Awards Heavyweights George Clooney, Stephen Daldry, Michel Hazanavicius, Alexander Payne and Martin Scorsese in Intimate Discussion

The Envelope, The Los Angeles Times entertainment awards insider, will bring together five of the year’s most esteemed filmmakers for its 3rd annual Directors Roundtable at The Times’ historic downtown building. George Clooney (“The Ides of March”), Stephen Daldry (“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”) and Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”) will assemble for an informal closed-door conversation about their acclaimed films, the year in movies and the awards gauntlet. Moderated by The Times’ John Horn, exclusive multimedia coverage will include features, video, photos and a full transcript of the proceedings, beginning Monday, January 16th.

“We’re thrilled to assemble several of the year’s most lauded directors to bring our readers insight into the creative processes behind some of 2011’s finest films,” said The Envelope Editor Elena Howe. “The Envelope continues to provide the industry and fans alike with indispensable and comprehensive entertainment awards coverage and related events, all the more crucial in a year when the uncertainty of the race is more acute than ever.”

The Directors Roundtable follows on the heels of the largest Envelope Screening Series slate to date, which showcased celebrated films and revealing filmmaker Q&As moderated by Times journalists for an exclusive audience of Academy and guild members. Since its debut in 2005, The Envelope has been the leading source for award season and red carpet news and analysis, including daily videos, Buzzmeter predictions, the essential Awards Ticker, the Ministry of Gossip’s “gospel on celebrity pop and culture” and curated feeds from Times entertainment coverage including Company Town, 24 Frames, Show Tracker, Pop & Hiss, Culture Monster and Hero Complex.