Danny Boyle's Wins DGA For `Slumdog Millionaire'

LOS ANGELES — "Slumdog Millionaire" continued its rags-to-riches march through Hollywood's awards season as its filmmaker, Danny Boyle, won the top honor Saturday from the Directors Guild of America.

The win puts Boyle on the inside track for the same prize at the Academy Awards on Feb. 22, since the guild recipient almost always goes on to win the directing Oscar.

While "Slumdog Millionaire" started as an underdog that nearly went straight to DVD, it has emerged as the Oscar favorite. Audiences have embraced Boyle's tale of a poor boy rising to fame and fortune from the streets of Mumbai, and the film triumphed at the Golden Globes and Producers Guild of America Awards, while taking the prize for best ensemble cast from the Screen Actors Guild.

"Slumdog Millionaire" originally was to be released by Warner Independent, but its fate went into limbo after Warner Bros. closed down that arthouse banner. After a brief prospect of going right to DVD, the film found a theatrical home with Fox Searchlight, which has had success with such smaller films as "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Juno."

"I should start by curiously thanking Warner Bros. for actually having the grace to do the right thing, when I think it would have been a lot easier to do the wrong thing, and pass the film on to Fox Searchlight, who are an extraordinary bunch of people," Boyle said as he was introduced earlier in the night as one of the five nominees.

Backstage, Boyle joked about the fact that his award was presented by Joel and Ethan Coen, who won the prize a year ago for "No Country for Old Men."

"To step into the shoes of people like the Coen brothers, I mean, it's phenomenal, because I have, as I admitted in the earlier speech, I've stolen from them all my career," he said. "I mean in a naked and appalling way."

"The Office" won the top honor for television comedy, "The Wire" took the award for TV drama and "Recount" won for TV movie.

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Paul Feig received the award for an installment of "The Office," whose competition included two episodes of "30 Rock," the series that has dominated at recent Hollywood honors such as the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

"We're in a real golden age of TV comedy, and I'm just happy to be part of it," Feig said backstage.

The drama series prize went to director Dan Attias for an episode from the final season of "The Wire," a far-reaching drama with a huge cast exploring police, criminals, courts, schools, politics, media and other facets of life in Baltimore.

"Austin Powers" and "Meet the Parents" director Jay Roach was the recipient for the election drama "Recount."

Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir" won the documentary award. The film, which is nominated in the foreign-language category at the Academy Awards, is director Folman's animated study of an Israeli soldier struggling to recall suppressed memories of his involvement in the war with Lebanon.

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert was honored with an honorary life membership in the guild.

Michael Apted, the guild's president, noted that Ebert no longer can speak because of complications from thyroid cancer, but he told Ebert, "We're happy that it didn't stop you from writing about our work."

The ceremony featured recorded testimonials to Ebert from directors including Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.

"The motion picture is the art form I love above all others," Ebert said in a statement recorded via a synthetic computer voice with a British accent. "It is the symphony, and you are the conductors."

Among other guild winners:

_ Reality programming: Tony Croll, "America's Next Top Model."

_ Children's programs: Amy Schatz, "The Poetry Show."

_ Daytime serials: Larry Carpenter, "One Life to Live."

Among Hollywood's many honors on the buildup to the Academy Awards, the Directors Guild prizes have one of the best track records for predicting eventual Oscar winners. Only six times in the guild awards' 60-year history has the winner failed to take home the directing Oscar.

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On the Net:

Directors Guild: http://www.dga.org

Comments

[JonGee]

Danny Boyle just picked up Best Director at the BAFTA Awards- Slumdog Best Film
http://www.awardsandhonors.com/news.html?id=113

[QueenCeleste]

"America's Next Top Model?" I dread to think what it was up against!

[Scarbro]

There are so many haters here!

He didn't use child labour. In fact, the children were paid triple the average adults salary in that area and a trust fund was set up for them once they turn 18. The kid's schooling is also being paid for.

[antaeus]

That's good news; the movie is still feel-good fluff, however.

[Palemoon]

Hey, isn't that the guy that profits off child laborers?

[antaeus]

It is a fun film, but the story is escapist fantasy all the way. "The Princess Bride" in modern Bombay. The actors are appealing, but "Milk" is the superior film this year.

[JZ735]

I have yet to see it, and was thinking of waiting for DVD..anyone know when it will be out?
Milk was a fantastic film, and Sean did a fantastic job, but in terms of sheer acting pyrotechnics, I think Frank Langella takes the honors...I will be MORE than happy if Sean wins...just PLEASE NOT Brad!

[Eric8869]

It's escapist fantasy except for torture scenes and scat jokes. UGH. It wasn't a fairy tale to me - more like a nightmare.

MILK is the true groundbreaking film this year.

[skymuffin]

And what kind of remuneration will be given to the non-white actors and members of the team that propelled this movie to this kind of honor? They get to go back to their meager existence while the white overlords live like kings and go on to their next exploitative project?

[JZ735]

I think we need to leave the PC drama behind for once.

[remember1776]

Umm, most of the "non-white" actors in the movie live no such meager existence. The child actors who played young Salim and Latika are indeed poverty-stricken and I hope everything is done to help them and other children in their situation. However, Dev Patel lives in Britain, Freida Pinto is quite well-off as a former model, and Anil Kapoor is one of the richest Indian actors around. You think becuase their skin is brown that they live in absolute squalor?

Look, I'm Indian and I'm just happy that Danny Boyle has made a movie that resonates so deeply with so many people, who are now aware of the plight of Indian slum-dwellers. Whether or not the movie has a happy ending with a jaunty tune doesn't detract from the humanity of it.

[antaeus]

Fantasy is an enemy to real understanding.

[brooklyncitizen]

I saw this movie last month and enjoyed it very much; especially the music.
The setting is in India but it could be a bit of Oliver Twist in 19th c. England. Slumdog is entertaining in that it offers a good improbable underdog story with a happy ending.

Then there is the Wrestler which I saw this weekend.I can't figure out why the director has been so conclusively ignored and snubbed. The Wrestler is like no other movie. It is the rare film that stays with you after you've watched and not necessarily in a "feel good" way either; but a very deep and profound and mournful way.

[JZ735]

Then there is the Wrestler which I saw this weekend.I can't figure out why the director has been so conclusively ignored and snubbed. The Wrestler is like no other movie. It is the rare film that stays with you after you've watched and not necessarily in a "feel good" way either; but a very deep and profound and mournful way.


The movie is profound and deeply moving; very sad...interesting the scenes in Asbury Park, NJ...must have been taken a few years back, because it looks NOTHING like that now. Still, Mickey did a wonderful job, and I also liked Marisa Tomei's performance a lot...

[Giada]

Cinematography was extraordinary. Certainly earned the award.

[WRPrintz]

Finally...someone gives the Wire something.....nice to see it was the DGA.

[DennyCrane]

Sigh. Chris Nolan deserved this for his fantastic direction of The Dark Knight. I'm sure there are those who say the film is overrated, but Nolan's direction was one of the best aspects of the movie.

[PlaceboStudman]

When direction is one of the best things about the movie, it generally means the story is weak. If you need scenery and parlor tricks to tell a story, it usually means the characters have no depth. The Dark Knight will never be taken seriously as a movie. Only the one actor who will win the best actor oscar, which he rightly deserves. But not because the story is so great.

[Eric8869]

The amazing thing about The Dark Knight is that it was filmed mostly without CGI effects for the stunts. They actually flipped a semi downtown Chicago. I know I saw it.

[gracewithease]

What about Slumdog's Co-Director?

[voltage356]

Co-Director?

[remember1776]

By co-director you mean the casting director, Loveleen Tandon. Several people involved with the movie, including Danny Boyle, wanted her to get credit as co-director after the movie was completed but she said she didn't want that type of attention.

[voltage356]

Then why is she listed as co -director in the movie title and on IMDb as Danny Boyle and
Loveleen Tandan (co-director: India). Well if anything she should also get an award from DGA. Stop with the cover-up she directed those children and did a wonderful job. Please give the credit where it's due.