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View Winners → News Feb 10, 2022
Photo courtesy of David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
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Comedian-director Judd Apatow will host the 74th annual Directors Guild of America Awards show on March 12, the DGA announced Thursday.
It will be Apatow’s third turn hosting the DGAs — one of Hollywood’s higher-profile and higher-prestige award shows. He also hosted in 2018 and 2020.
The DGAs were presented virtually last year, but will return to an in- person format on March 12 from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Ever the comic, Apatow welcomed his hosting duties with tongue firmly in cheek.
“I am so excited to host again as part of my ONGOING campaign for the Lifetime Achievement Award,” he said in the announcement released by the DGA.
Meanwhile, Beth McCarthy-Miller was named Awards Chair for the event, saying, “I feel so lucky to be asked by one of my all-time favorite directors, (DGA President) Lesli Linka Glatter, to be a part of this incredible night celebrating the great work that all of my colleagues have done this year.”
McCarthy-Miller also added, “And I will do my best to explain to Judd that hosting in no way gets you a Lifetime Achievement Award.”
For her part, Glatter said, “What makes the DGA Awards so very special is that it is recognition by one’s peers; camaraderie in celebrating excellence in our craft, and our DGA teams; as well as the special evening we share together as a storytelling family. And more than any other year, we could really use some laughs.
“There is no host that hits all these notes more perfectly than leading director, comedian, writer and industry force, the incredible Judd Apatow,” she added.
As for the nominees, Steven Spielberg, Jane Campion, Kenneth Branagh and Paul Thomas Anderson — who all snagged best-director Oscar nods earlier this week — are among the nominees for outstanding direction of a feature film.
Spielberg was nominated for “West Side Story,” Campion for “The Power of the Dog,” Branagh for “Belfast” and Anderson for “Licorice Pizza.” Denis Villeneuve is also nominated for a DGA award for “Dune.”
Much like the Producers Guild of America is a strong indicator of success in the best-picture category on Oscar night, the DGA Award is historically a solid predictor of who will take home the Academy Award for best director.
In fact, since 1948, there have only been eight times that the winner of the DGA award for feature film directing has not gone on to win the Oscar for best director. The most recent time was in 2020, when Sam Mendes won the DGA Award for “1917,” but the Oscar went to Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite.”
Last year, both honors went to “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao, who became only the second woman to win the DGA’s top prize and the Oscar. Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the awards, for 2008’s “The Hurt Locker.”
The nomination for Spielberg is the 11th of his career. He has won the DGA Award three times, for “Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List” and “The Color Purple.” He also received the DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.
Campion was previously nominated for the award for “The Piano,” while Villeneuve was nominated for “Arrival” and Anderson was nominated for “There Will be Blood.” Branagh is a first-time DGA nominee.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Lin-Manuel Miranda are among those nominated for best first-time director. Gyllenhaal was nominated for “The Lost Daughter,” while Miranda’s nod was for “Tick, Tick…BOOM!”
Also nominated for best first-time director were Rebecca Hall for “Passing,” Tatiana Huezo for “Prayers for the Stolen,” Michael Sarnoski for “Pig” and Emma Seligman for “Shiva Baby.”
