The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced their 66th annual Guild Awards winners on January 25th, 2014 with giving away the top prize to Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity. This was predictable like anything as Cuaron has been most of the awards for his exceptional direction in Gravity and it is highly likely that he'll win the Oscar as well. The documentary category is messed up as compared to last year when Searching for Sugar Man won everything including the Oscar. This year, no one knows who'd be taking the Oscar home by I'd still bet on the Act of Killing. It deserves to win. Moreover, it deserves to be watched by the whole world. It's a haunting piece of work, one of the most terrifying documentaries I've ever seen.
Here is the complete list of wins:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film:
ALFONSO CUARÓN
Gravity
(Warner Bros. Pictures)Cuarón’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: David Siegel (Arizona Unit)
First Assistant Directors: Josh Robertson, Stephen Hagen (Arizona Unit)
Second Assistant Director: Ben Howard
This is Cuarón’s first DGA Award.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary:
JEHANE NOUJAIM
The Square
Netflix, Participant Media, Noujaim Films, Maktube Productions, Worldview Entertainment, Roast Beef Productions
This is Noujaim’s second DGA Award and third nomination. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for Startup.com in 2001 (together with Chris Hegedus) and was also nominated in this category in 2004 for Control Room.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series:
STEVEN SODERBERGH
Behind the Candelabra
(HBO)Soderbergh’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Michael Polaire
First Assistant Director: Gregory Jacobs
Second Assistant Director: Jody Spilkoman
Second Second Assistant Director: Lynn Struiksma
This is Soderbergh’s first DGA Award and third nomination. He was previously nominated in 2000 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for both Erin Brockovich and Traffic. He is also the recipient of this year’s Robert B. Aldrich Service Award for extraordinary service to the DGA and its membership.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series:
VINCE GILLIGAN
Breaking Bad, “Felina”
(AMC)Gilligan’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Stewart A. Lyons
Assistant Unit Production Manager: James Paul Hapsas
First Assistant Director: Nina Jack
Second Assistant Directors: Anna Ramey, Louis Lanni
Second Second Assistant Director: Joann Connolly
Additional Second Assistant Director: Marcia Woske
This is Gilligan’s first DGA Award and second nomination. He was previously nominated in the Dramatic Series category for the “Face Off” episode of Breaking Bad in 2011.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series:
BETH McCARTHY-MILLER
30 Rock, “Hogcock!/Last Lunch”
(NBC)McCarthy-Miller’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Diana Schmidt
First Assistant Director: Stephen Lee Davis
Second Assistant Director: Vanessa Hoffman
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Bill Sell
Location Manager: Suk Yi Mar
This is McCarthy-Miller’s third DGA Award and tenth nomination. She was also nominated this year, together with Rob Ashford, in the Movies for Television and Mini-Series category for The Sound of Music Live! She was previously nominated in the Comedy Series category for 30 Rock episodes “Live from Studio 6H” in 2012, “Live Show” in 2010, “The Reunion Episode #304” in 2008 and “Somebody to Love” in 2007. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety twice, in 2001 for America: A Tribute to Heroes (co-directed with Joel Gallen) and in 2000 for the “Val Kilmer/U2” episode of Saturday Night Live. She was also twice nominated in that category for Saturday Night Live episodes “Christopher Walken & The Foo Fighters” in 2003 and the 25th Anniversary episode in 1999.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Series:
DON ROY KING
Saturday Night Live, “Saturday Night Live with Host Justin Timberlake”
(NBC)King’s Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Matt Yonks, Bob Caminiti
Stage Managers: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly
This is King’s first DGA Award and seventh nomination. He was previously nominated for Saturday Night Live episodes in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials:
GLENN WEISS
The 67th Annual Tony Awards
(CBS)Weiss’s Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Ken Diego, Robin Abrams, Stefani Cohen, Ricky Kirshner
Stage Managers: Garry Hood, Phyllis Digilio-Kent, Peter Epstein, Andrew Feigin, Lynn Finkel, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Arthur Lewis, Jeffrey M. Markowitz, Joey Meade, Seth Mellman, Tony Mirante, Cyndi Owgang, Jeff Pearl, Elise Reaves, Lauren Class Schneider
This is Weiss’s fifth DGA Award and tenth nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012 for the 61st, 64th, 65th and 66th Annual Tony Awards. He was previously nominated in the same category in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008 for the 55th, 56th, 59th, 60th, and 62nd Annual Tony Awards.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs:
NEIL P. DeGROOT
72 Hours, “The Lost Coast”
(TNT)
This is Mr. DeGroot’s second DGA Award. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs in 2011 for “Episode 1115” of The Biggest Loser.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs:
AMY SCHATZ
An Apology to Elephants
(HBO)This is Schatz’s fifth DGA Award and eighth nomination. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs four times for A Child’s Garden of Poetry in 2011, Classical Baby (I'm Grown Up Now) “The Poetry Show” in 2008, 'Twas the Night in 2001 and Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepy Time Tales in 1999. She was also nominated an additional three times in this category for Don’t Divorce Me! Kids’ Rules for Parents on Divorce in 2012, Hard Times for an American Girl: The Great Depression in 2009 and Through a Child's Eyes: September 11, 2001 in 2002.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials:
MARTIN de THURAH
Epoch FilmsThe Man Who Couldn't Slow Down, Hennessy VS – Droga5
First Assistant Director: Shawn ThomasHuman Race, Acura MDX 2014 – Mullen
First Assistant Director: Jey Wada
Second Assistant Director: Dillon Neaman
Second Second Assistant Director: Erin Stern
This is de Thurah’s first DGA Award.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Special Awards:
In a surprise announcement, DGA President Paris Barclay called former National Vice President Steven Soderbergh to the stage to accept the Robert B. Aldrich Award in honor of Soderbergh’s extraordinary service to the DGA and its membership. Joined by former DGA President/current Secretary-Treasurer Michael Apted and former DGA President Taylor Hackford, Barclay thanked Soderbergh for his devotion to the Guild, especially his work to protect and extend the creative rights of directors. Soderbergh, who was first elected to the National Board in 2001, served for nine years as National Vice President before stepping down last June. Soderbergh was also a founding member of the Guild’s Independent Directors Committee, a chair of the Eastern Directors Council, a member of the Western Directors Council, and he chaired DGA Honors three times. Soderbergh currently serves on the PAC Leadership Council and the DGA Foundation, and he is co-chair of the Guild’s Theatrical Creative Rights Committee, a position he has held since 2002.
The recipients of the Directors Guild of America Service and Achievement Awards for 2014 are:
- STEVEN SODERBERGH - Robert B. Aldrich Service Award (given in in recognition of extraordinary service to the Directors Guild of America and to its membership)
- SHONDA RHIMES & BETSY BEERS - DGA Diversity Award (given in recognition of commitment to diversity hiring and providing jobs and opportunities to women and minorities in DGA-covered categories)
- LEE BLAINE - Frank Capra Achievement Award (given to an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in recognition of their career and service to the industry and the DGA)
- VINCENT DeDARIO - Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award (given to an Associate Director or Stage Manager in recognition of their service to the industry and DGA)
