we think their main goal is to have their films seen, period. For directors of smaller projects, which might not get seen on big screens across the country, screeners provide an opportunity for them to show off to the membership what they have accomplished.

At issue here is a desire to serve the best interests of the entire voting membership. The current system does not serve working members of the Guild. Given our 70 to 80-hour work weeks, we are not always able to make it to the theater or to a Guild or industry screening, even to see films that have a wide theatrical release.

As our membership has grown throughout the country, this system shuts out anyone who lives outside the major cities, such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and D.C.  It also excludes those living outside the U.S. Consequently, their voices are not heard. This inequity should be rectified.

We understand and respect the two thought processes behind the hesitation to send out screeners, and we feel that neither one is still relevant given the technological advancements in today's markets. Those same advancements we are so proud to use on set and in the creation of these films also carries over to the technology of home viewing and distribution of these films.

We urge the DGA to reevaluate its position on the existing screeners policy and to make the process one that is fair -- not only to all of the Directors who create these wonderful films, MOWs,  Episodic Shows and commercials but also to the members who work countless hours behind the lens and who are left with the task of voting for or against theatrical films and television programming that they haven't seen and won't get a chance to see until well past the opportunity to vote for them.

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