The 78th Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards are underway tonight at the Beverly Hilton, recognizing outstanding directorial achievement in film and television. The ceremony is particularly noteworthy as the DGA winner has correctly predicted the Academy Award winner for Best Director in each of the last five years.
This year’s nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film include Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet – all of whom were also nominated for Oscars. Guillermo del Toro joins them as a DGA nominee for Frankenstein, despite not receiving an Oscar nomination.
The awards have already begun to be handed out. Amanda Marsalis took home the prize for Dramatic Series for her work on HBO Max’s The Pitt, a series that garnered five Emmy Awards last fall, including Best Drama Series. Shannon Murphy was recognized with the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Limited Series & Anthology for FX on Hulu’s Dying for Sex, and Liz Patrick earned the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety for NBC’s SNL50: The Anniversary Special.
Last year’s DGA winners included directors from FX’s Shōgun, HBO Max’s Hacks, and Netflix’s Ripley. Lucia Aniello, who won for Hacks last year, is again in contention this year.
In the Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film category, Charlie Polinger won for the dramatic thriller The Plague, beating out Ava Victor (Sorry, Baby), Hasan Hadi (The President’s Cake), Harry Lighton (Pillion), and Alex Russell (Lurker).
Kumail Nanjiani is hosting the ceremony, and used the opportunity to playfully jab the guild over its former D.W. Griffith Award, stating that “Sinners captured the true horror of white people dancing.”
Beyond the competitive awards, the DGA is also presenting its honorary awards. David Charles will receive the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award for his service to the industry and the guild, while Gregory G. McCollum will be honored with the Frank Capra Achievement Award for his notable career achievements.
Film
Theatrical Feature Film
Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film
Charlie Polinger
The Plague
(IFC Films)
Documentary Film
Television
Drama Series
Amanda Marsalis
The Pitt, “6:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)
Unit Production Manager: Michelle Lankwarden
First Assistant Director: Eric Tignini
Second Assistant Director: Kevin Zelman
Second Second Assistant Director: Nicole Jones, Rebecca Rogers, Chloe Huckins
Additional Second Assistant Director: Michelle Akeley
Comedy Series
Limited & Anthology Series
Shannon Murphy
Dying for Sex, “It’s Not That Serious” (FX on Hulu)
Unit Production Manager: Francesca M. Mannix
First Assistant Director: Julie A. Bloom
Second Assistant Director: Findlay Ward Zotter
Second Second Assistant Director: Kristin Dombroski, Laura E. Rizer
Movies for Television
Variety
Liz Patrick
SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
Associate Director: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Laura Ouziel Mack, Janine DeVito, Amy Mancini, Dan Dome
Stage Manager: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly, Eddie Valk, Peter Epstein, Karen Tasch Weiss, Steve Bautista, Joey Despenzero, Frank Fernandez, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Cyndi Owgang, Elise Reaves, Niclana Tolmasoff, Leslie Williams
Documentary Series/News
Rebecca Miller
Mr. Scorsese, “All This Filming Isn’t Healthy” (Apple TV)
Reality, Quiz & Games
Mike Sweeney
Conan O’Brien Must Go, “Austria” (HBO Max)
Associate Director: Jason Chillemi
Sports
Commercial
Kim Gehrig (Somesuch)
You Can’t Win. So Win. – Nike | Wieden+Kennedy
First Assistant Director: Peter Jackson, John Mattern
Second Assistant Director: Melina Greene
Second Second Assistant Director: Chelsea Meador
I’m Not Remarkable – Apple | Client Direct
First Assistant Director: Guy Forgaard
Second Assistant Director: Amanda Johnson
Second Second Assistant Director: Michael Dudley, Clyde Broom
