Jane Campion Wins Top DGA Award for ‘The Power of the Dog’

Jane Campion made history at the DGA Awards on Saturday, becoming the second consecutive woman to win the kudo for theatrical feature film director — and only the third in its history. Campion won for Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog.” (Campion had already become just the second woman ever to receive a second nod from the Directors Guild, following “The Piano” in 1993).

The win gives Campion even more of an edge in the Oscar race as this year’s film awards season heads into the homestretch. Campion won over Kenneth Branagh for “Belfast” (Focus Features), Paul Thomas Anderson for “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing), Steven Spielberg for “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) and Denis Villeneuve for “Dune” (Warner Bros).

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“I care about women having voices, and I’m so excited about the next generation of filmmakers,” Campion said. Campion was presented the award by Chloé Zhao, who won the category last year for “Nomadland.”

The Directors Guild of America’s 74th annual DGA Awards returned to an in-person event on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, with Judd Apatow on tap as host. (Apatow asked to black out his monologue in the press room, so that it wouldn’t be covered by media.) The ceremony, which went virtual in 2021, and is part of a busy weekend on the kudos gauntlet that also includes the BAFTA, Annie Awards and Critics Choice events.

Maggie Gyllenhaal won the DGA Award for first-time feature (making it her first-ever DGA nomination), for the Netflix feature “The Lost Daughter.” “I really am moved, ultimately I got brave enough to say what I wanted,” she said.

Gyllenhaal noted the awkward situation where she’s not a member of the DGA, since she has only helmed one film. “But I want to be!” she said. Gyllenhaal added that she knows applicants need two sponsors in order to join — one of whom, she asked, on the spot from the stage, Steven Spielberg. The other will be her father, director Stephen Gyllenhaal, who was in attendance on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in TV, it was already a foregone conclusion that “Succession” will win drama — because it’s the only nominee this year, via five episodes of the HBO series’ third season. The only question going into Saturday night was which episode would be victorious. It ended up being Mark Mylod, for the episode “All the Bells Say.” This was the second DGA Award nomination for Mylod, who was nominated in this category in 2020 for “Succession.”

On the comedy side, Emmy winner Lucia Aniello picked up another honor for “Hacks,” this time the DGA Award for the episode “There Is No Line.” Aniello and “Hacks” beat out “Ted Lasso,” which led with three of the five DGA Awards nominations in the category, along with an episode “The White Lotus” (which somehow landed in the comedy field there). This was Aniello’s first DGA Award nomination.

In the limited series race, Barry Jenkins continued the recent streak of wins for his Amazon Prime Video series “The Underground Railroad.” Jenkins won opposite two episodes of Hulu’s “Dopesick” and episodes of “Mare of Easttown” and “Station Eleven.” This was Jenkins’s second DGA Award nomination, following a feature nod for “Moonlight” in 2016.

“Saturday Night Live” veteran Don Roy King (who retired at the end of December from the show after 16 years) continued his streak in the variety/talk/news/sports—regularly scheduled series category, winning this year for the episode with host Keegan-Michael Key and musical guest Olivia Rodrigo.

King said he was proud of his tenure on the show, which he said “held people accountable and did some healing for the people of the country. I was so proud of that work.” This was King’s 16th DGA Award nomination having previously won the DGA Award in this category for SNL episodes in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2013. King also won the DGA Award for variety/talk/news/sports – specials for “SNL 40th Anniversary Special” in 2015.

Showtime’s “Attica” won documentary, for helmer Stanley Nelson. This was Nelson’s first DGA Award nomination.

The night kicked off with a win in children’s programming for Smriti Mundhra, who won for her work on HBO Max’s “Through Our Eyes,” “Shelter.” This was Mundhra’s first DGA Award nomination. In reality programs, Adam Vetri won for Discovery’s “Getaway Driver,” “Electric Shock.” This was Vetri’s third DGA Award nomination, and won the DGA Award for reality in 2015 for “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge,” “Gods of War.”

In the variety/talk/news/sports – specials field, Paul Dugdale won for CBS’ “Adele: One Night Only.” It was his first DGA Award nomination.

Spike Lee received the lifetime achievement award at the ceremony, and gave an epic 23-minute speech about his journey to filmaking; also, Joseph P. Reidy received the Frank Capra Achievement Award and Gerry Hood was given the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award. Here are this year’s DGA Awards winners, updated live:

FILM

Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film

WINNER: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
(Netflix)
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
(Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures/United Artists Releasing)
Anderson’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Sue McNamara
• First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
• Second Assistant Director: Trevor Tavares
• Second Second Assistant Directors: Kasia Trojak, Bob Riley, David Marnell
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
(Netflix)
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”
(20th Century Studios)
Spielberg’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Managers: Carla Raij, Daniel Lupi
• First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
• Second Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
• Assistant Unit Production Manager: Robert T. Striem
• Second Second Assistant Director: Josh Muzaffer
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Billy Brennan
• Location Managers: Robert T. Striem, Katherine Delaney
Denis Villeneuve, “Dune”
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
Villeneuve’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Managers: Joe Caracciolo, Jr., James Grant
• First Assistant Director: Chris Carreras
• Second Assistant Director: Tom Rye

Outstanding Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director

WINNER: Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Lost Daughter”
(Netflix)
Rebecca Hall, “Passing”
(Netflix)
Tatiana Huezo, “Prayers for the Stolen”
(Netflix)
Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”
(Netflix)
Miranda’s Directorial Team:
• Unit Production Manager: Deb Dyer
• First Assistant Director: Mariela Comitini
• Second Assistant Directors: Josh A. Muzaffer, Luca Waldman
• Second Second Assistant Directors: Melissa Morphet, Lincoln Major
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Zach Citarella
• Location Manager: Ryan Smith
Michael Sarnoski, “Pig”
(Neon)
Emma Seligman, “Shiva Baby”
(Utopia)

TELEVISION

Dramatic TV Series

WINNER: MARK MYLOD
Succession, “All the Bells Say” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
Second Assistant Directors: Michelle Flevotomas, Nicholas Notte
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi

KEVIN BRAY
Succession, “Retired Janitors of Idaho” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: John Silvestri
Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Notte
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi

ANDRIJ PAREKH
Succession, “What It Takes” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
Second Assistant Director: Michelle Flevotomas
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi

ROBERT PULCINI & SHARI SPRINGER BERMAN
Succession, “Lion in the Meadow” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
Second Assistant Director: Michelle Flevotomas
Second Second Assistant Director: Jimmy Rosario
Additional Second Assistant Director: Nicole Payson
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi

LORENE SCAFARIA
Succession, “Too Much Birthday” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: John Silvestri
Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Notte
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
Additional Second Assistant Director: Matt O’Shea
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: LESLI LINKA GLATTER, Homeland, “Prisoners of War” — Showtime)

Comedy TV Series

WINNER: LUCIA ANIELLO
Hacks, “There Is No Line” (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Melanie J. Elin, David Hyman
First Assistant Director: Jeff Rosenberg
Second Assistant Director: Erin Stern Linares
Second Second Assistant Director: Heidi Hinzman
Additional Second Assistant Director: Alaina Neumann

MJ DELANEY
Ted Lasso, “No Weddings and a Funeral” (Apple TV Plus)

ERICA DUNTON
Ted Lasso, “Rainbow” (Apple TV Plus)

SAM JONES
Ted Lasso, “Beard After Hours” (Apple TV Plus)

MIKE WHITE
The White Lotus, “Mysterious Monkeys” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Mark Kamine
First Assistant Director: Justin Ritson
Second Assistant Director: Joe Landry
Second Second Assistant Director: Dais Kasagawa

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: SUSANNA FOGEL, The Flight Attendant, “In Case of Emergency” — HBO Max)

Movies for Television and Limited Series

WINNER: BARRY JENKINS
The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Richleigh Heagh
First Assistant Director: Liz Tan
Second Assistant Director: Elaine Wood
Second Second Assistant Director: Wayne Witherspoon
Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Carmona, AJ Bruno

BARRY LEVINSON
Dopesick, “First Bottle” (Hulu)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Marc Hammer
First Assistant Director: Karen Kane
Second Assistant Director: Chelsea Ryan Petrucci
Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Bonner

HIRO MURAI
Station Eleven, “Wheel of Fire” (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Dana Scott, David Nicksay
First Assistant Director: Jennifer Wilkinson
Location Manager: Stefan Nikolov

DANNY STRONG
Dopesick, “The People vs. Purdue Pharma” (Hulu)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Marc Hammer
First Assistant Director: Donald Murphy
Second Assistant Director: Peter Dress
Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Bonner

CRAIG ZOBEL
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Karen Wacker, Ron Schmidt
First Assistant Director: Kayse Goodell
Second Assistant Director: Jackson Rowe
Second Second Assistant Directors: Blair Howley, Findlay Zotter
Additional Second Assistant Directors: Findlay Zotter, Laura Hoyt

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: SCOTT FRANK, “The Queen’s Gambit” — Netflix)

Variety/Talk/News/Sports — Series

WINNER: DON ROY KING
Saturday Night Live, “Keegan-Michael Key; Olivia Rodrigo” (NBC)
Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Laura Ouziel-Mack
Stage Managers: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly, Eddie Valk

PAUL G. CASEY
Real Time With Bill Maher, “Episode 1935: Fareed Zakaria, Chris Christie, Eric Adams” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Stacy Talbot
Stage Managers: Brian Anderson, Patrick Whitney

JIM HOSKINSON
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Episode 1105” (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Yvonne De Mare, Karen Yaeger
Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Jeff Leib

DAVID PAUL MEYER
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, “Episode 26112” (Comedy Central)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Kira Klang Hopf
Stage Manager: Bennymar Almonte

PAUL PENNOLINO & CHRISTOPHER WERNER
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, “Episode 830 – Season Finale” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Elliot Mendelson
Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Craig Spinney

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: DON ROY KING, Saturday Night Live, “Dave Chappelle; Foo Fighters” — NBC)

Variety/Talk/News/Sports — Specials

WINNER: PAUL DUGDALE
Adele: One Night Only (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Hayley Collett
Stage Managers: Gary Natoli, Erica Christensen, Zachary Figures, Jackie Stathis

IAN BERGER
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents, “Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse – Into the Magaverse” (Comedy Central)

BO BURNHAM
Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix)

STAN LATHAN
Dave Chappelle: The Closer (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Sara Niimi Stage Manager: Valdez Flagg

GLENN P. WEISS
The 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Ken Diego, Susan Kopensky, Ricky Kirshner, Lisa R. Anderson, Lori Margules
Stage Managers: John Esposito, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Arthur Lewis, Tammy Raab, Karen Tasch Weiss

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER:THOMAS SCHLAMME: A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote — HBO Max)

Reality Programs

WINNER: ADAM VETRI
Getaway Driver, “Electric Shock” (Discovery Channel)
Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: John Esposito
Second Assistant Director: Eric Pai

JOSEPH GUIDRY
Full Bloom, “Final Floral Face Off” (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Sean P. Galvin
Stage Managers: Myeisha Abram, Kristianna LaRoda, Rachel Shimko

PATRICK MCMANUS
American Ninja Warrior, “1304: Qualifiers 4” (NBC)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: David Massey
Stage Managers: Jeff Simms, T.J. Ganser, Wolfgang Delgado

RAMY ROMANY
Making the Cut, “Brand Statement” (Amazon Prime Video)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Ryan Bunnell
Stage Managers: Will Baker, Brady Hess

BEN SIMMS
Running Wild with Bear Grylls, “Gina Carano In The Dolomites” (National Geographic Channel)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Jeff Simms

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: JOSEPH GUIDRY, Full Bloom, “Petal to the Metal” — HBO Max)

Children’s Programs

WINNER: SMRITI MUNDHRA
Through Our Eyes, “Shelter” (HBO Max)

JAMES BOBIN
The Mysterious Benedict Society, “A Bunch of Smart Orphans” (Disney Plus)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Grace Gilroy

MICHAEL LEMBECK
The J Team (Paramount Plus)

PHILL LEWIS
Head of the Class, “Three More Years” (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Susan M. Crank
First Assistant Director: Rebecca Baughman
Second Assistant Director: Oliver Garrett
Associate Director: Tim Clark

JEFF WADLOW
Are You Afraid of the Dark?, “The Tale of the Darkhouse” (Nickelodeon)

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: AMY SCHATZ, We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest — HBO)

Commercials

WINNER: BRADFORD YOUNG (Serial Pictures x Somesuch)
Super. Human., Channel 4 Paralympics – 4Creative
First Assistant Director: Jez Oakley

STEVE AYSON (MJZ)
Anthem, Mattress Firm – Droga5
Unit Production Manager: Adriana Cebada-Mora
First Assistant Director: George Nessis
Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Carmona, Brent Martin
Award Speech, Miller Lite – DDB Chicago
Networking, Miller Lite – DDB Chicago

KATHRYN BIGELOW (SMUGGLER)
Hollywood In Your Pocket, iPhone 13 – Media Arts Lab
First Assistant Directors: Allison Kunzman, Arle Bordas
Second Assistant Director: Abbey Hansen
Second Second Assistant Director: Cody Maher

IAN PONS JEWELL (RESET)
ECG, Apple Watch – Apple
Sleep, Apple Watch – Apple
Time, Squarespace – Squarespace
Your Mom’s Short Ribs, Instacart – Goodby Silverstein

HENRY-ALEX RUBIN (SMUGGLER)
Teenage Dream, Sandy Hook Promise – BBDO – New York
First Assistant Director: Anthony Dimino
Second Assistant Director: David Ebel

(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: MELINA MATSOUKAS (Prettybird), You Love Me, Beats by Dr. Dre — Translation)