The Directors Guild of America handed its top prize for feature filmmaking to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once,鈥� putting them on course to win at the Academy Awards next month.
The held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday evening, denied Steven Spielberg a record-extending four wins for the guild's top honor. Spielberg had once been expected to cruise through awards season with his autobiographical 鈥淭he Fabelmans,鈥� but the strong affection for 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� 鈥� 鈥� has come to dominate Hollywood's Oscar run-up.
In the past 10 years, all but once has the DGA winner gone on to win at the Academy Awards. (In 2020, Sam Mendes won at the DGA for 鈥�1917,鈥� while Bong Joon Ho won the Oscar for 鈥淧arasite.鈥�) Last year, Jane Campion (鈥淭he Power of the Dog鈥�) won at each. In 75 years, only 10 times have the DGA winner and the Oscar winner not aligned.
The other nominees were: Todd Field (鈥淭谩r鈥�), Martin McDonagh (鈥淭he Banshees of Inisherin鈥�) and Joseph Kosinski (鈥淭op Gun: Maverick鈥�). The same filmmakers are nominated for best director at the March 12 Oscars, with one exception. The academy picked Ruben 脰stlund (鈥淭riangle of Sadness鈥�) rather than Kosinski.
Kwan and Scheinert, the filmmaking pair known as 鈥淭he Daniels,鈥� are just the third duo to win the DGA's top award, following Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� (1961) and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for 鈥淣o Country for Old Men鈥� (2007). They're also uncommonly young (both are 35) and early in their careers (this is just their second feature film) to win with the guild 鈥� especially over a veteran like Spielberg. He holds the record for most DGA nominations with 13.
No women were nominated by the DGA or the film academy for best director this year. But both of the guild's other top awards went to female filmmakers. Best first feature went to Best documentary was awarded to about an adventurous French volcanologist couple.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
