Christopher Nolan has been elected president of the Directors Guild of America, succeeding Lesli Linka Glatter after a vote by 167 delegates representing more than 19,500 members at the guild’s biennial convention in Los Angeles on September 20. He was chosen by acclamation. In a statement, Nolan called the role “one of the greatest honors of my career” and thanked Glatter while pointing to industry change and the need to secure creative and economic protections for members.
The guild said Nolan has served on its National Board and Western Directors Council since 2015 and currently chairs both the Theatrical Creative Rights Committee and the Artificial Intelligence Committee, positions that place him at the center of debates over emerging technology and director authority. He has been a member since 2001 and won the DGA’s top theatrical feature prize in 2024 for Oppenheimer.
Delegates also approved a leadership slate that keeps Laura Belsey as National Vice President and Paris Barclay as Secretary-Treasurer. Additional vice presidents include Todd Holland, Ron Howard, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Seith Mann, Millicent Shelton, and Lily Olszewski. The National Board features filmmakers and television directors across genres and formats, reflecting the breadth of the membership.
Nolan steps in as the guild approaches the end of its current three-year contract cycle, which runs through June 30, 2026. Talks with studios and streamers are expected to focus on wages, streaming residuals, working conditions, and AI safeguards already outlined in the 2023 agreement. His unopposed path to the presidency underscores member confidence in a high-profile filmmaker who has advocated for theatrical exhibition and director rights across his career.
Variety reported that Nolan succeeds Glatter after two terms, highlighting the rarity of an A-list director taking the helm of a Hollywood union at a moment of rapid change for production and distribution. The guild’s announcement emphasized continuity through experienced officers alongside a president with global profile and bargaining experience.
