Variety: One sure sign it’s the season of kudos contenders: The entire premiere audience sits through the credits.

Summer films traditionally end with a manic race to the buffet, but the crowd at Tuesday’s DGA launch remained seated after the emotional ending of “Into the Wild.”

“When they sat through the credits,” said producer Art Linson, “I cried.”

Producer William Pohlad said the screening at the Telluride fest was better as the crowd saw the film outdoors and sat through a rainstorm. “One of the coolest sights I’ve ever seen,” he said.

It was an older — by Hollywood standards — and serious crowd at the DGA that included Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Winona Ryder, Mark Canton, Amy Heckerling, Dennis Hopper and Cameron Crowe.

Before the screening began, helmer Sean Penn told the aud, “One thing you get out of opening your mouth a lot is you learn what you want to say. The movie you see tonight is what I want to say.”

Added pictures from this event to the gallery: