The rule is waived only for directorial teams recognized by the DGA who have a history of working together and sharing a common vision.

An example of the DGA refusing to recognize a directorial team was Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller for Sin City; they were rejected because they had never worked together before; Rodriguez quit the DGA so that Miller would share director's credit.

In the past, the DGA has also engaged in disputes with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) over possessory credits, first used in the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation.

[13] Australian entries, selected for the Finders Series Award by the ADG from a shortlist of four,[13] include Boxing Day (2007), directed by Kriv Stenders; and after a five-year lapse,[15] Tony Krawitz's documentary The Tall Man (2012),[16] and in 2014 Catriona McKenzie's Satellite Boy was selected for the series.

[17] Irish entries include Terry McMahon's Patrick's Day (2014)[18] and Ross Whitaker's Katie (2018).