When the 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards take place on April 10, look for some of the big winners to be Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and David France (“Welcome to Chechnya”). These kudos honor the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. Scroll down to see Gold Derby’s predictions in seven categories listed in order of their racetrack odds, with projected winners highlighted in gold.
Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.
This year’s trophies will be handed out Sunday night in a virtual ceremony, with special honors going to Brian E. Frankish, Joyce Thomas, Betty Thomas and Paris Barclay. Here are Gold Derby’s 2021 DGA Awards predictions winner odds:
BEST FILM DIRECTOR
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) — 31/10
Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) — 4/1
David Fincher (“Mank”) — 4/1
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) — 9/2
Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) — 9/2
BEST FIRST-TIME FILM DIRECTOR
Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) — 71/20
Darius Marder (“Sound of Metal”) — 18/5
Florian Zeller (“The Father”) — 4/1
Radha Blank (“The 40-Year-Old Version”) — 9/2
Fernando Frías de la Parra (“I’m No Longer Here”) — 9/2
BEST FILM DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR
David France (“Welcome to Chechnya”) — 7/2
Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed (“My Octopus Teacher”) — 19/5
Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss (“Boys State”) — 4/1
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (“The Truffle Hunters”) — 9/2
Benjamin Ree (“The Painter and the Thief”) — 9/2
BEST TV DRAMA DIRECTOR
Jon Favreau (“The Mandalorian” for “Chapter 9: The Marshal”) — 7/2
Vince Gilligan (“Better Call Saul” for “Bagman”) — 39/10
Jason Bateman (“Ozark” for “Wartime”) – 39/10
Lesli Linka Glatter (“Homeland” for “Prisoners of War”) — 9/2
Julie Anne Robinson (“Bridgerton” for “Diamond of the First Water”) — 9/2
BEST TV COMEDY DIRECTOR
MJ Delaney (“Ted Lasso” for “The Hope that Kills You”) — 7/2
Susanna Fogel (“The Flight Attendant” for “In Case of Emergency”) — 18/5
Zach Braff (“Ted Lasso” for “Biscuits”) — 4/1
Jeff Schaffer (“Curb Your Enthusiasm” for “The Spite Store”) — 9/2
Erin O’Malley (“Curb Your Enthusiasm” for “The Surprise Party”) — 9/2
BEST TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES DIRECTOR
Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”) — 16/5
Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) — 4/1
Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”) — 4/1
Lynn Shelton (“Little Fires Everywhere”) — 9/2
Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”) — 9/2
BEST TV VARIETY SERIES DIRECTOR
Don Roy King (“Saturday Night Live” for “Dave Chappelle/Foo Fighters”) — 16/5
Christopher Werner (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” for “Trump & Election Results”) — 19/5
Jim Hoskinson (“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” for “#1025 Live Show Following Capitol Insurrection”) — 9/2
David Paul Meyer (“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” for “President Obama: Inspiring Future Leaders & A Promised Land”) — 9/2
Paul G. Casey (“Real Time with Bill Maher” for “#1835”) — 9/2
