The 174-Minute Feature Blocked From Top Prize
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s 174-minute feature You Can See Everything opened in theaters on Oct. 16. Now, the film will not compete for the Directors Guild of America Awards top prize, as Variety reported.
The DGA confirmed that the A24 documentary about Elizabeth Holmes will compete solely in the outstanding directorial achievement in documentary category.
Inside the Guild’s Strict Classification Rules
The guild’s rule book explicitly states that “re-releases, animated films and documentaries are not eligible” for the top theatrical feature film award. Without a DGA feature nomination, the film loses a key Oscar bellwether. Only eight times in the guild’s history has the winner failed to take the Academy Award for best director.
A24 and several awards strategists had hoped to bypass the classification entirely. The studio banked on the film’s unusual construction—which blurs the line between nonfiction and staged narrative—to convince the guild to treat it as both a feature and a documentary.
The Oscar Strategy Behind Amanda Seyfried’s Campaign
That momentum grew after Amanda Seyfried, who appears in the film and previously won an Emmy for playing Holmes in the Hulu limited series The Dropout, was positioned for Oscar consideration in the supporting actress category. However, the DGA relies strictly on production and submission classifications rather than hybrid interpretations.
| Award Category | Submission Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DGA Feature Film Prize | Ineligible | Blocked by DGA rules excluding documentaries. |
| DGA Documentary Category | Eligible | Primary guild competition path. |
| Academy Awards (Oscars) | Multiple Categories | Submitted for Best Picture, Director, and acting categories. |
Navigating BAFTA, Golden Globes, and Academy Ambitions
Despite missing out on the DGA feature race, A24 remains in active conversations with other major guilds and awards bodies, including BAFTA, SAG-AFTRA, and the Golden Globes. The studio plans to submit the project across a wide array of categories at the 99th Academy Awards.
Those submissions include best picture, director for Fielder and Oppenheim, supporting actress for Seyfried, and supporting actor for Christopher Abbott. The film is also entered for production design, cinematography, costume design, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, sound, and original score.
Timeline and Upcoming Announcements
Nominations for the 79th annual DGA Awards are scheduled to be announced in January. A24 has declined to comment on the guild’s classification decision.
