Directors Guild of America (DGA) has announced today its nominations for Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, Ben Affleck for Argo, Tom Hooper for Les Miserables, Ang Lee for Life of Pi and Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty.

All the above directors have been already recognized by other guilds and organizations. Notably missing in this list are Quentin Tarantino and David O’Russell for Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook respectively. The two directors, who received Golden Globes nods last month, have high hopes for Oscar recognition, but their absence in the DGA nominations may hurt their chances due to the substantial overlap between the DGA and the Academy membership. In fact, history showed that DGA nominated pictures often end up being nominated by the academy for best director.

Four of this year’s nominated directors have already won the DGA award in the past: Spielberg for The Color Purple in 1985, Schindler’s List in 1993 and Saving Private Ryan in 1998; Ang Lee for Crouching Hidden Tiger in 2000 and Brokeback Mountain in 2005; Tom Hooper for The Kings Speech in 2011; Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2009.

The 65th DGA award for best director will be announced on Feb. 2 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood. Actor Kelsey Grammer is the host.