'Anora' director Sean Baker wins big at DGA Awards
What's the story
Anora's director Sean Baker has bagged the top honor at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards. He received the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film Award from Christopher Nolan, last year's winner for Oppenheimer. This win comes right after Anora clinched Best Picture at the Critics Choice Awards, making Baker a strong contender for Best Director at the 97th Academy Awards.
Oscar prediction
Baker's win continues DGA-Academy Awards trend
The DGA has a solid history of predicting the Best Director winner at the Academy Awards. In the last 76 years, only eight directors who won the DGA Award didn't win at the Oscars. This puts Baker in a fantastic position for the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. He beat Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) to bag the prestigious honor.
Additional honorees
Other notable winners at the DGA Awards
The DGA Awards also honored first-time directors. RaMell Ross won the Michael Apted Award for Nickel Boys. India's Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light) was also competing in this category. Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev were honored for their documentary Porcelain War. In television, Frederick E.O. Toye and Lucia Aniello won Best Dramatic Series Director and Best Comedy Series Director for Shogun and Hacks respectively. Steve Zaillian bagged the award for Best Limited Series/TV Movie Director for Ripley.
Television triumphs
DGA Awards celebrated variety and reality TV directors
The DGA Awards also honored directors in the variety and reality TV categories. Liz Patrick won Best Variety/Talk/News/Sports Series Director for an episode of Saturday Night Live with John Mulaney and Chappell Roan. Beth McCarthy-Miller was honored for directing The Roast of Tom Brady, while Neil DeGroot took home the award for Best Reality Program Director with Gordon Ramsey: Uncharted's episode The Cliffs of Ireland.
Special recognitions
Special honors and lifetime achievement at DGA Awards
The DGA Awards were hosted by Judd Apatow for the sixth time. Ang Lee was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Michelle Yeoh. UPMs Mary Rae Thewlis and Thomas J. Whelan were honored with the guild's Robert B. Aldrich Award and Frank Capra Achievement Award, respectively.