March 7, 1998
The winners of the 1997 Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and the recipients of 1998 DGA Lifetime Achievement Awards were announced tonight at the 50th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and Windows on the World in New York. The DGA's Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, given this year to James Cameron, is traditionally a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only four times since the DGA Award's inception has the winner not gone on to receive the Best Director Oscar.
The winners of the 1997 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and the recipients of the 1998 DGA Lifetime Achievement Awards are:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
JAMES CAMERON
Titanic
Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox
Unit Production Managers: Grant Hill, Anna Roth, Sharon Mann, Jon Landau
First Assistant Director: Josh McLaglen
Second Assistant Directors: Sebastian Silva, Kathleen "Bo" Bobak
D.W. Griffith Award - For Distinguished Career Achievement in Motion Picture Directing
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials
JOHN HERZFELD
Don King: Only in America - HBO
Home Box Office
Unit Production Manager: Charles Skouras
First Assistant Director: James Freitag
Second Assistant Directors: Martin Jedlicka
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Night
BARBARA KOPPLE
"The Documentary" (Homicide: Life on the Street) - NBC
Baltimore Pictures
Unit Production Manager: James Finnerty
First Assistant Director: Frank Ferro
Second Assistant Director: Ivan Fonseca
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
ANDY ACKERMAN
"The Betrayal" (Seinfeld) - NBC
Castle Rock
Unit Production Manager/First Assistant Director: Randy Carter
Second Assistant Director: Cherie Hankal
Technical Coordinator: John Witmer
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety
LOUIS J. HORVITZ
The Kennedy Center Honors - CBS
New Liberty Productions, Don Mischer Productions
Associate Director: James Tanker
Stage Manager: Garry W. Hood, Dency Nelson, Doug Smith, Arthur Lewis, Edward Ray
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials
SCOTT McKINSEY
General Hospital (Episode #8883) - ABC
ABC TV Productions
Associate Directors: Ron Cates, Christine Magarian
Stage Managers: Dick Amos, Kathy Ladd, Craig McManus, Doug Hayden
Production Associates: Brooke Eaton, Jeff Rabin, Chris Mullen
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs
BRIAN ROBBINS
"First Time" (Nickelodeon's Sports Theater with Shaquille O'Neal) - NICKELODEON
Tollin Robbins Productions/Nickelodeon
Unit Production Manager: Brad Uecker
First Assistant Director: Alexander Ellis
Second Assistant Director: Cynthia Riddle
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials
BRUCE DOWAD
"Giant" Isuzu, GOODBY SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS
"Don't Fence Me In" Mercedes Benz, LOWE & PARTNERS
"World Dance" Coca-Cola, EDGE CREATIVE
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
MICHAEL UYS & LEXY LOVELL
Riding the Rails
Theatrical Release (Out of the Blue Productions)
ROBERT B. ALDRICH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - For Extraordinary Service to the DGA and to its Membership
MARTHA COOLIDGE
PRESIDENTS AWARD - For Leadership and Extraordinary Efforts in Enhancing the Welfare and Image of the DGA and the Motion Picture Industry
GEORGE SIDNEY
FRANK CAPRA ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - For an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in Recognition of Career Achievement in the Industry and Service to the DGA
BOB JEFFORDS
FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER AWARD - For an Associate Director or Stage Manager in Recognition of Service to the Industry and to the DGA
C.J. RAPP PITTMAN
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS DIRECTION
ROBERT E. VITARELLI
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORTS DIRECTION
CRAIG JANOFF
Note: The only four times the winner of the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film and the winner of the Academy Award for Best Director have been different are:
- 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 cited Mel Gibson for Braveheart.