The winners of the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards for 2011 were announced tonight during the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles. Michel Hazanavicius won the DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for “The Artist.”
Following the welcome by DGA President Taylor Hackford to an audience of more than 1,600 guests, director/producer/actor Kelsey Grammer hosted the ceremony.
Presenters included (in alphabetical order): DGA Secretary-Treasurer Michael Apted; Kathy Bates (Midnight in Paris); Berenice Bejo (The Artist); George Clooney (The Descendants); Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad); Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men); Laura Dern (Enlightened); Jean Dujardin (The Artist); DGA President Taylor Hackford; 2010 DGA Feature Film Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech); Stana Katic (Castle); Ben Kingsley (Hugo); Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy); Kathleen Robertson (Boss); Octavia Spencer (The Help); DGA Third Vice President Betty Thomas; Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn); and Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood).
The winners of the 2011 DGA Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement are:
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS
The Artist
(The Weinstein Company)
Mr. Hazanavicius’ Directorial Team:
· Unit Production Manager: Antoine De Cazotte
· Production Manager (FR): Ségoléne Fleury
· First Assistant Director (FR): James Canal
· First Assistant Director (US): David Cluck
· Second Assistant Director (US): David Paige
· Second Second Assistant Directors: Karla Strum, Ricky Robinson
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
JON CASSAR
The Kennedys
(Reelz Channel)
This was Mr. Cassar’s third DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series in 2006 for 24 – “7:00 AM-8:00 AM” and was nominated in this category in 2003 for the episode of 24 also titled “7:00 AM-8:00 AM.”
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES
PATTY JENKINS
The Killing, “Pilot”
(AMC)
Ms. Jenkins was also nominated this year in the Movies for Television and Mini-Series category for her segment of Five – “Pearl.”
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
ROBERT B. WEIDE
Curb Your Enthusiasm, “Palestinian Chicken”
(HBO)
Mr. Weide’s Directorial Team:
· Associate Directors: Dale Stern, Tim Gibbons
· Stage Managers: Jonathan Harris, Jerri Churchill, Dana Jackson
This was Mr. Weide’s second DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category for Curb Your Enthusiasm – “The Carpool Lane” in 2004.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL VARIETY
GLENN WEISS
65th Annual Tony Awards
(CBS)
Mr. Weiss’ Directorial Team:
· Associate Directors: Ken Diego, Robin Abrams, Debra Gelman, Ricky Kirshner
· Stage Managers: Garry Hood, Peter Epstein, Andrew Feigin, Lynn Finkel, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Phyllis Digilio-Kent, Arthur Lewis, Jeff Markowitz, Joey Meade, Tony Mirante, Cyndi Owgang, Jeff Pearl, Elise Reaves, Lauren Class Schneider, Annette Powlis
This was Mr. Weiss’ eighth DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety in 2007 and 2010 for the 61st and 64th Annual Tony Awards. He was previously nominated in this category in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008, all for the 55th, 56th, 59th, 60th, and 62nd Annual Tony Awards.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMS
NEIL P. DEGROOT
Biggest Loser, “Episode #1115”
(NBC)
Mr. DeGroot’s Directorial Team:
· Associate Director: Andy Nelson
This is Mr. DeGroot’s first DGA Award nomination.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DAYTIME SERIALS
WILLIAM LUDEL
General Hospital, “Intervention”
(ABC)
Mr. Ludel’s Directorial Team:
· Associate Directors: Christine Magarian Ucar, Denise Van Cleave, Penny Pengra, Peter Fillmore, RC Cates, David MacLeod
· Stage Managers: Craig McManus, Crystal Craft
· Production Associates: Christine Cooper, Andrea Compton
This was Mr. Ludel’s seventh DGA Award nomination and all for his direction of General Hospital. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials for General Hospital “Episode #9801” in 2001 and “Episode #8248″ in 1995; and was previously nominated for General Hospital ‘Macho Men” in 2009, “Luke in Purgatory” in 2008, “Episode #11177” in 2006 and for “Episode #7922” in 1994.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
AMY SCHATZ
A Child’s Garden of Poetry
(HBO)
This was Ms. Schatz’s sixth DGA Award nomination. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs in 2008 for Classical Baby (I’m Grown Up Now) “The Poetry Show,” in 2001 for ‘Twas the Night and in 1999 for Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepy Time Tales. She was previously nominated in this category for “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
NOAM MURRO
(Biscuit Filmworks)
Handlebar Moustache, Heineken Premium Light- Wieden & Kennedy/NY
· Unit Production Manager: James Powell Veal
· First Assistant Director: Tommy Gormley
· Second Assistant Director: Ian Robert Calip
· Second Second Assistant Director: Michael King
Hot House, DirecTV – Grey/NY
· Unit Production Manager: James Powell Veal
· First Assistant Director: Scott C. Harris
· Second Assistant Directors: Mark R. Robinson, Brady Sloan
Pinata, Volkswagen Tiguan – Deutsch/LA
· Unit Production Manager: James Powell Veal
· First Assistant Director: Scott M. Metcalfe
· Second Assistant Director: Ty Arnold
Is It Real?, EA Battlefield 3 – Wieden & Kennedy/Portland
· First Assistant Director: Michael David Salven
· Second Assistant Director: Erv E. Gentry
· Second Second Assistant Director: Eric Schneider
This was Mr. Murro’s sixth DGA Award nomination in this category. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for Carry (Adidas), Glen (Starbucks), and Toy Boat (eBay) in 2004. He was also nominated in this category in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY
JAMES MARSH
Project Nim
Red Box Films
Passion Pictures
HBO Documentary Films
Roadside Attractions
BBC Films
UK Film Council
This was Mr. Marsh’s second DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category for Man on Wire in 2008.
SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS
Ed Sherin – Honorary Life Member Award
In recognition of outstanding creative achievement, leadership in the industry, contribution to the Guild or to the profession of directing.
Katy E. Garretson – Frank Capra Achievement Award
Given to an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in recognition of career achievement in the industry and service to the Directors Guild of America.
Dennis W. Mazzocco – Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award
Given to an Associate Director or Stage Manager in recognition of career achievement in the industry and service to the Directors Guild of America.
The DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally served as a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only six times since the DGA Award’s inception in 1948 has the winner not gone on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director.
· 1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar® for Oliver!
· 1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA’s nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.
· 1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar® went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.
· 1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters selected Mel Gibson for Braveheart.
· 2000: Ang Lee was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon while Steven Soderbergh won the Best Director Academy Award for Traffic.
· 2003: Rob Marshall was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Chicago while Roman Polanski won the Best Director Academy Award for The Pianist.
About the DGA:
In the 76 years since its founding in 1936, the DGA has fought for the economic and creative rights of its members; protected their ability to financially benefit from the reuse of their work; established strong pension and health plans; and established jurisdiction in new technologies and distribution platforms. Today we represent 14,500 directors and members of the directorial team working in film, television, commercials, new media and other audiovisual media. www.dga.org
