This could be the first chink in the formidable armour of James Cameron’s Avatar, and it is a sign that Bigelow’s outstanding film The Hurt Locker is surely now a favourite for the Best Picture Oscar.

She was elevated above Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds, Lee Daniels for Precious, Jason Reitman for Up In the Air, and with the profusion of Avatar related stories, it is refreshing to see a film so well crafted, and dealing with a tough subject matter responsibly and with a real cinematic relish, coming out on top above Avatar.

Bigelow is the first woman to win the prestigious award from the Director’s Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, and if this trend continues she will be the first woman to hold aloft the Oscar for Best Director, you can bet that she won’t rub her ex-husband’s nose in it and proclaim she is ‘Queen of the World’.

The Oscar nominees are announced early next week, so our eyes will be peeled.