Director Steve McQueen, left, with actor Chiwetel Ejiofor during the filming of ‘12 Years A Slave.’
 

Alfonso Cuaron orbits the set of ‘Gravity.’
 

Director Paul Greengrass was also nominated for his latest film, ‘Captain Phillips.’

Steve McQueen has gained his first Directors Guild nomination for his grimly historic saga, “12 Years a Slave,” substantiating the British director’s place as a top contender at the Academy Awards.

If McQueen is the DGA winner, he will be the first black director to earn the guild’s feature film accolade.

Other first-time nominees announced Tuesday were Alfonso Cuaron for his lost-in-space odyssey “Gravity” and Paul Greengrass for his Somali pirate thriller “Captain Phillips.”

Past nominee David O. Russell also received a bid for his con-artist tale “American Hustle.”

Earning his eleventh DGA nomination, Martin Scorsese gained a nod for his high-finance extravaganza, “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Winners of the 66th annual Directors Guild Awards will be announced at a dinner Jan. 25 in Los Angeles.