The winners of the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards for 2010 were announced tonight during the 63rd Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles. Tom Hooper won the DGA’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The King’s Speech.
Following the welcome by DGA President Taylor Hackford to an audience of more than 1,600 guests, director/actor Carl Reiner hosted the ceremony.
Presenters included (in alphabetical order): Amy Adams (The Fighter); DGA 75th Anniversary Chair Michael Apted; DGA First Vice President Paris Barclay; 75th Anniversary Co-Chair and 2009 DGA Feature Film Award winner Kathryn Bigelow; Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire); 75th Anniversary Co-Chair James Cameron; Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech); DGA Secretary/Treasurer Gil Cates; 75th Anniversary Co-Chair Francis Ford Coppola; Claire Danes (Temple Grandin); Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception); 75th Anniversary Co-Chair Clint Eastwood; Colin Firth (The King’s Speech); Jenna Fischer (The Office); Andrew Garfield (The Social Network); DGA President Taylor Hackford; Armie Hammer (The Social Network); Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone); Melissa Leo (The Fighter); Jack McGee (The Fighter); Helen Mirren (Red); Julia Ormond (Temple Grandin); Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory); Natalie Portman (Black Swan); 75th Anniversary Co-Chair John Rich; Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy); DGA National Vice President Steven Soderbergh; 75th Anniversary Co-Chair Steven Spielberg; Julia Stiles (Dexter); Sofia Vergara (Modern Family); and Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter).
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. (see list at the end of this release)
The winners of the 2010 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement are:
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
TOM HOOPER “The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Co.)
Mr. Hooper’s Directorial Team:
· Production Manager: Erica Bensly
· First Assistant Director: Martin Harrison
· Second Assistant Director: Chris Stoaling
This is Mr. Hooper’s first DGA Feature Film Award. He was previously nominated for the DGA Award for Movies for Television and Miniseries for John Adams in 2008.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
MICK JACKSON “Temple Grandin” (HBO)
Mr. Jackson’s Directorial Team:
· Unit Production Manager: Scott Ferguson
· First Assistant Director: Philip Hardage
· Second Assistant Director: Shawn Pipkin
· Second Second Assistant Directors: Kayse Goodell, Richard E. Chapla Jr., Robbie Friedmann
· Additional Second Second Assistant Director: Glen Moorman
This is Mr. Jackson’s fourth DGA Award in this category. He previously won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series for “Indictment: The McMartin Trial” (1995), “Tuesdays With Morrie” (1999), and “Live From Baghdad” (2002).
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES
MARTIN SCORSESE “Boardwalk Empire”, “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:
· Unit Production Manager: Harvey Waldman
· First Assistant Director: Chris Surgent
· Second Assistant Director: Takahide Kawakami
· Second Second Assistant Director: Patrick McDonald
· Additional Second Assistant Director: Sal Sutera
· Second Assistant Director/Location Managers: April Taylor, Regina Heyman
· DGA Trainee: Jamiyl Ihsaan Campbell
This is Mr. Scorsese’s first DGA Award in this category. He also won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for “The Departed,” and was previously nominated in that category for “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Raging Bull” (1980), “Goodfellas” (1990), “The Age of Innocence” (1993), “Gangs of New York” (2002), and “The Aviator” (2004). In 1999 Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala and he won the DGA’s highest artistic honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award (for distinguished achievement in film direction) in 2003.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
MICHAEL SPILLER Modern Family, “Halloween” (ABC)
Mr Spiller’s Directorial Team:
· Unit Production Manager: Sally Young
· First Assistant Director: Alisa Statman
· Second Assistant Director: Helena Lamb
· Second Second Assistant Director: Matthew Heffernan
This is Mr. Spiller’s first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL VARIETY
GLENN WEISS “64th Annual Tony Awards” (CBS)
Mr. Weiss’ Directorial Team:
· Associate Directors: Gregg Gelfand, Robin Abrams, Ricky Kirshner
· Stage Managers: Garry Hood, Peter Epstein, Andrew Feigin, Lynn Finkel, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Dean Gordon, Phyllis Digilio Kent, Arthur Lewis, Joey Meade, Tony Mirante, Cyndi Owgang, Jeff Pearl, Elise Reaves, Lauren Class Schneider
This is Mr. Weiss’ second DGA Award. He previously won the Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety in 2007 for The 61st Annual Tony Awards; and was previously nominated in this category in 2008, 2006, 2005, 2002 and 2001 all for the 62nd, 60th, 59th, 56th and 55th Annual Tony Awards.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMS
EYTAN KELLER The Next Iron Chef, “Episode #301” (Food Network)
Mr. Keller’s Directorial Team:
· Segment Director: Stephen Kroopnick
· Stage Managers: Tom Borgnine, Seth Mellman
This is Mr. Keller’s first DGA Award. He was previously nominated in this same category in 2009 for episode “201” of “The Next Iron Chef.”
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DAYTIME SERIALS
LARRY CARPENTER One Life to Live, “Starr X’d Lovers, The Musical, Part Two” (ABC)
Mr. Carpenter’s Directorial Team:
· Associate Directors: Teresa Anne Cicala, Tracy Casper Lang, Paul S. Glass, Mary Ryan, Jen Pepperman, Barry Gingold
· Stage Managers: Alan Needleman, Keith Greer, Brendan Higgins
· Production Associates: Kevin Brush, Nathalie Rodriguez
This is Mr. Carpenter’s fourth DGA Award and all for his direction of One Life to Live. He won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials Award for One Life to Live – “Episode #9947” in 2007, for “Episode #8849” in 2003, and for “So You Think You Can Be Shane Morasco’s Father” in 2008. He was previously nominated for that series for “Episode #9686” in 2006, “Episode #9385” in 2005 and “Episode #8655” in 2002.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
ERIC BROSS “The Boy Who Cried Werewolf” (Nickelodeon)
This is Mr. Bross’ first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIALS
STACY WALL (Imperial Woodpecker) “Rise,” Nike – Wieden & Kennedy/Portland
· First Assistant Director: Bac DeLorme
· Second Assistant Director: Steve Del Prete
· Second Second Assistant Director: Kenny Hanson
“Really?,” Microsoft – Crispin Porter & Bogusky/Boulder
· First Assistant Directors: Miles Johnstone, Doug Halbert
· Second Assistant Director: Michael Brawer
“Slim Chin & D Rose,” Adidas – 180LA
· First Assistant Director: Dave Dean
· Second Assistant Director: Carl Jackson
“Handshake,” Nike – Wieden & Kennedy/Portland
· First Assistant Directors: Miles Johnstone, Scott Metcalfe
· Second Assistant Director: Michael Brawer
This is Mr. Wall’s first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY
CHARLES FERGUSON “Inside Job” Representational Pictures Sony Pictures Classics
This is Mr. Ferguson’s first DGA Award.
Note: Only six times since the DGA Award’s inception in 1948 has the DGA Award winner not won the Best Director Academy Award:
· 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.
The DGA Awards also served to launch a year-long celebration of the DGA’s 75th anniversary.
The evening began with the premiere of a short film by director Chuck Workman. Director’s Cut commemorates 75 years of directing history through the compilation of hundreds of clips illustrating the entire range of DGA members’ work. Workman’s commemorative short film for the DGA’s 50th anniversary, Precious Images, won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 1987 and in 2009 was one of 25 films named to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
Past DGA Award winners Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, John Rich, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, the evening’s co-chairs, presented seven short films that were directed, written and produced by member Michael Stevens to highlight game-changing moments in DGA history. Stevens is an award-winning producer, director and writer of more than 30 prime-time event and concert specials, including producing and writing for the Kennedy Center Honors and We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. Stevens grew up hearing many stories about Guild history, as he is the grandson of past-president George Stevens and the son of director member George Stevens Jr.
Past-president Michael Apted is serving as chair of the year-long anniversary celebration, whose theme is “Game Changers.” Throughout 2011, the DGA will hold events honoring directors whose impact on film and television forever “changed the game” and influenced generations of filmmakers that followed.
About the DGA
In the 75 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
