Question: Does the Slumdog Millionaire team have a big enough mantel for all these awards? The DGA says its Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally served as “a near-perfect barometer” for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only 6 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 DGA for The Lion in Winter/Carol Reed took home the Oscar for Oliver!; 1972: Francis Ford Coppola-The Godfather/Bob Fosse-Cabaret; 1985: Steven Spielberg-The Color Purple/Sydney Pollack-Out of Africa; 1995: Ron Howard-Apollo 13/Mel Gibson-Braveheart; 2000: Ang Lee-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Steven Soderbergh-Traffic; 2002: Rob Marshall-Chicago/Roman Polanski-The Pianist).
Here are tonight’s winners of the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and the recipients of the Guild’s 2009 Career Achievement Awards held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles:
Feature Film — DANNY BOYLE
Slumdog Millionaire, (Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros Pictures)
Mr. Boyle’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Sanjay Kumar; First Assistant Director: Raj Acharya; Second Assistant Director: Avani Batra; Second Second Assistant Director: Sonia Nemawarkar
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Movies For Television/Miniseries: JAY ROACH
Recount, HBO
Mr. Roach’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Scott Ferguson; First Assistant Director: Michael Hausman; First Assistant Director/Second Assistant Director: Peter Thorell; Second Assistant Director: Tudor Jones; Second Second Assistant Director: Rob Dickerson Jr.
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Dramatic Series Night: DAN ATTIAS
The Wire - “Transitions”, HBO
Mr. Attias’ Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Nina Noble; First Assistant Director: Eric Henriquez; Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan; Second Second Assistant Director: Tim Blockburger
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Comedy Series: PAUL FEIG
The Office - “Dinner Party”, NBC
Mr. Feig’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Robert Rothbard; First Assistant Director: Kelly Cantley; Second Assistant Director: Jennie O’Keefe; Second Second Assistant Director: Jasmine Alhambra; DGA Trainee: Alicia Cho
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Musical Variety: BRENT (BUCKY) GUNTS
Opening Ceremony Beijing 2008 Olympic Summer Games, NBC
Mr. Gunts’ Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Carol Larson, Brian Orentreich; Stage Manager: Steve Hollander
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Reality Programs: TONY CROLL
America’s Next Top Model - “1002″, CW
Mr. Croll’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: John Downer
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Daytime Serials: LARRY CARPENTER
One Life to Live - Episode #10,281, “So You Think You Can Be Shane Morasco’s Father?”, ABC
Mr. Carpenter’s Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Teresa Anne Cicala, Paul Glass, Tracy Casper Lang; Stage Managers: Alan Needleman, Keith Greer, Brendan Higgins; Production Associates: Kevin Brush, Beth Kravitz
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Documentary: ARI FOLMAN
Waltz with Bashir, Les Films D’ici, Razor Films, Sony Pictures Classics
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Commercials: PETER THWAITES
Production Company: Gorgeous Enterprises
“Waterslide”, Barclaycard -BBH
“Light Show”, Guinness – Irish International BBDO
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Children’s Programs: AMY SCHATZ
Classical Baby (I’m Grown Up Now) “The Poetry Show”, HBO
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DGA Honorary Life Member Award
Roger Ebert, Film Critic/Author
Robert B. Aldrich Award
William M. Brady, DGA Second Vice-President, Director
Frank Capra Achievement Award
Kim Kurumada, DGA Board Member, Unit Production Manager
Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award
Scott Berger, DGA Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, Associate Director