December 14, 1999
Directors Guild of America President Jack Shea announced today that the DGA National Board has unanimously voted to retire the Guild’s D.W. Griffith Award and to create a new DGA Career Achievement Award that will honor distinguished achievement in motion picture direction. The name of the new award will be announced at a later date.
"As we approach a new millennium, the time is right to create a new ultimate honor for film directors that better reflects the sensibilities of our society at this time in our national history," commented Shea. "There is no question that D.W. Griffith was a brilliant pioneer filmmaker whose innovations as a visionary film artist led the way for generations of directors. However, it is also true that he helped foster intolerable racial stereotypes. Film historians of the 20th century will record that from 1953 through 1998, the twenty-eight recipients of the D.W. Griffith Award represented the ultimate in film artistry. In the 21st century, the new DGA career award will likewise become the highest triumph a director can achieve."