Michael Buckner/Variety
In a sign of escalating internal tensions in Hollywood, a prominent member of the Directors Guild of America earlier this month openly opposed the election of 10 screenwriters and directors to the guild’s board, saying they were “writers first.” and belonged to “fringe groups”. ”
In a leaked email widely circulated in the creative community, Linda Montanti, chair of the guild’s Western AD/UPM Council, called on a bloc of DGA voters to select the board candidates of a number of multihyphenates who are members of both, not to support DGA and WGA – some of them have spoken out openly on strike issues. The list includes writer and producer Boots Riley, Oscar-winning “CODA” writer and director Sian Heder, actress and filmmaker Justine Bateman, actor and writer Paul Scheer and “Chernobyl” co-creator Craig Mazin. The unorthodox move prompted DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter to contact affected members to assure them that Montanti’s move was not tolerated by top DGA leadership.
Two days before the biennial DGA national convention on August 5 at the DGA Theater, Montanti sent an email to an unknown number of union colleagues with the subject line: “Director members from marginalized groups we should not support.” To At that time, it had not yet been publicly announced that the names mentioned in Montanti’s email were running for election to the board. None of the people named in Montanti’s email were ultimately elected.
The email outraged many industry insiders and was shared freely with members of the Writers Guild of America through private channels. The WGA has been on strike against Hollywood’s major studios and streamers for four months, while SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14. The DGA, on the other hand, signed a new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which was ratified by members in June. This dynamic alone has fueled historic tensions between the WGA and the DGA. Montanti sent the message via her personal email address, but used a signature that included her title as chairwoman of the council responsible for West Coast issues for assistant directors and production managers.
DGA critics familiar with criticism of the Montanti message say it points to the rigidity within the guild and the antipathy of its established players to the more “activist” viewpoints of the WGA and, more recently, SAG-AFTRA, sources said. The relatively public nature of the email and its targeted message to other DGA members is a rare example of political action within the union, which typically keeps its family business secret.
Montanti’s note specifically labeled “Sorry to Bother You” filmmaker Riley as “anti-DGA.” Also in attendance were “Queen Sugar” showrunner Shaz Bennett, “A Teacher” director Hannah Fidell, “Cat Person” director Susanna Fogel, “Vida” showrunner Tanya Saracho and “Little America” director Tara Miele. According to several insiders, the email expresses long-held views of other established sects in the DGA – that some of its author members are prone to fights, said a person familiar with the union. The DGA’s leadership includes writers and directors, including Ron Howard (the guild’s second vice president nationally) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (third vice president).
“Here is a list of director members, who are primarily writers, who are attempting to join the board and whom we have been asked not to support,” Montanti wrote in the email. The group consists of assistant directors and production managers for film and television in the western United States. Variety confirmed the authenticity of the email with several people who received or forwarded the message. Montanti wrote the message from a personal email account on August 4 and did not specify who asked her to request the votes of the listed candidates be withdrawn.
She concluded the email by saying, “I wanted you all to have the list in case it comes up. We still have our plan and hope these ten directors don’t stand in our way.”
Through representatives, all eight people on the list declined to comment for this story. Representatives for Saracho and Bennett did not respond to requests for comment. Montanti did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A DGA spokesman called the news and its comments about members “unacceptable” and stressed that it was not part of a coordinated effort by leaders to influence the Aug. 5 vote.
“The DGA does not in any way condone the creation or distribution of the ‘Do Not Vote’ list that was distributed to a small group of delegates at our recent convention. The DGA was not informed of the list until after the meeting,” a DGA spokesperson told Variety. “It is simply unacceptable to single out individual writers and directors, some of whom are in the DGA leadership. Such campaigns do not meet the standards that the DGA seeks to uphold. The DGA would never refer to any of its members individually or collectively as ‘fringe members.’
Last Thursday, as the noise surrounding Montanti’s note grew louder, DGA President Glatter personally named the names on the list, two insiders said. The director and producer, known for her work on “Homeland” and many other TV series, then sent an email to over 200 DGA writer and director members who communicated via a WhatsApp thread.
“I am extremely upset and saddened by this and cannot condone this behavior in any way. “The letter exposes the tensions that exist between the WGA and the DGA, leaving some of our greatest storytellers who live in both worlds feeling stranded between two guilds they love,” Glatter wrote. She emphasized that while Montanti used her DGA title in the email signature, the email was “not an official DGA communication.”
Glatter also said she is in the process of organizing a special meeting to address the issue and “restore trust and begin building open and honest communication, and that starts with us.”
Montanti’s reference to members belonging to “fringe groups” causes some confusion. All ten names on the list except Saracho are signatories of the Union Solidarity Coalition. This organization was founded this year specifically by writers and directors who were “moved to reach out to crew affected by the 2023 WGA strike,” the official website states. The coalition held a fundraiser in July for members of the crew union IATSE to cover health care costs that will arise as a result of the strikes at WGA and SAG-AFTRA. A person with knowledge of the Union Solidarity Coalition said it was hardly a radical organization.
Five people who read Montanti’s email were dismayed to see Riley, the creator and showrunner behind this year’s Amazon Prime Video series “I’m A Virgo,” described as the “anti-DGA.” Riley has been vocal and visible in his support of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA walkouts.
“I am a member of the DGA, which sent a letter stating that DGA members who are also WGA could continue to provide services during the strike that the WGA asked us not to provide,” Riley Posted on Twitter in May. “I and a number of other DGA/WGA dual members have decided that we will not follow this advice.” A week later, Riley wrote a comment expanding on this post.
Riley wrote that the DGA letter said the union “legally cannot advise its members to stop work.” But in light of all this, WGA members, showrunners and multi-hyphenate directors have stopped work on their projects in droves – with sacrifice and with a level of solidarity not seen in the 2007 strike.”
Another person who read the email said Montanti’s advocacy was “union crime” and noted that there was “real resistance to activism in the DGA.” This source and others said Montanti’s email was brazen – encouraging some to believe the DGA is trying to isolate members of the writer-director. “But this has been going on for 30 years,” the source said.
Glatter was re-elected to a second term as president at the Guild’s national convention. Newly elected members of the guild’s national board included high-profile names such as Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan and “The Leftovers” director Nicole Kassell, all of whom are also WGA members, as well as Oscar producer and director Glenn Weiss. Vice board members elected included Ava DuVernay and Phil Lord, both of whom are also WGA members.