On January 30, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, the winners of the Outstanding Directorial Achievement were announced during the 63rd Annual Directors Guild of America Awards Dinner. The show was hosted by director Carl Reiner and featured a rousing opening by DGA President Taylor Hackford. The audience of more than fifteen-hundred guests was a who’s who of Hollywood.
Winners of the night were: Mick Jackson (Temple Grandin) for Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series; Charles Ferguson ( Inside Job) for Directorial Achievement in a Documentary; Martin Scorsese (Boardwalk Empire) for Achievement in a Dramatic Series; Michael Spiller (Modern Family) for Achievement in a Comedy Series; Glenn Weiss (64th Annual Tony Awards) for Achievement in a Musical Variety; Eytan Keller (The Next Iron Chef) for Achievement in Reality Programs; Larry Carpenter (One Life to Live) for Achievement in Daytime Serials; Stacy Wall (Imperial Woodpecker) for Achievement in Commercials; and Eric Bross (The Boy Who Cried Werewolf) for Achievement in Children’s Programs.
It is a commonly accepted that the recipient of DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement will go on to win the Academy Award for Best Director. This case was no different. Tom Hooper took home both the DGA Feature Film Award and then later the Academy Award for ‘The King’s Speech’.