Michel Hazanavicius, director of The Artist, took home the big prize at the 64th Directors Guild of America awards on Saturday night, beating out Martin Scorsese (Hugo), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Alexander Payne (The Descendants).
In the context of the overall awards season, this is a huge win for Hazanavicius. The winner of the DGA award has gone on to win Best Director at the Academy Awards every year but six since the DGA awards’ inception in 1948. Fifty years out of its previous sixty-three, the DGA winner has also landed the Best Picture Oscar. So for those of you who are keeping track, The Artist is still the commanding favorite this year.
Project Nim, a documentary about a chimpanzee raised by humans, directed by James Marsh, nabbed the documentary DGA award. Interestingly, Project Nim isn’t even nominated at the Oscars, despite several other nominations and wins this season.
You can see a complete list of the DGA winners here.
