2003 Directors Guild of America Awards Announced

Posted on February 27, 2004

The winners of the 2003 Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and the recipients of the DGA's 2004 Lifetime Achievement Awards were announced recently at the 56th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. Carl Reiner hosted the Awards ceremony which attracted a record 1,750 guests.

The DGA's Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally served as a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only six times since the DGA Award's inception in 1949 has the winner not gone on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director.

2003 AWARDS

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film

PETER JACKSON
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
New Line Cinema

Unit Production Managers: Nikolas Korda, Zane Weiner
First Assistant Director: Carolynne Cunningham
Key Second Assistant Directors: Guy Campbell, Marc Ashton

This is Jackson's first DGA Award and third nomination having been previously nominated for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television

MIKE NICHOLS
Angels in America
HBO

Unit Production Managers: Jan Foster, Patricia Doherty Hess
First Assistant Director: Mike Haley
Second Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen
Second Second Assistant Director: Jennifer Truelove
DGA Trainees: Nate Grubb, Peter Koob

This is Mike Nichols' second DGA Award, fourth DGA nomination and his first in the category of Movies for Television. He has been nominated for three of his feature films: Working Girl in 1988, The Graduate in 1967, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1966. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The Graduate.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Night

CHRISTOPHER MISIANO
"25" The West Wing
NBC

Unit Production Manager: Dylan Massin
First Assistant Director: Douglas S. Ornstein
Second Assistant Director: Catherine Bond
Second Second Assistant Director: Cary Jones

This is Misiano's first DGA Award and nomination.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series

TIMOTHY M. VAN PATTEN
"Boy Interrupted" Sex and the City
HBO

Unit Production Managers: Jane Raab, Margo Myers
First Assistant Director: Bettiann Fishman
Second Assistant Director: Peter Soldo
Second Second Assistant Director: Andrea O'Connor
Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Nye, Mikki Ziska

This is Van Patten's first DGA Award second nomination. He was nominated last year in the category of Dramatic Series Night for The Sopranos episode, "Whoever Did This."

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety

DAVID MALLET
Cher: The Farewell Tour
NBC

Associate Director/Stage Manager: Robert Grossman

This is Mallet's first DGA Award and nomination.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials

LARRY CARPENTER
One Life to Live, #8849
ABC

Associate Director: Danielle Faraldo, Tracy Casper Lang, Mary Ryan
Stage Managers: Alan P. Needleman, Richard A. Manfredi
Production Associates: Teresa Anne Cicala, Anthony J. Wilkinson

This is Carpenter's first DGA Award and second DGA Award nomination. He was nominated last year for his direction of One Life to Live, #8655.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs

KEVIN LIMA
Eloise at Christmastime
ABC

Production Manager: Margot Lulick
First Assistant Director: David Wechsler
Second Assistant Director: Eric Yellin
Second Second Assistant Director: Murphy Occhino

This is Lima's first DGA Award and first nomination.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials

DAVID FINCHER
Anonymous Content

Gamebreakers, nikegridiron.com Wieden & Kennedy
First Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
Second Assistant Director: Maria Mantia
Speed Chain, Nike Wieden & Kennedy
First Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
Second Assistant Director: Michael A. McCue
Beauty for Sale, Xelibri Phones Motner
First Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
Second Assistant Director: Michael A. McCue
Second Second Assistant Director: Maria Mantia

This is Fincher's first DGA Award and first nomination.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

NATHANIEL KAHN
My Architect
The Louis Kahn Project, Inc.
HBO/Cinemax Documentary Films
New Yorker Films

This is Kahn's first DGA Award and nomination.

Guild's 2004 Lifetime Achievement Awards

Mike Nichols - Lifetime Achievement Awards
For distinguished career achievement in motion picture directing.

Larry Auerbach - Honorary Life Member Award

For recognition of outstanding creative achievement, or contribution to the Directors Guild of America, or the profession of directing.

Jeremy Kagan - Robert B. Aldrich Award

For extraordinary service to the Directors Guild of America and to its membership.

Stephen Glanzorck - Frank Capra Achievement Award

For an assistant director or unit production manager in recognition of career achievement in the Industry and service to the Directors Guild of America.

Peery Forbis - 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.

Note: Only six times since the DGA Award's inception in 1949 has the DGA Award winner not won the Best Director Academy Award:

1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar for Oliver!

1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA's nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.

1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.

1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters selected Mel Gibson for Braveheart.

2000: Ang Lee was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon while Steven Soderbergh won the Best Director Academy Award for Traffic.

2003: Rob Marshall was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Chicago while Roman Polanski won the Best Director Academy Award for The Pianist.