Stanley Nelson pulled a major upset last night at the Directors Guild of America Awards. Nelson won the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for Attica, his gripping account of the 1971 prison uprising and case of police brutality. The award marked Nelson’s first honour from the DGA. Attica is currently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film, which kick off the documentary line-up at last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival, is currently streaming on Crave.
Also nominated at the DGA Awards were Nelson’s fellow Oscar nominees Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Summer of Soul) and Jessica Kingdon (Ascension), along with Raoul Peck (Exterminate All the Brutes) and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (The Rescue). It was a big night for Netflix, as the streamer picked up both award for feature dramatic films. As expected, Jane Campion won the top award for her drama The Power of the Dog, while Maggie Gyllenhaal scored the first feature prize. Campion is widely considered the odds-on favourite for the Best Director Oscar.
The full list of DGA winners is as follows:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
Stanley Nelson
Attica
(Showtime)
Outstanding Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film
Jane Campion
The Power of the Dog
(Netflix)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director
Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Lost Daughter
(Netflix)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series
Mark Mylod
Succession, “All the Bells Say”
(HBO)
Mr. Mylod’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
- First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
- Second Assistant Directors: Michelle Flevotomas, Nicholas Notte
- Assistant Unit Production Manager: Robert Striem
- Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series
Lucia Aniello
Hacks, “There Is No Line”
(HBO Max)
Ms. Aniello’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Melanie J. Elin, David Hyman
- First Assistant Director: Jeff Rosenberg
- Second Assistant Director: Erin Stern Linares
- Second Second Assistant Director: Heidi Hinzman
- Additional Second Assistant Director: Alaina Neumann
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series
Barry Jenkins
The Underground Railroad
(Amazon)
Mr. Jenkins’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Richleigh Heagh
- First Assistant Director: Liz Tan
- Second Assistant Director: Elaine Wood
- Second Second Assistant Director: Wayne Witherspoon
- Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Carmona, AJ Bruno
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming
Don Roy King
Saturday Night Live, “Keegan-Michael Key; Olivia Rodrigo”
(NBC)
Mr. King’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Directors: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Laura Ouziel-Mack
- Stage Managers: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly, Eddie Valk
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials
Paul Dugdale
Adele: One Night Only
(CBS)
Mr. Dugdale’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Director: Hayley Collett
- Stage Managers: Gary Natoli, Erica Christensen, Zachary Figures, Jackie Stathis
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs
Adam Vetri
Getaway Driver, “Electric Shock”
(Discovery Channel)
Mr. Vetri’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Director: John Esposito
- Stage Manager: Eric Pai
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programming
Smriti Mundhra
Through Our Eyes, “Shelter”
(HBO Max)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials
Bradford Young
(Serial Pictures x Somesuch)
Super. Human., Channel 4 Paralympics – 4Creative
- First Assistant Director: Jez Oakley
Honorary Life Member and Service Awards:
DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Feature Film: Spike Lee
Frank Capra Achievement Award: Joseph P. Reidy
Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award: Garry W. Hood
