At the 2024 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards ceremony, held on Saturday night, celebrated filmmaker Christopher Nolan clinched the top honor for his historical epic Oppenheimer, marking his first DGA Award win.
The event, which took place amid a backdrop of industry challenges and reflections on collective struggles, saw an array of talents recognized for their outstanding contributions to cinema and television.
In addition to Nolan’s triumph, emerging director Celine Song received the Michael Apted Award for her inaugural feature, Past Lives. The ceremony also acknowledged Mstyslav Chernov for his impactful documentary, “20 Days in Mariupol,” which garnered an Oscar nomination.
In the television category, directors Peter Hoar, Christopher Storer, and Sarah Adina Smith were lauded for their exceptional work on acclaimed series such as The Last of Us, The Bear, and Lessons in Chemistry, respectively.
DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter addressed the audience, reflecting on the industry’s recent challenges, including strikes and negotiations for equitable contracts. “I struggle to find words to address the pain everyone faced in our industry in our collective fight to get what we all deserve,” said Glatter, who noted how great it was to be back on set. “We are thankful that we are back doing the work that we love with exceptional new creative and economic protections for DGA members and so many others. Our sister guilds, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, had difficult fights and achieved strong deals on behalf of their members.”
Host Judd Apatow injected humor into the proceedings, referencing last year’s strikes and the DGA’s avoidance of a work stoppage. “My agent said that I should hold out for more money, but in the spirit of the DGA I accepted their first offer,” said Apatow, who marked his fifth time emceeing the ceremony. “Ultimately, what did we learn from the strikes? We learned that Fran Drescher is the voice of reason, and unfortunately, that’s what reason sounds like. And two, audiences love watching old shows that have been on a lot of seasons. They don’t care at all if they’re new.”
Throughout the evening, presenters and honorees shared personal anecdotes and tributes, underscoring the camaraderie and mutual respect within the filmmaking community. From heartfelt speeches to lighthearted banter, the event served as a testament to the resilience and creativity of filmmakers and television directors alike.
The 2024 DGA Awards ceremony concluded with a sense of optimism and celebration, honoring the diverse talents shaping the future of cinema and television while acknowledging the challenges and triumphs that define the industry’s landscape.
Here’s a full list of winners below:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film
- Greta Gerwig, Barbie
- Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
- Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (WINNER)
- Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
- Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film
- Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
- Manuela Martelli, Chile ’76
- Noora Niasari, Shayda
- A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One
- Celine Song, Past Lives (WINNER)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series
- Peter Hoar, The Last of Us, “Long, Long Time” (WINNER)
- Becky Martin, Succession, “Rehearsal”
- Mark Mylod, Succession, “Connor’s Wedding”
- Andrij Parekh, Succession, “America Decides”
- Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, Succession, “Tailgate Party”
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
- Erica Dunton, Ted Lasso, “La Locker Room Aux Folles”
- Bill Hader, Barry, “wow”
- Declan Lowney, Ted Lasso, “So Long, Farewell”
- Christopher Storer, The Bear, “Fishes” (WINNER)
- Ramy Youssef, The Bear, “Honeydew”
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series
- Shawn Levy, All the Light We Cannot See
- Tara Miele, Lessons in Chemistry, “Introduction to Chemistry”
- Millicent Shelton, Lessons in Chemistry, “Poirot”
- Sarah Adina Smith, Lessons in Chemistry, “Her and Him” (WINNER)
- Nzingha Stewart, Daisy Jones & The Six, “Track 10: Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide”
REELated:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming
- Paul G. Casey, Real Time with Bill Maher, “Episode 2117”
- Jim Hoskinson, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Jan. 19, 2023: Rep. Adam Kinzinger; Meet Me at the Altar; Special appearance by Harvey Guillén”
- Michael Mancini and Liz Patrick, Saturday Night Live, “Pedro Pascal / Coldplay” (WINNER)
- David Paul Meyer, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, “Singer Charley Crockett Performs “Name on a Billboard” and Discusses New Album with Jordan Klepper“
- Paul Pennolino, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, “Episode 1018: Dollar Stores
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials
- Joel Gallen, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage
- Stan Lathan, Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer
- Linda Mendoza, Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer
- Paul Miller, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love (WINNER)
- Glenn Weiss, The 95th Annual Academy Awards
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs
- Niharika Desai, Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, “Happiness is a Bottle of Cod Liver Oil” (WINNER)
- Ken Fuchs, The Golden Bachelor, “Premiere”
- Joseph Guidry and Alexandra Lipsitz, Project Greenlight: A New Generation, “PGL vs. Gray Matter Problem”
- Rich Kim, Lego Masters, “Is It Brick?”
- Patrick McManus, American Ninja Warrior, “Season 15 Finale”
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs
- James Bobin, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher”
- Destin Daniel Cretton, American Born Chinese, “What Guy Are You”
- Rob Letterman, Goosebumps, “Say Cheese and Die”
- Amy Schatz, Stand Up & Shout: Songs From a Philly High School (WINNER)
- Dinh Thai, American Born Chinese, “A Monkey on a Quest”
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials
Martin de Thurah (Epoch Films)
Fair Exchange, Levi’s 501 Jeans – Droga5
Legends Never Die, Levi’s 501 Jeans, Droga5
Seb Edwards (Park Pictures)
Rumble, Battle of the Baddest – Droga5
Kim Gehrig (Somesuch) (WINNER)
Run This Town, Apple Music – Apple (Client Direct)
The Travelers, Expedia – Wieden & Kennedy
Craig Gillespie (MJZ)
Waiting Room, Apple iPhone – TBWA/Media Arts Lab
Andreas Nilsson (Biscuit Filmworks)
R.I.P. Leon, Apple iPhone – Apple (Client Direct)
Action Mode, Apple iPhone14 – Apple (Client Direct)
Choose Happy, Les Mills Fitness – Nice&Frank, San Francisco
Wait’ll You See This, Snapchat – Snapchat (Client Direct)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
- Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp, Bobi Wine: The People’s President
- Mstyslav Chernov, 20 Days in Mariupol (WINNER)
- Madeleine Gavin, Beyond Utopia
- Davis Guggenheim, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
- D. Smith, Kokomo City
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