68th Annual DGA Awards Winners

Have to admit that since the moment great Todd Haynes was not a DGA nominated, I lost interest in this award and well, in the Oscar's category as assumed will happen the same and gee, how right was I.

I really disliked The Revenant so no praises from me to AGI but have to admit that is a great milestone that an "hispanic"/Mexican director is the first ever to win a DGA award back-to-back as if you do not recall, he won last year for Birdman. Congrats for the milestone honor.

So directors make up to 6% of AMPAS and tradition says that DGA winner goes to win Oscar as there have been only 7 occasions in the history of the award when DGA winner has not gone to win the Oscar for Best Director, consequently there are BIG chances that AGI will also win a back-to-back Best Director Oscar. But what pundits are talking about is how open is the Best Film Oscar race as Producers Guild of America gave top award to Big Short, Screen Actors Guild Award to Spotlight and now, DGA gives a boost to The Revenant. Best Film Oscar race is open; but yes, I also have no interest in category as Carol was not nominated and haven't enjoyed much the top-contenders, sigh.

More interesting is who won the Movies for Television and Mini-Series Outstanding Directorial Achievement award as went to Dee Rees for her magnificent work in HBO's Bessie and yes, Alex Garland truly deserved award for an outstanding directorial achievement in great Ex Machina even do believe László Nemes directorial debut is also outstanding, but Nemes doesn't need to worry as foresee an Oscar in his near future.

No. No. No. Do not agree at all with the documentary win as believe Asif Kapadia did an truly out-of-the-ordinary work in Amy.

To check winners in all TV categories go official site here. Winners are in *BLUE.

---///---
1/13/16
Today, January 13, the Directors Guild of America announced the nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for 2015.

The winners will be announced at the 68th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The DGA Awards will be hosted by actor Jane Lynch.

These are the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi for Meru
Liz Garbus for What Happened, Miss Simone?
Alex Gibney for Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
*Matthew Heineman for Cartel Land
Asif Kapadia for Amy

I'm surprised Joshua Oppenheimer was snubbed as his The Look of Silence documentary is as shocking as his first, The Act of Killing; also was expecting a nod for Stevan Riley for his fantastic Listen to Me Marlon. Know that Amy has to win but these two director deserve all possible honors too.

To check nominees in TV and other categories go here.

---///---
1/12/16
The Directors Guild of America President, Paris Barclay, announced today, January 12th, the five nominees for the current edition of the award that honors Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Films and for the first time, an award that honors Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film.

“There’s a first time for every feature filmmaker, but not every first time offers fresh viewpoints in storytelling that are imperative in this industry,” said Barclay. “The first-time feature directors we’re recognizing with this inaugural award we hope will develop successful and lengthy careers. We are excited and invigorated by all they have to offer.”

It's not until tomorrow, Wednesday, January 13 when the guild will announce the nominees in the documentary feature film as today they announced only the nominees for feature film.

The most painful omission absolutely is Todd Haynes for his magnificent Carol; can't help but to think that this movie travel into the Oscars will not be as how many wish, but then, this year tends to be full of surprises so still there is hope and next Thursday we will see what happens. Other notorious snubs are Steven Spielberg for Bridge of Spies and Ryan Coogler for Creed.

This post will be updated tomorrow when they announce the pending Documentary nominees.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film

*Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant

Mr. Iñárritu’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Drew Locke, James W. Skotchdopole, Doug Jones
First Assistant Director: Scott Robertson
Second Assistant Directors: Megan M. Shank, Matthew Haggerty, Jeremy Marks
Unit Production Manager: Gabriela Vazquez (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)
First Assistant Director: Adam Somner (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Trevor R. Tavares, Jasmine Marie Alhambra (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)
Second Second Assistant Directors: Brett Robinson, Kasia Trojak (Argentina, California, and Montana Unit)

This is Mr. Iñárritu’s fourth DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2014 for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). He was also nominated in this category for Babel in 2006. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for “Best Job” (Proctor and Gamble) in 2012.

Tom McCarthy for Spotlight

Mr. McCarthy’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: D.J Carson, Michael Bederman
First Assistant Director: Walter Gasparovic
Second Assistant Director: Penny Charter
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Danielle Blumstein (Boston Unit)
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse (Boston Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Conte Matal, Kristina Mariko Peterson, Annie Tan, Andrea O’Connor (Boston Unit)
Second Second Assistant Directors: Phil Robinson, Mark Romanelli (Boston Unit)
Additional Second Assistant Director: Scooter Perrotta (Boston Unit)

This is Mr. McCarthy’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

Adam McKay for The Big Short

Mr. McKay’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Louise Rosner
First Assistant Director: Matt Rebenkoff
Second Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen
Second Second Assistant Director: Cali Pomés
Second Second Assistant Director: Josh Muzaffer (New York Unit)
Location Manager: Michael Kriaris

This is Mr. McKay’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road

Mr. Miller’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Dean Hood
First Assistant Director: PJ Voeten
Second Assistant Directors: Samantha Smith, Wendy Croad, Chris O’Hara
Second Assistant Directors: Eddie Thorne (Sydney Unit), Emma Jamvold (Sydney Unit)
Second Second Assistant Directors: Danielle Blake (Sydney Unit), Joshua Watkins (Sydney Unit)

This is Mr. Miller’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

Ridley Scott for The Martian

Mr. Scott’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Francesca Cingolani, Miklós Tóth
First Assistant Director: Raymond Kirk
Second Assistant Directors: Sarah Hood, Bogi Móricz
Second Second Assistant Director: Nick Thomas

This is Mr. Scott’s fourth DGA Award nomination. He was nominated in this category in 1991 for Thelma and Louise, in 2000 for Gladiator, and in 2001 for Black Hawk Down.

Here are the nominees for the new category.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film
Fernando Coimbra for A Wolf at the Door
Joel Edgerton for The Gift
*Alex Garland for Ex Machina
Marielle Heller for The Diary of a Teenage Girl
László Nemes for Son of Saul

Is the first DGA Award nomination for all of the above directors. Eligible directors for this award must have released his or her first feature-length film theatrically in Los Angeles or New York in 2015. Foreign films are eligible and the director does not need to be a DGA member.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
TBA

To read the press release at official site go here.  Critics vote George Miller, will guild members go critics way or will they give us another surprise? Who knows. Truth is that up-to-today guild nominations tell us that Spotlight and The Big Short are the only movies this season that have taken top nominations from every major guild, which somehow demonstrates broad industry support and suggests that Adam McKay could have a reserved place in the Oscars nominations. We already suspect that McCarthy, Gonzalez and Miller also have a reservation, so who will have the last place? Ridley Scott, Todd Haynes, Steven Spielberg or a surprise?