The 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards took place on Saturday, April 10 in a virtual ceremony. These kudos honored the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. The all-important DGA feature film nominees were Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”). Scroll down for the full winners list in three film and eight TV categories.
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?
Read our minute-by-minute live blog to see how it all went down on Saturday night. In addition to the competitive categories, special honors were handed out to Brian E. Frankish, Joyce Thomas, Betty Thomas and Paris Barclay.
Here are the complete results of the 2021 DGA Awards, with winners denoted in gold:
BEST FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”)
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)
David Fincher (“Mank”)
Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
X — Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
BEST FIRST-TIME FILM DIRECTOR
Radha Blank (“The 40-Year-Old Version”)
Fernando Frías de la Parra (“I’m No Longer Here”)
Regina King (“One Night in Miami”)
X — Darius Marder (“Sound of Metal”)
Florian Zeller (“The Father”)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM DIRECTOR
X — Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (“The Truffle Hunters”)
Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed (“My Octopus Teacher”)
David France (“Welcome to Chechnya”)
Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss (“Boys State”)
Benjamin Ree (“The Painter and the Thief”)
BEST DRAMA SERIES DIRECTOR
Jason Bateman (“Ozark” for “Wartime”)
Jon Favreau (“The Mandalorian” for “Chapter 9: The Marshal”)
Vince Gilligan (“Better Call Saul” for “Bagman”)
X — Lesli Linka Glatter (“Homeland” for “Prisoners of War”)
Julie Anne Robinson (“Bridgerton” for “Diamond of the First Water”)
BEST COMEDY SERIES DIRECTOR
Zach Braff (“Ted Lasso” for “Biscuits”)
MJ Delaney (“Ted Lasso” for “The Hope that Kills You”)
X — Susanna Fogel (“The Flight Attendant” for “In Case of Emergency”)
Erin O’Malley (“Curb Your Enthusiasm” for “The Surprise Party”)
Jeff Schaffer (“Curb Your Enthusiasm” for “The Spite Store”)
BEST TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES DIRECTOR
Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”)
X — Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”)
Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”)
Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”)
Lynn Shelton (“Little Fires Everywhere”)
BEST VARIETY SERIES DIRECTOR
Paul G. Casey (“Real Time with Bill Maher” for “#1835”)
Jim Hoskinson (“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” for “#1025 Live Show Following Capitol Insurrection”)
X — Don Roy King (“Saturday Night Live” for “Dave Chappelle/Foo Fighters”)
David Paul Meyer (“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” for “President Obama: Inspiring Future Leaders & A Promised Land”)
Christopher Werner (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” for “Trump & Election Results”)
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL DIRECTOR
Stacey Angeles (“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents ‘Remembering RBG: A Nation Ugly Cried with Desi Lydic'”)
Marielle Heller (“What the Constitution Means to Me”)
Jim Hoskinson (“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” for “Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand: Building Back America Great Again Better 2020”)
Spike Lee (“David Byrne’s American Utopia”)
X — Thomas Schlamme (“A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote”)
BEST REALITY PROGRAM DIRECTOR
David Charles (“Eco Challenge” for “3, 2, 1…Go!”)
Jon Favreau (“The Chef Show” for “Tartine”)
Ken Fuchs (“Shark Tank” for “1211”)
X — Joseph Guidry (“Full Bloom” for “Petal to the Metal”)
Rich Kim (“Lego Masters” for “Mega City Block”)
BEST CHILDREN’S PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Kabir Akhtar (“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” for “Opening Night”)
Larissa Bills (“On Pointe” for “Showtime!”)
Dean Israelite (“The Astronauts” for “Countdown”)
Richie Keen (“The Healing Powers of Dude” for “Second Step: Homeroom”)
X — Amy Schatz (“We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest”)
BEST COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
Steve Ayson (Nike’s “The Great Chase”)
Nisha Ganatra (Bodyform/Libresse’s “#wombstories”)
Niclas Larsson (VW Touareg’s “See the Unseen,” Volvo XC60’s “The Parents”)
X — Melina Matsoukas (Beats by Dre’s “You Love Me”)
Taika Waititi (Coca-Cola’s “The Letter”)
