The winners of the 2006 Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and the recipients of the Guild's 2007 Career Achievement Awards were announced tonight during the 59th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Martin Scorsese won the DGA's Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The Departed.
Following the welcome from DGA President Michael Apted to an audience of more than 1,600 guests, Actor/Director/Comedian Carl Reiner hosted the Awards ceremony for the twentieth time. Presenters included: Alan Arkin and Steve Carrell (Little Miss Sunshine), Maria Bello (World Trade Center), Director Guillermo del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Aaron Eckhart (The Black Dahlia), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), ABC News Anchor Charles Gibson, Director Walter Hill (Broken Trail), Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Steve Martin (The Pink Panther), Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica), Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), DGA Second Vice President Ed Sherin, Leelee Sobieski (The Wicker Man), Director Steven Spielberg (Munich), Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy).
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 1949 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 2006 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, and the recipients of the Guild's 2007 Career Achievement Awards, are:
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM |
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MARTIN SCORSESE |
The Departed |
| (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
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Mr. Scorsese's Directorial Team: |
| Unit Production Manager: Carol Cuddy |
| First Assistant Director: Joseph Reidy |
| Second Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen |
| Second Second Assistant Director: John Silvestri |
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This is Mr. Scorsese's seventh DGA Feature Film Award nomination and first win. He was previously nominated for The Aviator (2004), Gangs of New York (2002), The Age of Innocence (1993), Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980) and Taxi Driver (1976). 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. |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION |
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WALTER HILL |
Broken Trail |
| (AMC) |
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This is Mr. Hill's second nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television - Dramatic Series Night - in 2004 for the pilot for Deadwood. |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES NIGHT |
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JON CASSAR |
24 - "7:00am - 8:00am" |
| (FOX) |
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Mr. Cassar's Directorial Team: |
| Unit Production Manager: Michael Klick |
| First Assistant Director: Nicole Burke |
| Second Assistant Director: Mark Rabinowitz |
| Second Second Assistant Directors: Rebecca Gaither, Scott Remick |
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This is Mr. Cassar's first win and second nomination. He was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Night in 2003 for 24 ("7:00 am-8:00 am"). |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES |
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RICHARD SHEPARD |
Ugly Betty - "Pilot" |
| (ABC) |
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Mr. Shepard's Directorial Team: |
| Unit Production Manager: Margot Lulick |
| First Assistant Director: Christopher Surgent |
| Second Assistant Director: Takahide Kawakami |
| Second Second Assistant Director: Patrick McDonald |
| DGA Trainee: Jennifer Wilkins |
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| This is Mr. Shepard's first DGA Award. |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL VARIETY |
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ROB MARSHALL |
Tony Bennett: An American Classic |
| (NBC) |
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Mr. Marshall's Directorial Team: |
| Associate Director: Yudi Bennett |
| Stage Managers: Barbara J. Roche, Lee Grant and Murray Siegel |
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This is Mr. Marshall's second win and third DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2002 for Chicago. He was also nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety in 1999 for Annie. |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMS |
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TONY SACCO |
Treasure Hunters "Episode #101" |
| (NBC) |
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Mr. Sacco's Directorial Team: |
| Segment Director: Craig Spirko |
| Associate Director: Javier Winnik |
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| This is Mr. Sacco's first DGA Award. |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DAYTIME SERIALS |
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JILL MITWELL |
One Life To Live - Episode #9779 |
| (ABC) |
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Ms. Mitwell's Directorial Team: |
| Associate Directors: Teresa Anne Cicala, Paul Glass |
| Stage Managers: Richard A. Manfredi, Alan P. Needleman |
| Production Associate: Nathalie Rodriguez |
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This is Ms. Mitwell's third win and seventh DGA Award nomination in this category. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials for One Life to Live "Episode #8295" in 2000 and "Episode #6356" in 1993. She was nominated for One Life to Live "Episode #8691" in 2002, "Episode #8012" in 1999, "Episode #7761" in 1998, and "Episode #7285" in 1996. |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS |
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KENNY ORTEGA |
High School Musical |
| (Disney Channel) |
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Mr. Ortega's Directorial Team: |
| Unit Production Manager: Donald R. Schain |
| First Assistant Directors: Matias Alvarez |
| Second Assistant Director: Tobijah Tyler |
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| This is Mr. Ortega's first DGA Award. |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIALS |
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DANTE ARIOLA |
Production Company: MJZ |
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First Taste, Coca Cola - Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam |
| Unit Production Manager: Natalie Gillian Hill |
| First Assistant Director: Gregory G. McCollum |
| Second Assistant Director: John Ray Elmore |
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Snowball, Traveler's Insurance - Fallon MN |
| Unit Production Manager: Natalie Gillian Hill |
| First Assistant Director: Gregory G. McCollum |
| Second Assistant Director: John Ray Elmore |
| Second Second Assistant Director: Clark Credle |
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Human, Johnny Walker - Bartle Bogle Hegarty |
| Unit Production Manager: Brady Vant Hull |
| First Assistant Director: Haze J. F. Bergeron III |
| Second Assistant Director: Ryan E. Lippert |
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This is Mr. Ariola's first win and fourth DGA Award nomination in this category. He was nominated in 2004 for Money Tree (Barclay's), Urban Legend (Levi's), and Circus (Stella), in 2002 for Butcher (Bank of America), Cheese (Buddy Lee) and Signs (Sony Playstation 2), and in 2000 for Taxi (Hewlett Packard), Tickets (Hewlett Packard) and Elephant (Nike). |
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OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY |
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ARUNAS MATELIS |
Before Flying Back to the Earth |
| (Studio Nominum, Tag/Traum) |
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| This is Mr. Matelis' first DGA Award. |
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2007 DGA SERVICE AND CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS |
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CARL REINER - DGA HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP AWARD |
Given Recognition of Service to the Directors Guild of America and Outstanding Creative Achievement |
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PARIS BARCLAY and TAYLOR HACKFORD - ROBERT B. ALDRICH SERVICE AWARD |
For extraordinary service to the Directors Guild of America and its Membership |
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TERRY BENSON - FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD |
For an Associate Director or Stage Manager in Recognition of Career Achievement in the Industry and Service to the Directors Guild of America. |
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GEORGE PAUL - LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN NEWS DIRECTION |
| For distinguished achievement in News Directing. |
Note: Only six times since the DGA Award's inception in 1949 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 Chicagowhile Roman Polanski won the Best Director Academy Award for The Pianist.
