Martin Scorsese bolstered his chances of that elusive Oscar following
his first Directors Guild of America (DGA) award in Los Angeles at the
weekend.

Scorsese won the DGA's outstanding directorial achievement in feature
film for 2006 for his gritty crime drama The Departed.

The honour is a very reliable barometer of Academy Awards success in
the director category and followed Scorsese's seventh DGA animation.

The film-maker was previously nominated for The Aviator, Gangs Of New
York, The Age Of Innocence, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, and Taxi Driver.

In 1999 the DGA presented Scorsese with the Filmmaker Award at the
inaugural DGA Honours Gala. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award in
2003.

Scorsese is in the running for the best director Oscar and will learn
his fate at the 79th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb 25.

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