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Miramax is proud to announce that director Rob Marshall, of the celebrated musical film "Chicago," was honored by the Directors' Guild of America last night, receiving the 2002 DGA Award for Feature Film on the same night that "Chicago" surpassed $100,000,000 in domestic box office, becoming the highest grossing musical since "Grease" in 1978.

"Chicago" received 13 Academy Award nominations, the most of any film this year, including Best Picture, Best Director for Rob Marshall, Best Actress for Renee Zellweger, Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Zeta-Jones, Best Supporting Actress for Queen Latifah, and Best Supporting Actor for John C. Reilly.

"I'm incredibly honored to receive this distinguished award from my peers. It is an extremely meaningful welcome from the Director's Guild," said Rob Marshall. "I'm especially humbled to have been recognized among such an auspicious group of filmmakers."

"We're thrilled that Rob has been honored by the DGA for his remarkable vision that brought 'Chicago' to life on the big screen," said Miramax COO Rick Sands. "Baz Luhrmann's extraordinary work on 'Moulin Rouge' played such a critical role in the return of the musical to the American movie scene, and 'Chicago' has taken the baton and run with it. We appreciate the great response and support that 'Chicago' has received from such a diverse and expanding cross-section of audiences."

Fosse's great friend, Pete Hamill, has said that "'Chicago' ... is a fable about fame, notoriety and the press. Those themes were important in 1975. They were still essential concerns on Sept. 23, 1987, when Fosse died... They are important today.' We at Miramax are proud to be sharing this timeless production with many more audiences."

"One of the great things about 'Chicago' is that it is like three movies rolled into one -- offering work for a dance troupe, choreographers, musicians and so many other performers and craftsmen who contribute to these productions," said Craig Zadan. "Hopefully the success of 'Chicago' will encourage others to invest in musicals and will allow the world to discover the hidden singing and dancing talents of many of today's actors. Renee, Catherine, Richard, John, and the entire cast showed that with the right combination of talent and hard work, you can do anything and everything."

"Chicago," stars Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere, along with Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly, is directed by Rob Marshall and written by Bill Condon, based on the musical play by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb. The film is a Miramax release of a Producer Circle Co. production, produced by Martin Richards with executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

"Chicago" won three Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) for Richard Gere, and Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) for Renee Zellweger. The film, which was in limited release until February 7th, is playing on over 2,300 North American screens this weekend.

SOURCE: Miramax