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VIA: TheHollywoodReporter

Breaking through a long-standing color barrier, “Precious” director Lee Daniels is the first African-American to be nominated for the Directors Guild of America’s best director award.

Kathryn Bigelow, director of “The Hurt Locker,” also contributed to the diverse array of nominees announced Thursday, becoming just the seventh woman to be singled out in the DGA’s feature film category.

The two will contend for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film with James Cameron, nominated for “Avatar”; Jason Reitman, who booked a ticket to the awards ceremony with “Up in the Air”; and Quentin Tarantino, who made the cut with “Inglourious Basterds.”

The winner will be announced at the 62nd annual DGA Awards on Jan. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City.

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push” by Sapphire” has been something of a Cinderella story ever since it first debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The Lionsgate release, the gritty tale of an abused inner-city teen, has grossed $43.8 million domestically.