Ms. Bigelow is only the seventh female director to be nominated for the award and defeated such heavyweights as James Cameron, Lee Daniels, Jason Reitman and Quentin Tarantino for the honor.

Noted for its realistic portrayal of soldiers in Iraq with possibly the most stressful and dangerous job in the service, Bigelow was praised for her constant enthusiasm and focus despite shooting in Jordan, only miles from the Iraqi border amid 125-degree heat waves and was proclaimed a “warrior” by lead actor Jeremy Renner, who portrayed the impulsive and remarkably detached SFC William James in the film.

On a personal note, Ms. Bigelow’s statement at a DGA panel that, “Authenticity is a moral imperative,” is one that rings very true for me.  Though I don’t shoot docu-style dramas or even standard non-fiction anything, bringing the story to life for your audience is what is always important and it should always be the standard every director holds themselves to.

Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow for your outstanding achievement and we all wish you the best of luck in your future projects.  “The Hurt Locker” was one of my favorite films of 2009 and of the decade as a whole and I can’t wait to see more from her in the coming years.