2011 Best Director Nominees

David O. Russell, The Fighter

First-time nominee David O. Russell is receiving rave reviews for his work on The Fighter, based on the true story of boxer ???Irish??? Mickey Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg, and his brother Dicky Ecklund, played by Christian Bale. The Fighter marks his third film with actor Mark Wahlberg, who also starred in the comedy I ??? Huckabees and the Gulf War film Three Kings.