The 49th Directors Guild of America Awards, honoring the outstanding directorial achievements in films, documentary and television in 1996, were presented on March 8, 1997 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and the Sheraton New York Hotel. The simultaneous ceremonies were hosted by Carl Reiner in Los Angeles and Mary Tyler Moore in New York. The nominees in the feature film category were announced on January 21, 1997 and the other nominations were announced starting on February 4, 1997.