Danny Boyle nabs DGA feature award

Danny Boyle at 2008 Telluride Film Festival Labor Day Picnic;
Danny Boyle Roach (center right) with presenter Ethan Coen
First Assistant Director Raj Acharya and presenter Joel Coen

The winners of the 2008 Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and the recipients of the Guild's 2009 Career Achievement Awards were announced tonight during the 61st Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Danny Boyle won the DGA's Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Slumdog Millionaire.

"If I can get here, so can you," the 52-year-old Boyle told the audience in a brief acceptance speech. "Dream kind, dream hard." This is Mr. Boyle's first DGA Feature Film Award.

Following the welcome by DGA President Michael Apted to an audience of more than 1,500 guests, actor/comedian Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) hosted the ceremony. Jon Cryer subbed as the emcee for Carl Reiner, who took ill Friday from food poisoning. Reiner had served as host for 21 years.

Cryer noted that he's also a member of the DGA, which he noted has "awesome" health insurance that includes coverage of therapy. "Imagine if SAG covered therapy," he quipped.

Presenters included: Amy Adams* and Viola Davis* (Doubt), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight), Josh Brolin* and Sean Penn* (Milk), DGA Secretary/Treasurer Gil Cates, Claire Danes (Stardust), Lisa Edelstein (House), Jodie Foster (Panic Room), Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters), Richard Jenkins* (The Visitor), Taraji P. Henson* (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Frank Langella* and Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), Melissa Leo* (Frozen River), Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye), Dev Patel and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road), DGA National Vice President Steven Soderbergh, Marisa Tomei* (The Wrestler), Blair Underwood (In Treatment), and 2007 DGA Feature Film Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men).

* 2009 Academy Award Nominee

Roger Ebert with wife Chaz Hammelsmith Ebert
and stepdaughter Sonia

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, who can no longer speak due to complications from thyroid cancer, received a standing ovation when honored with an honorary lifetime membership in the guild along with recorded testimonials from Steven Spielberg, Patty Jenkins, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.

"I think it's very brave of directors to give a critic an honorary membership," Ebert said in a statement read by his wife. "The person responsible above all else for a film is the director."

2009 DGA AWARD WINNERS

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures)
Unit Production Manager: Sanjay Kumar
First Assistant Director: Raj Acharya
Second Assistant Director: Avani Batra
Second Second Assistant Director: Sonia Nemawarkar

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION/MINI-SERIES
Jay Roach, Recount (HBO)
Unit Production Manager: Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: Michael Hausman
First Assistant Director/Second Assistant Director: Peter Thorell
Second Assistant Director: Tudor Jones
Second Second Assistant Director: Rob Dickerson Jr.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES NIGHT
Dan Attias, The Wire - "Transitions" (HBO)
Unit Production Manager: Nina Noble
First Assistant Director: Eric Henriquez
Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
Second Second Assistant Director: Tim Blockburger

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
Paul Feig, The Office - "Dinner Party" (NBC)
Unit Production Manager: Robert Rothbard
First Assistant Director: Kelly Cantley
Second Assistant Director: Jennie O'Keefe
Second Second Assistant Director: Jasmine Alhambra
DGA Trainee: Alicia Cho

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL VARIETY
Brent (Bucky) Gunts, Opening Ceremony Beijing 2008 Olympic Summer Games (NBC)
Associate Directors: Carol Larson, Brian Orentreich
Stage Manager: Steve Hollander

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMS
Tony Croll, America's Next Top Model - "1002" (CW)
Associate Director: John Downer

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DAYTIME SERIALS
Larry Carpenter, One Life to Live - Episode #10,281, "So You Think You Can Be Shane Morasco's Father?" (ABC)
Associate Directors: Teresa Anne Cicala, Paul Glass, Tracy Casper Lang
Stage Managers: Alan Needleman, Keith Greer, Brendan Higgins,
Production Associates: Kevin Brush, Beth Kravitz

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS
Amy Schatz, Classical Baby (I'm Grown Up Now) "The Poetry Show" (HBO)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIALS
Peter Thwaites, Production Company: Gorgeous Enterprises
Waterslide, Barclaycard -BBH
Light Show, Guinness - Irish International BBDO

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY
Ari Folman, "Waltz with Bashir" (Les Films D'ici, Razor Films, Sony Pictures Classics)

2009 DGA SERVICE AND CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS
Film Critic/Author Roger Ebert – DGA Honorary Life Member Award for recognition of outstanding creative achievement, or contribution to the guild, or the profession of directing.

DGA Second Vice-President/Director William M. Brady - Robert B. Aldrich Award for extraordinary service to the DGA and to its membership.

DGA Board Member/Unit Production Manager Kim Kurumada - Frank Capra Achievement Award, given to an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in recognition of career achievement in the industry and service to the Directors Guild of America.

DGA Assistant Secretary-Treasurer/Associate Director Scott Berger - Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award for an Associate Director or Stage Manager in recognition of career achievement in the industry and service to the Directors Guild of America

The DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally been one of the industry's most accurate barometers for who will win the Best Director Academy Award.

Only six times since the DGA Awards began in 1948 has the Feature Film winner not gone on to win the corresponding Academy Award.

Source: Directors Guild of America
Variety.com