Directors Guild of America Award

Directors Guild of America Award
Logo of the Directors Guild of America Award
Awarded for	Film direction
Country	United States
First awarded	1938
Official website	dga.org

The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an “Honorary Life Member” award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards.

Categories

Film

• Feature Film
• Documentary
• First-Time Feature Film

Television

• Children’s Programs
• Comedy Series
• Commercials
• Daytime Serials
• Drama Series
• Musical Variety
• Reality Programs
• Television Film

Historic Awards

• Actuality (1977–1980)
• Documentary / Actuality (1982–1990)
• Documentary / News (1971–1981)
• Documentary Television (1977–1981)
• Drama Show Day (1983–1994)
• Golden Jubilee Special Award (1986)
• News
• Outstanding Television Director (1971–1975)
• Preston Sturges Award (1990, 1991, 1993)
• Specials / Movies for TV / Actuality (1976–81)
• Sports (1984–1990)
• Television (1953–1970)

Service and Achievement

• Robert B. Aldrich Award
• Honorary Life Member Award
• Frank Capra Achievement Award
• Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award

Winners – Motion Picture

Lifetime Achievement Award

(formerly the D. W. Griffith Lifetime Achievement Award)

• 1953: Cecil B. DeMille
• 1954: John Ford
• 1955: No award
• 1956: Henry King
• 1957: King Vidor
• 1958: No award
• 1959: Frank Capra
• 1960: George Stevens
• 1961: Frank Borzage
• 1962–1965: No award
• 1966: William Wyler
• 1967: No award
• 1968: Alfred Hitchcock
• 1969: No award
• 1970: Fred Zinnemann
• 1971–1972: No award
• 1973: William A. Wellman and David Lean
• 1974–1980: No award
• 1981: George Cukor
• 1982: Rouben Mamoulian
• 1983: John Huston
• 1984: Orson Welles
• 1985: Billy Wilder
• 1986: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• 1987: Elia Kazan
• 1988: Robert Wise
• 1989: No award
• 1990: Ingmar Bergman
• 1991: No award
• 1992: Akira Kurosawa
• 1993: Sidney Lumet
• 1994: Robert Altman
• 1995: James Ivory
• 1996: Woody Allen
• 1997: Stanley Kubrick
• 1998: Francis Ford Coppola
• 1999: No award
• 2000: Steven Spielberg
• 2001: No award
• 2002: Martin Scorsese
• 2003: No award
• 2004: Mike Nichols
• 2005: No award
• 2006: Clint Eastwood
• 2007–2009: No award
• 2010: Norman Jewison
• 2011: No award
• 2012: Miloš Forman
• 2013–2015: No award

Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film

• 1948: Joseph L. Mankiewicz – A Letter to Three Wives ¿
• 1949: Robert Rossen – All the King's Men ¿
• 1950: Joseph L. Mankiewicz – All About Eve †
• 1951: George Stevens – A Place in the Sun †
• 1952: John Ford – The Quiet Man †
• 1953: Fred Zinnemann – From Here to Eternity †
• 1954: Elia Kazan – On the Waterfront †
• 1955: Delbert Mann – Marty †
• 1956: George Stevens – Giant †
• 1957: David Lean – The Bridge on the River Kwai †
• 1958: Vincente Minnelli – Gigi †
• 1959: William Wyler – Ben-Hur †
• 1960: Billy Wilder – The Apartment †
• 1961: Robert Wise – West Side Story †
• 1962: David Lean – Lawrence of Arabia †
• 1963: Tony Richardson – Tom Jones †
• 1964: George Cukor – My Fair Lady †
• 1965: Robert Wise – The Sound of Music †
• 1966: Fred Zinnemann – A Man for All Seasons †
• 1967: Mike Nichols – The Graduate †
• 1968: Anthony Harvey – The Lion in Winter ‡
• 1969: John Schlesinger – Midnight Cowboy †
• 1970: Franklin Schaffner – Patton †
• 1971: William Friedkin – The French Connection †
• 1972: Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather ‡
• 1973: George Roy Hill – The Sting †
• 1974: Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather Part II †
• 1975: Miloš Forman – One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest †
• 1976: John G. Avildsen – Rocky †
• 1977: Woody Allen – Annie Hall †
• 1978: Michael Cimino – The Deer Hunter †
• 1979: Robert Benton – Kramer vs. Kramer †
• 1980: Robert Redford – Ordinary People †
• 1981: Warren Beatty – Reds †
• 1982: Richard Attenborough – Gandhi †
• 1983: James L. Brooks – Terms of Endearment †
• 1984: Miloš Forman – Amadeus †
• 1985: Steven Spielberg – The Color Purple §
• 1986: Oliver Stone – Platoon †
• 1987: Bernardo Bertolucci – The Last Emperor †
• 1988: Barry Levinson – Rain Man †
• 1989: Oliver Stone – Born on the Fourth of July †
• 1990: Kevin Costner – Dances with Wolves †
• 1991: Jonathan Demme – The Silence of the Lambs †
• 1992: Clint Eastwood – Unforgiven †
• 1993: Steven Spielberg – Schindler's List †
• 1994: Robert Zemeckis – Forrest Gump †
• 1995: Ron Howard – Apollo 13 §
• 1996: Anthony Minghella – The English Patient †
• 1997: James Cameron – Titanic †
• 1998: Steven Spielberg – Saving Private Ryan †
• 1999: Sam Mendes – American Beauty †
• 2000: Ang Lee – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ‡
• 2001: Ron Howard – A Beautiful Mind †
• 2002: Rob Marshall – Chicago ‡
• 2003: Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King †
• 2004: Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby †
• 2005: Ang Lee – Brokeback Mountain †
• 2006: Martin Scorsese – The Departed †
• 2007: Joel and Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men †
• 2008: Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire †
• 2009: Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker †
• 2010: Tom Hooper – The King's Speech †
• 2011: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist †
• 2012: Ben Affleck – Argo §
• 2013: Alfonso Cuarón – Gravity †
• 2014: Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) †
• 2015: Alejandro G. Iñárritu – The Revenant †

1. † – Director won the Academy Award.
2. ‡ – Director did not win the Academy Award.
3. § – Director was not nominated for Academy Award that year.
4. ¿ – Originally, the DGA used a non-calendar year for its award. Both films competed in the 22nd Academy Awards for 1949, and both directors were nominated for Best Director; Mankiewicz won. All the King's Men won Best Picture; Rossen's DGA was not awarded until after the Oscars. (Beginning with the 1951 award in 1952, the DGA has been always awarded before the Oscars.)

Outstanding Achievement in Documentary

• 1991: Barbara Kopple – American Dream
• 1992: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky – Brother's Keeper
• 1993: Terry Zwigoff – Crumb
• 1994: Steve James – Hoop Dreams
• 1995: No award
• 1996: Al Pacino – Looking for Richard
• 1997: Michael Uys and Lexy Lovell – Riding the Rails
• 1998: Jerry Blumenthal, Peter Gilbert, and Gordon Quinn – Vietnam, Long Time Coming
• 1999: Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen – On the Ropes
• 2000: Chuck Braverman – High School Boot Camp
• 2001: Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujaim – Startup.com
• 2002: Tasha Oldham – The Smith Family
• 2003: Nathaniel Kahn – My Architect
• 2004: Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni – The Story of the Weeping Camel
• 2005: Werner Herzog – Grizzly Man
• 2006: Arūnas Matelis – Before Flying Back to Earth
• 2007: Asger Leth – Ghosts of Cité Soleil
• 2008: Ari Folman – Waltz with Bashir
• 2009: Louie Psihoyos – The Cove
• 2010: Charles Ferguson – Inside Job
• 2011: James Marsh – Project Nim
• 2012: Malik Bendjelloul – Searching for Sugar Man
• 2013: Jehane Noujaim – The Square
• 2014: Laura Poitras – Citizenfour
• 2015: Matthew Heineman – Cartel Land

Outstanding Achievement in First-Time Feature Film

• 2015: Alex Garland – Ex Machina

Winners – Television

Lifetime Achievement Award

• 2014: James Burrows and Robert Butler
• 2015: Joe Pytka

Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Serials

• 1991: Michael Stich – The Bold and the Beautiful ("Episode #1103")
• 1992: Susan Strickler – Another World ("Episode 7022")
• 1993: Jill Mitwell – One Life to Live ("Episode 6356")
• 1994: Michael Stich – The Bold and the Beautiful ("Episode 1884")
• 1995: William Ludel and Alan Pultz – General Hospital ("Episode 8248")
• 1996: Kathyrn Foster and Mike Denney – The Young and the Restless ("Episode 5875")
• 1997: Scott McKinsey – General Hospital ("Episode #8883")
• 1998: James Sayegh – One Life to Live ("Episode #7572")
• 1999: Herb D. Stein and Roger W. Inman – Days of Our Lives ("Episode #8557")
• 2000: Jill Mitwell – One Life to Live ("Episode #8205")
• 2001: William Ludel – General Hospital ("Episode #9801")
• 2002: Scott McKinsey – Port Charles ("Episode #1433")
• 2003: Larry Carpenter – One Life to Live ("Episode #8849")
• 2004: Bruce S. Barry – Guiding Light ("Episode #14,321")
• 2005: Owen Renfroe – General Hospital ("Episode #10914")
• 2006: Jill Mitwell – One Life to Live ("Episode #9779")
• 2007: Larry Carpenter – One Life to Live ("Episode #9947")
• 2008: Larry Carpenter – One Life to Live ("Episode #10281")
• 2009: Christopher Goutman – As the World Turns ("Once Upon a Time")
• 2010: Larry Carpenter – One Life to Live ("Starr X’d Lovers: The Musical – Part II")
• 2011: William Ludel – General Hospital ("Intervention")
• 2012: Jill Mitwell – One Life to Live ("Between Heaven and Hell")

Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programs

• 1984: Sharron Miller – The Woman Who Willed a Miracle
• 1996: Stuart Margolin – Salt Water Moose
• 1997: Brian Robbins – Nickelodeon Sports Theater ("First Time")
• 1998: Mitchell Kriegman – Bear in the Big Blue House ("Love is All You Need")
• 1999: Amy Schatz – Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepy Time Tales
• 2000: Greg Beeman – Miracle in Lane 2
• 2001: Amy Schatz – ’Twas the Night: A Holiday Celebration
• 2002: Guy Ferland – Bang Bang You’re Dead
• 2003: Kevin Lima – Eloise at Christmastime
• 2004: Stuart Gillard – Going to the Mat
• 2005: Chris Eyre – Edge of America
• 2006: Kenny Ortega – High School Musical
• 2007: Paul Hoen – Jump In!
• 2008: Amy Schatz – Classical Baby ("The Poetry Show")
• 2009: Allison Liddi-Brown – Princess Protection Program
• 2010: Eric Bross – The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
• 2011: Amy Schatz – A Child’s Garden of Poetry
• 2012: Paul Hoen – Let It Shine

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials

• 2012: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Procter & Gamble, “Best Job”)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety

• 2012: Glenn Weiss – 66th Tony Awards
• 2013: Glenn Weiss – 67th Tony Awards
• 2014: Glenn Weiss – 68th Tony Awards

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series

• 1990: James Burrows – Cheers ("Woody Interruptus")
• 1991: Peter Bonerz – Murphy Brown ("Uh-Oh: Part 2")
• 1992: Tom Cherones – Seinfeld ("The Contest")
• 1993: James Burrows – Frasier ("The Good Son")
• 1994: David Lee – Frasier ("The Matchmaker")
• 1995: Gordon Hunt – Mad About You ("The Alan Brady Show")
• 1996: Andy Ackerman – Seinfeld ("The Rye")
• 1997: Andy Ackerman – Seinfeld ("The Betrayal")
• 1998: Thomas Schlamme – Sports Night ("Pilot")
• 1999: Thomas Schlamme – Sports Night ("Small Town")
• 2000: James Burrows – Will & Grace ("Lows in the Mid-Eighties")
• 2001: Todd Holland – Malcolm in the Middle ("Bowling")
• 2002: Bryan Gordon – Curb Your Enthusiasm ("The Special Section")
• 2003: Tim Van Patten – Sex and the City ("Boy, Interrupted")
• 2004: Tim Van Patten – Sex and the City ("An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux")
• 2005: Marc Buckland – My Name Is Earl ("Pilot")
• 2006: Richard Shepard – Ugly Betty ("Pilot")
• 2007: Barry Sonnenfeld – Pushing Daisies ("Pie-lette")
• 2008: Paul Feig – The Office ("Dinner Party")
• 2009: Jason Winer – Modern Family ("Pilot")
• 2010: Michael Spiller – Modern Family ("Halloween")
• 2011: Robert B. Weide – Curb Your Enthusiasm ("Palestinian Chicken")
• 2012: Lena Dunham – Girls ("Pilot")
• 2013: Beth McCarthy-Miller – 30 Rock ("Hogcock!" / "Last Lunch")
• 2014: Jill Soloway – Transparent ("Best New Girl")
• 2015: Chris Addison – Veep ("Election Night")

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series

• 1971: Daniel Petrie – The Man and the City ("Hands of Love")
• 1972: Robert Butler – The Waltons ("Dust Bowl Cousins")
• 1973: Charles S. Dubin – Kojak ("Knockover")
• 1974: David Friedkin – Kojak ("Cross Your Heart, Hope to Die")
• 1975: James Cellan Jones – Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
• 1976: Glenn Jordan – Family ("Rites of Friendship")
• 1977: John Erman – Roots ("Part II")
• 1978: Gene Reynolds – Lou Grant ("Prisoner")
• 1979: Roger Young – Lou Grant ("Cop")
• 1980: Roger Young – Lou Grant ("Lou")
• 1981: Robert Butler – Hill Street Blues ("Hill Street Station")
• 1982: David Anspaugh – Hill Street Blues ("Personal Foul")
• 1983: Jeff Bleckner – Hill Street Blues ("Life in the Minors")
• 1984: Thomas Carter – Hill Street Blues ("The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall")
• 1985: Will Mackenzie – Moonlighting ("My Fair David")
• 1986: Will Mackenzie – Moonlighting ("Atomic Shakespeare")
• 1987: Marshall Herskovitz – thirtysomething ("Pilot")
• 1988: Marshall Herskovitz – thirtysomething ("Therapy")
• 1989: Eric Laneuville – L.A. Law ("I’m in the Nude for Love")
• 1990: Michael Zinberg – Quantum Leap ("The Leap Home" – Part II)
• 1991: Eric Laneuville – I’ll Fly Away ("All God’s Children")
• 1992: Rob Thompson – Northern Exposure ("Cicely")
• 1993: Gregory Hoblit – NYPD Blue ("Pilot")
• 1994: Charles Haid – ER ("Into That Good Night")
• 1995: Christopher Chulack – ER ("Hell and High Water")
• 1996: Christopher Chulack – ER ("Fear of Flying")
• 1997: Barbara Kopple – Homicide: Life on the Street ("The Documentary")
• 1998: Paris Barclay – NYPD Blue ("Hearts and Souls")
• 1999: David Chase – The Sopranos ("The Sopranos")
• 2000: Thomas Schlamme – The West Wing ("Noël")
• 2001: Alan Ball – Six Feet Under ("Pilot")
• 2002: John Patterson – The Sopranos ("Whitecaps")
• 2003: Christopher Misiano – The West Wing ("Twenty Five")
• 2004: Walter Hill – Deadwood ("Deadwood")
• 2005: Michael Apted – Rome ("The Stolen Eagle")
• 2006: Jon Cassar – 24 ("Day 5: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.")
• 2007: Alan Taylor – Mad Men ("Smoke Gets in Your Eyes")
• 2008: Dan Attias – The Wire ("Transitions")
• 2009: Lesli Linka Glatter – Mad Men ("Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency")
• 2010: Martin Scorsese – Boardwalk Empire ("Boardwalk Empire")
• 2011: Patty Jenkins – The Killing ("Pilot")
• 2012: Rian Johnson – Breaking Bad ("Fifty-One")
• 2013: Vince Gilligan – Breaking Bad ("Felina")
• 2014: Lesli Linka Glatter – Homeland ("From A to B and Back Again")
• 2015: David Nutter – Game of Thrones ("Mother’s Mercy")

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries

• 2000: Jeff Bleckner – The Beach Boys: An American Family
• 2001: Frank Pierson – Conspiracy
• 2002: Mick Jackson – Live from Baghdad
• 2003: Mike Nichols – Angels in America
• 2004: Joseph Sargent – Something the Lord Made
• 2005: George C. Wolfe – Lackawanna Blues
• 2006: Walter Hill – Broken Trail
• 2007: Yves Simoneau – Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• 2008: Jay Roach – Recount
• 2009: Ross Katz – Taking Chance
• 2010: Mick Jackson – Temple Grandin
• 2011: Jon Cassar – The Kennedys
• 2012: Jay Roach – Game Change
• 2013: Steven Soderbergh – Behind the Candelabra
• 2014: Lisa Cholodenko – Olive Kitteridge
• 2015: Dee Rees – Bessie

External links