74th Directors Guild of America Awards: Maggie Gyllenhaal earns first-time feature honor for The Lost Daughter and Jane Campion wins big with The Power of the Dog as film legend Spike Lee receives Lifetime Achievement award
The 74th Directors Guild of America Awards were held at the Beverly Hilton and hosted by Judd Apatow on Saturday in Beverly Hills.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jane Campion took home the night’s top directorial honors in the first-time feature and theatrical feature film categories, respectively.
Meanwhile, film legend Spike Lee received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jane Campion took home the night’s top directorial honors in the first-time feature and theatrical feature film categories, respectively.
Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter helped score her her first-ever DGA Award nomination and subsequent win.
She beat out the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Rebecca Hall in the Outstanding Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director category.
The Secretary actress was presented the honor by actress Julie Delpy, 52.
‘I really am moved, ultimately I got brave enough to say what I wanted,’ gushed Gyllenhaal as she took to the stage to accept the award, as per Variety.
She playfully noted that she’s actually not a member of the Directors Guild of America since The Lost Daughter is her first feature.
‘But I want to be!’ said Gyllenhaal, who then put Steven Spielberg and her father Stephen Gyllenhaal on the spot by asking them to be the two sponsors she needs to join the guild.
First-time feature: Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter helped score her her first-ever DGA Award nomination and subsequent win
Emotional: ‘I really am moved, ultimately I got brave enough to say what I wanted,’ gushed Gyllenhaal as she took to the stage to accept the award, as per Variety
Presenter: The Secretary actress was presented the honor by actress Julie Delpy, 52
The Lost Daughter is based on Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name and centers on a woman whose coastal getaway takes a dark turn when she begins to face the demons of her past.
The movie stars Olivia Colman in the leading role, with Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris and Sarsgaard rounding out the cast.
In addition to directing the feature, Gyllenhaal penned its screenplay and served as one of its producers.
Jane Campion proudly accepted the the Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film prize for her Western film The Power Of The Dog.
She was joined at the star-studded ceremony by the film’s stars Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.
Campion was presented the award by Chloe Zhao, who won the prize last year.
The couple have been nominated at this year’s Academy Awards for their roles in the film, which premiered in November 2021.
Stars: Campion was joined at the star-studded ceremony by the film’s stars Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons
Onstage: They also joined the Power Of The Dog director onstage
Passing the torch: Campion was presented the award by Chloe Zhao, who won the prize last year
Taking to the stage, Campion spoke passionately to the crowd of her peers about overcoming the obstacles of being a female director.
‘We often hear this time of year about “first this” and “second that” — glass ceilings that are left shattered left and right in this industry,’ she began.
‘The road here has been long. I remember being the only woman in the room. I remember that outsider feeling as I fought to get my stories told, to bring dynamic stories from underserved perspectives to light. I think it’s perhaps a time to claim a sense of victory on that front. We’ve come so far and what’s more, we’re never going backwards.
That sense of the eternal horizon, that spectrum of possibility invigorates me. I hope it invigorates you as well,’ she concluded.
The Power Of The Dog centers around cowboy Phil Burbank’s (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) anger over his repressed gay feelings as he torments his new sister-in-law (Kirsten Dunst).
Ahead of the ceremony, Campion ruthlessly slammed actor Sam Elliott‘s recent homophobic comments about the film.
Honored: Spike Lee received this year’s Lifetime achievement award for his extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, from Do the Right Thing to BlacKkKlansman, which have cemented his status in Hollywood as a trailblazer and force of nature
Family affair: The 64-year-old director was joined on stage by his children, daughter Satchel Lee and son Jackson Lee, both of whom he shares with wife Tonya Lewis, 55
Elliott previously complained that The Power Of The Dog ruined his idea of a cowboy being ‘macho’ and that it was filled with homosexual allusions.
‘They’re all running around in chaps and no shirts,’ said the 77-year-old while appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. ‘There’s all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the f**king movie.
Speaking to Variety on Saturday night, Campion said that Elliott was being a little bit of a B-*-*-*-H’ and that’s ‘not a cowboy; he’s an actor.’
She continued: ‘The West is a mythic space and there’s a lot of room on the range. I think it’s a little bit sexist.’
Despite not being winners, all of the other directors featured in the Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film were ‘presented with a medallion and gave a speech at the podium,’ according to Deadline.
One of the nominees was none other than Spielberg, who was nominated for his remake of the 1961 musical film West Side Story, which hit theaters in December 2021.
He was presented his medallion by actress, Rita Moreno, who famously played the role of Anita in the original West Side Story film.
Medallions: Despite not being winners, all of the other directors featured in the Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film were ‘presented with a medallion and gave a speech at the podium,’ according to Deadline
Icons: One of the nominees was none other than Spielberg, who was nominated for his remake of the 1961 musical film West Side Story, which hit theaters in December 2021. He was presented his medallion by actress, Rita Moreno, who famously played the role of Anita in the original West Side Story film
Featured player: Moreno, 90, is featured in Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation, as well
Classy: Dressed in a classic black tuxedo, the 75-year-old director was captured posing backstage with his DGA Award in hand
She notably won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 1962 ceremony for the role.
Moreno, 90, is featured in Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation, as well.
Dressed in a classic black tuxedo, the 75-year-old director was captured posing backstage with his DGA Award in hand.
Spielberg notably beat out Power Of The Dog director Jane Campion and Paul Thomas Anderson, who was nominated for his coming-of-age film Licorice Pizza.
Spike Lee received this year’s Lifetime achievement award for his extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, from Do the Right Thing to BlacKkKlansman, which have cemented his status in Hollywood as a trailblazer and force of nature.
The 64-year-old director was joined on stage by his children, daughter Satchel Lee and son Jackson Lee, both of whom he shares with wife Tonya Lewis, 55.
Host: Judd Apatow previously hosted the ceremony in 2018, and again two years later
Dominating: Notably, five episodes from season three of HBO’s hit series Succession made up the entire Dramatic Series category. The award went to director Mark Mylod for the episode All the Bells Say; series stars Sarah Snook and Brian Cox pictured
‘Spike is an innovator on so many levels. His bold and passionate storytelling over the past three decades has masterfully entertained, as it held a stark mirror to our society and culture. And while he is no stranger to huge commercial success, he is also the beating heart of independent film,’ DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said of the legendary film director ahead of the ceremony.
She concluded: ‘Even as countless filmmakers call Spike their mentor and inspiration, he continues to devote his time to teaching future generations how to make their mark. We are thrilled to present Spike with the DGA’s highest honor.’
Back in 2020, Lee took home the DGA Honor for his distinguished contributions to our nation’s culture in support of filmmaking.
Other attendees included: Pamela Adlon, Natasha Lyonne, , Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Edgerton Barry Jenkins, Andrew Garfield, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos to name a few.
Gang’s all here! Series stars Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Strong were on hand to present during the ceremony
Winning: The award went to director Mark Mylod for the episode All the Bells Say; Brian Cox and Sarah Snook pictured
Notably, five episodes from season three of HBO’s hit series Succession made up the entire Dramatic Series category. The award went to director Mark Mylod for the episode All the Bells Say.
Series stars Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Strong were on hand to present during the ceremony.
Lucia Aniello nabbed the Comedy Series award for her directing in Showtime’s Hacks, specifically the episode There Is No Line.
SNL veteran Don Roy King won in the the Variety/Talk/News/Sports – REGULAR category for his work on the show. After 16 years, King announced his retirement in December.
Dynamic duo: Pamela Adlon and Natasha Lyonne seen speaking onstage
Special night: While speaking about Saturday’s ceremony on their website last month, DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter gushed: ‘What makes the DGA Awards so very special is that it is recognition by one’s peers’; Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Edgerton and Barry Jenkins pictured
While speaking about Saturday’s ceremony on their website last month, DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter gushed: ‘What makes the DGA Awards so very special is that it is recognition by one’s peers.’
‘We could really use some laughs,’ she said. ‘There is no host that hits all these notes more perfectly than leading director, comedian, writer and industry force, the incredible Judd Apatow. We couldn’t be more grateful that he’s returning to the DGA Awards stage.’
Judd Apatow previously hosted the ceremony in 2018, and again two years later.
‘I am so excited to host again as part of my ongoing campaign for the Lifetime Achievement Award,’ Apatow, 54, joked of getting tapped to host for the third time.
First Assistant Director Joseph P. Reidy, whose credits include Black Swan and Quiz Show, will receive the DGA’s 2022 Frank Capra Achievement Award.
Laughs: ‘We could really use some laughs,’ she said. ‘There is no host that hits all these notes more perfectly than leading director, comedian, writer and industry force, the incredible Judd Apatow. We couldn’t be more grateful that he’s returning to the DGA Awards stage’; Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew Garfield pictured
Directorial spirit: ‘Our Guild draws its strength from the service and commitment of our members, and these special award winners embody that spirit at the highest level’; Steven Spielberg, Ted Sarandos, CEO & CCO, Netflix, Spike Lee and Jon Avnet pictured
Manager Garry W. Hood will receive the DGA’s 2022 Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award.
‘Joe Reidy and Garry Hood are widely respected leaders in their fields who have dedicated themselves to representing their fellow members, standing up for their rights, and giving back to their union – including most recently through their participation on our Covid-19 Return to Work Committee,’ said Glatter.
The DGA president added: ‘Our Guild draws its strength from the service and commitment of our members, and these special award winners embody that spirit at the highest level.’
