March 11, 2000
The winners of the 1999 Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and the recipients of 2000 DGA Lifetime Achievement Awards were announced tonight at the 52nd Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. The DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, given this year to Sam Mendes, 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 1999 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and the recipients of the 2000 DGA Lifetime Achievement Awards are:
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
SAM MENDES
American Beauty
Unit Production Manager: Cristen Carr Strubbe
First Assistant Directors: Tony Adler, Carey Dietrich
Second Assistant Director: Rosemary Cremona
Second Second Assistant Director: Stephanie Kime
This is Mendes first DGA Award.
DGA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - For Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction
STEVEN SPIELBERG
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION
MICK JACKSON
Tuesdays with Morrie - ABC
Unit Production Manager: Jennifer Ogden
First Assistant Director: Matthew Carlisle
Second Assistant Director: Tom Snyder
This is Mick Jackson’s second DGA Award. He won the award in this category in 1995 for his direction of Indictment: The McMartin Trial.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES NIGHT
DAVID CHASE
Pilot Episode (The Sopranos) - HBO
Unit Production Manager: Alysse Bezahler
First Assistant Director: Henry J. Bronchtein
Second Assistant Director: Kenneth G. Brown
This is Chase’s first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
THOMAS SCHLAMME
"Small Town" (Sports Night) - ABC
Unit Production Manager: Bruce Chevillat
First Assistant Director: Keri McIntyre
Second Assistant Director: Nicole Burke
This is Schlamme’s second DGA Award. Schlamme won the DGA Award in the Comedy category last year for his direction of the pilot for Sports Night.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL VARIETY
DENNIE A. GORDON
Tracey Takes on... End of the World - HBO
Unit Production Manager: Stewart Lyons
First Assistant Director: Carol L. Vitkay
Second Assistant Directors: Nina Halvorsen, Marla D. Saltzer
This is Gordon’s first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DAYTIME SERIALS
HERBERT D. STEIN, ROGER W. INMAN
Days of Our Lives (Episode #8557) - NBC
Associate Director: David N. Kohn
Stage Managers: Francesca Bellini de Simone, Joseph H. Lumer, Gary Wente
Production Associates: Julie A. Brady, Stuart W. Howard, Suzanne Ray
This is both Stein and Inman’s first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
AMY SCHATZ
Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales - HBO
This is Schatz’s first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIALS
BRYAN BUCKLEY
- "When I Grow Up" Monster.com, Mullen Advertising
First Assistant Director: Kevin Byrne
- "TriMount Studios" e*trade, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
First Assistant Director: Bruce L. Pratt
Second Assistant Director: Cole Campbell
- "Broker" e*trade, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
First Assistant Director: Pierre Cailliarec
Second Assistant Director: Alan Berger
- "Friends" OnHealth.com, TBWA Chiat/Day Inc.
First Assistant Director: Bruce L. Pratt
Second Assistant Director: Cole Campbell
This is Buckley’s first DGA Award.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY
NANETTE BURSTEIN & BRETT MORGEN
On the Ropes
This is Burstein & Morgen’s first DGA Award.
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
CHERYL DOWNEY
FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER AWARD - For an Associate Director or Stage Manager in Recognition of Service to the Industry and to the DGA
SCOTT L. RINDENOW
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORTS DIRECTION
CHET FORTE
DGA DIVERSITY AWARD - For Consistent Commitment to and Leadership in the Hiring of Women and Ethnic Minorities in DGA Categories
HBO
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.