Most directors require years to truly hone their craft and start operating at the top of their game. But some, like “Moon” director Duncan Jones, manage to knock it out of the park on their very first time at bat. To celebrate “Moon’s” 10th anniversary, here are the 15 best directorial debuts from the past decade.
Neill Blomkamp – ‘District 9’ (2009)
TriStar Pictures
Neill Blomkamp established a clear formula with his feature film debut, using high concept sci-fi as a way of telling a story about the racial and social inequality rampant in his come country of South Africa. Frankly, he did it best the first time around.”District 9” stars Sharlto Copley as a government bureaucrat who learns firsthand what it’s like to live as an alien refugee on a hostile world.
Duncan Jones – ‘Moon’ (2009)
Sony Pictures Classics
Duncan Jones probably could have coasted through life just having the coolest dad in the world (his dad is David Bowie), but instead he went and established himself as one of the most exciting new voices in science fiction. “Moon” does a whole lot with its limited cast and budget, showing the quiet, desperate plight of a lunar miner who just wants to get back home, yet finds out the job is much more than he bargained for.
Drew Goddard – ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2012)
Lionsgate
You could be forgiven for thinking that producer/co-writer Joss Whedon also directed “The Cabin in the Woods,” as it has that same sense of wit and energy common to so many Whedon projects. But it’s actually Drew Goddard steering this ship. What begins as a delightful homage to b-movie horror flicks like “The Evil Dead” winds up going to some pretty bizarre places by the end.
Ryan Coogler – ‘Fruitvale Station’ (2013)
The Weinstein Company
“Fruitvale Station” didn’t just show the world what a promising new talent it had in Ryan Coogler, it also kicked off a very fruitful partnership between Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. This haunting drama follows the last 24 hours in the life of Oscar Grant III, leading up to the infamous police shooting that sparked unrest in San Francisco.
Chad Stahelski – ‘John Wick’ (2014)
Summit Entertainment
As much as “John Wick” is hailed as the film responsible for bringing star Keanu Reeves back into the action movie spotlight, it’s also a showcase for director Chad Stahelski. This movie simply wouldn’t have worked without Stahelski’s keen eye and the inspiration he drew from Japanese anime and Hong Kong action movies for the many bone-crunching action scenes. Equal credit also goes to Stahelski’s fellow first-timer, uncredited co-director David Leitch.
Dan Gilroy – ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)
Open Road Films
It’s hard to believe “Nightcrawler” is the work of a first-time director. It’s just so confident and self-assured in its exploration of the seedy underbelly of the Los Angeles news scene. It doesn’t hurt that writer/director Dan Gilroy had an incredibly intense performance from Jake Gyllenhaal to bank on.
Alex Garland – ‘Ex Machina’ (2015)
A24
Alex Garland had built up a strong reputation as a writer on films like “The Beach,” “Sunshine” and “Dredd,” but “Ex Machina” marked his first time behind the camera. Needless to say, he didn’t disappoint one bit. “Ex Machina” is a gorgeously shot and very moody look at a robot coming to terms with her very existence.
Robert Eggers – ‘The Witch’ (2015)
A24
Never let it be said that director Robert Eggers didn’t put in the effort to make his debut film look and feel authentic. Watching “The Witch” is like being transported back to 17th Century New England and seeing firsthand what it’s like to eke out a living in a haunted wilderness.
Tim Miller – ‘Deadpool’ (2016)
20th Century Fox
2016 would have been a lousy year for X-Men fans if Tim Miller‘s “Deadpool” hadn’t shown up to ease the blow of “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Miller gave us a superhero movie that’s unabashedly adults-only, hilariously self-aware and content to tell a much more personal, small-scale superhero origin story. It was the first of several signs that this franchise may actually work best in the R-rated realm.
Travis Knight – ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ (2016)
Focus Features
Laika CEO Travis Knight shouldered a very different burden for the company by taking the reins of its fourth animated feature. The end result is both one of the most visually stunning animated movies in recent memory and the best Laika film since 2009’s “Coraline.”
Jordan Peele – ‘Get Out’ (2017)
Universal Pictures
A horror movie may not have been what “Key & Peele” fans were expecting from Jordan Peele‘s first feature-length project. But Peele certainly left a strong impression with this satirical yet disturbing look at modern race relations. There’s a reason this one became a cultural phenomenon in 2017.
Greta Gerwig – ‘Lady Bird’ (2017)
A24
Greta Gerwig made the jump from starring in thoughtful indie comedies to writing and directing one in 2017’s “Lady Bird.” Easily one of the most critically acclaimed releases of 2017, “Get Out” draws heavily from Gerwig’s own experiences as a restless teen in Sacramento. The result is a very funny and very authentic coming-of-age tale.
Bo Burnham – ‘Eighth Grade’ (2018)
A24
It’s pretty rare to find a coming-of-age teen movie starring actual teenagers, but that’s one reason why Bo Burnham‘s “Eighth Grade” stands out so much. “Eighth Grade” is another example of a director pulling from their own life (in this case, Burnham’s struggles with anxiety and depression) to craft a refreshing and authentic look at the teen experience.
Ari Aster – ‘Hereditary’ (2018)
A24
“Hereditary” is easily one of the most unnerving horror movies to come around in a long time. Like many great horror films, “Hereditary” works because the supernatural trappings are merely there to accentuate deeper themes of tragedy and loss. This film immediately established Ari Aster as one of the most promising new voices in the genre, and we’ll see if that appeal can carry over to his followup project, “Midsommar.”
Bradley Cooper – ‘A Star Is Born’ (2018)
Warner Bros.
Plenty of big-name actors dabble in directing (it’s one of the perks of Hollywood super-stardom), but few have made the leap behind the camera as deftly as Bradley Cooper. “A Star Is Born” is hardly the first time we’ve seen this story told, but Cooper and co-star Lady Gaga make it their own. Is Cooper destined to become the next Clint Eastwood?
That makes Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty even stronger frontrunners to win the adapted Oscar. However, Bo Burnham isn’t even nominated for the original Oscar.
In his speech, Burnham joked, “Have fun at the Oscars, losers!”
On the television side, “The Americans” continued to rake in awards for its final season, while “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” continued its streaking of winning everything in sight.
Here’s the full list of 2019 WGA Award winners:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Eighth Grade,” Written by Bo Burnham; A24 (WINNER)
“Green Book,” Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly; Universal Pictures
“A Quiet Place,” Screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, Story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck; Paramount Pictures
“Roma,” Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix
“Vice,” Written by Adam McKay; Annapurna Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“BlacKkKlansman,” Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, Based on the book by Ron Stallworth; Focus Features
“Black Panther,” Written by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight (WINNER)
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Based on the novel by James Baldwin; Annapurna Pictures
“A Star is Born,” Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters, Based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay by John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson, Based on a story by William Wellman and Robert Carson; Warner Bros.
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Bathtubs Over Broadway,” Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; Focus Features (WINNER)
“Fahrenheit 11/9,” Written by Michael Moore; Briarcliff Entertainment
“Generation Wealth,” Written by Lauren Greenfield; Amazon Studios
“In Search of Greatness,” Written by Gabe Polsky; Art of Sport
VIDEO GAME WRITING
“Assassin’s Creed Odyssey,” Associate Narrative Directors Matthew Zagurak, Joel Janisse, James Richard Mittag; Narrative Director Melissa MacCoubrey; Story by Jonathan Dumont, Melissa MacCoubrey, Hugo Giard; Scriptwriters Madeleine Hart, Betty Robertson, Jesse Scoble, Diana Sherman, Kelly Bender, Jojo Chia, Ian Fun, Zachary M. Parris, Ken Williamson, Daniel Bingham, Jordan Lemos, Simon Mackenzie, Katelyn MacMullin, Susan Patrick, Alissa Ralph, Stephen Rhodes; Team Lead Writer Sam Gill; AI Writers Jonathan Flieger, Kimberly Ann Sparks; Ubisoft Quebec
“Batman: The Enemy Within,” Episode 5-Same Stitch, Lead Writer James Windeler; Written by Meghan Thornton, Ross Beeley, Lauren Mee; Story by Meghan Thornton, Michael Kirkbride; Telltale Games
“God of War,” Written by Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog; Story and Narrative Design Lead Matt Sophos; Story and Narrative Design Richard Zangrande Gaubert; Narrative Design Orion Walker, Adam Dolin; Sony Interactive Entertainment (WINNER)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man,” Story Lead Jon Paquette; Writers Benjamin Arfmann, Kelsey Beachum; Co-Written by Christos Gage; Additional Story Contributions by Dan Slott; Insomniac Games & Sony Interactive Entertainment
“Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire,” Narrative Designers Alex Scokel, Eric Fenstermaker, Kate Dollarhyde, Megan Starks, Olivia Veras, Paul Kirsch; Additional Writing Tony Evans, John Schmautz, Casey Hollingshead, Nitai Poddar; Narrative Design Leads Carrie Patel, Josh Sawyer; Obsidian Entertainment
DRAMA SERIES
“The Americans,” Written by Peter Ackerman, Hilary Bettis, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Sarah Nolen, Stephen Schiff, Justin Weinberger, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX Networks (WINNER)
“Better Call Saul,” Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Heather Marion, Bob Odenkirk, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC
“The Crown,” Written by Tom Edge, Amy Jenkins, Peter Morgan; Netflix
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” Written by Yahlin Chang, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman; Hulu
“Succession,” Written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Anna Jordan, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Daniel Zelman; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
“Atlanta,” Written by Ibra Ake, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Taofik Kolade, Jamal Olori, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX Networks
“Barry,” Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff, Ben Smith, Sarah Solemani; HBO
“GLOW,” Written by Liz Flahive, Tara Herrmann, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Carly Mensch, Marquita Robinson, Kim Rosenstock, Sascha Rothchild, Rachel Shukert; Netflix
“The Good Place,” Written by Megan Amram, Christopher Encell, Kate Gersten, Cord Jefferson, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Kassia Miller, Dylan Morgan, Matt Murray, Rae Sanni, Daniel Schofield, Michael Schur, Josh Siegal, Jen Statsky, Tyler Staessle; NBC
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Jen Kirkman, Sheila Lawrence, Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman Palladino; Prime Video (WINNER)
NEW SERIES
“Barry,” Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff, Ben Smith, Sarah Solemani; HBO (WINNER)
“The Haunting of Hill House,” Written by Meredith Averill, Charise Castro Smith, Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard, Rebecca Leigh Klingel, Scott Kosar, Liz Phang; Netflix
“Homecoming,” Written by Micah Bloomberg, Cami Delavigne, Eli Horowitz, Shannon Houston, Eric Simonson, David Wiener; Prime Video
“Pose,” Written by Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, Todd Kubrak, Janet Mock, Ryan Murphy, Our Lady J; FX Networks
“Succession,” Written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Anna Jordan, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Daniel Zelman; HBO
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
“Castle Rock,” Writers: Marc Bernardin, Scott Brown, Lila Byock, Mark Lafferty, Sam Shaw, Dustin Thomason, Gina Welch, Vinnie Wilhelm; Hulu (WINNER)
“My Dinner with Hervé,” Teleplay by Sacha Gervasi, Story by Sacha Gervasi & Sean Macaulay; HBO
“Paterno,” Written by Debora Cahn and John C. Richards; HBO
LONG FORM ADAPTED
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” Writers: Maggie Cohn, Tom Rob Smith, Based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth; FX Networks (WINNER)
“The Looming Tower,” Writers: Bash Doran, Dan Futterman, Alex Gibney, Shannon Houston, Adam Rapp, Ali Selim, Lawrence Wright, Based on the book The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright; Hulu
“Maniac,” Writers: Nick Cuse, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amelia Gray, Danielle Henderson, Mauricio Katz, Patrick Somerville, Caroline Williams, Based on the Norwegian television series Maniac by Espen PA Lervaag, Håakon Bast Mossige, Kjetil Indregard and Ole Marius Araldsen; Netflix
“Sharp Objects,” Writers: Ariella Blejer, Scott Brown, Vince Calandra, Gillian Flynn, Dawn Kamoche, Alex Metcalf, Marti Noxon, Based upon the book written by Gillian Flynn; HBO
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA ORIGINAL
“After Forever,” Written by Michael Slade & Kevin Spirtas; Vimeo.com
“Class of Lies,” Written by Tessa Leigh Williams; Snapchat (WINNER)
“Love Daily,” Written by: Lauren Ciaravalli, Andrew Eisen, Aaron Eisenberg, Will Eisenberg, Alexis Jacknow, Nathaniel Katzman, Yulin Kuang, Nathan Larkin-Connolly, Alexis Roblan, Bennet D. Silverman, Ryan Wood; Go90.com
“West 40s,” Written by Mark Sam Rosenthal & Brian Sloan; West40s.com
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA ADAPTED
“The Walking Dead: Red Machete,” Written by Nick Bernardone; AMC.com
ANIMATION
“Bart’s Not Dead” (The Simpsons), Written by Stephanie Gillis; Fox (WINNER)
“Boywatch” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Rich Rinaldi; Fox
“Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Lizzie Molyneux & Wendy Molyneux; Fox
“Krusty the Clown” (The Simpsons), Written by Ryan Koh; Fox
“Mo Mommy Mo Problems” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Steven Davis; Fox
“Send in Stewie, Please” (Family Guy), Written by Gary Janetti; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Camelot” (“Narcos: Mexico”), Written by Eric Newman & Clayton Trussell; Netflix
“The Car” (“This Is Us”), Written by Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger; NBC
“Episode 407” (“The Affair”), Teleplay by Lydia Diamond and Sarah Sutherland, Story by Jaquen Tee Castellanos and Sarah Sutherland; Showtime
“First Blood” (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Written by Eric Tuchman; Hulu
“Paean To The People” (“Homeland”), Written by Alex Gansa; Showtime (WINNER)
“The Precious Blood of Jesus” (“Ozark”), Written by David Manson; Netflix
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Another Place” (“Forever”), Teleplay by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, Story by Aniz Adam Ansari; Prime Video
“Chapter One: Make Your Mark” (“Barry”), Written by Alec Berg & Bill Hader; HBO (WINNER)
“Halibut!” (“Santa Clarita Diet”), Written by Victor Fresco; Netflix
“Kimmy and the Beest!” (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Written by Robert Carlock; Netflix
“Pilot” (“The Kids Are Alright”), Written by Tim Doyle; ABC
“Who Knows Better Than I” (“Orange Is the New Black”), Written by Jenji Kohan; Netflix
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” Writers: Kristen Bartlett, Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black, Pat Cassels, Mike Drucker, Eric Drysdale, Mathan Erhardt, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Nicole Silverberg, Melinda Taub; TBS
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver;” Writers: Tim Carvell, Raquel D’Apice, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Brian Parise, Owen Parsons, Ben Silva, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Seena Vali, Juli Weiner; HBO (WINNER)
“Late Night with Seth Meyers;” Supervising Writers: Sal Gentile, Seth Reiss; Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovsky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Amber Ruffin, Mike Shoemaker; NBC Universal
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Head Writers: Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi; Writers: Emmy Blotnick, Michael Brumm, Aaron Cohen, Stephen T. Colbert, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Greg Iwinski, Barry Julien, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Michael Pielocik, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux; CBS
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
“At Home with Amy Sedaris,” Writers: Cindy Caponera, Paul Dinello, Jodi Lennon, Meredith Scardino, Amy Sedaris; truTV
“I Love You, America,” Head Writer: Dave Ferguson; Writers: Glenn Boozan, Leann Bowen, Raj Desai, Kyle Dunnigan, John Haskell, Tim Kalpakis, Opeyemi Olagbaju, Gavin Purcell, Diona Reasonover, Jocelyn Richard, Christopher J. Romano, Sarah Silverman, Beth Stelling, Dan Sterling, Nick Wiger; Hulu
“Nathan For You,” Writers: Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central (WINNER)
“Portlandia,” Writers: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Jonathan Krisel, Karey Dornetto, Megan Neuringer, Phoebe Robinson, Graham Wagner; IFC
“Saturday Night Live,” Head Writers: Michael Che, Colin Jost, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker; Supervising Writers: Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Streeter Seidell; Writers: James Anderson, Kristen Bartlett, Megan Callahan, Steven Castillo, Andrew Dismukes, Anna Drezen, Claire Friedman, Alison Gates, Steve Higgins, Sam Jay, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Nick Kocher, Michael Koman, Alan Linic, Eli Coyote Mandel, Erik Marino, Dave McCary, Brian McElhaney, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Nimesh Patel, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Simon Rich, Gary Richardson, Marika Sawyer, Pete Schultz, Mitch Silpa, Will Stephen, Julio Torres, Bowen Yang; NBC Universal
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
2018 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord & Tish, Written by Will Ferrell, Jake Fogelnest, Andrew Steele; Prime Video
Drew Michael Stand-Up Special, Written by Drew Michael; HBO
The Fake News with Ted Nelms, Written by John Aboud, Andrew Blitz, Michael Colton, Ed Helms, Elliott Kalan, Joseph Randazzo, Sara Schaefer; Comedy Central (WINNER)
The Oscars 2018, Written by Dave Boone, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks; Special Material Written by Megan Amram, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Gonzalo Cordova, Adam Carolla, Devin Field, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jesse Joyce, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo; ABC
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
“Hollywood Game Night,” Head Writers: Ann Slichter, Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alexandra Kokesh, Dwight D. Smith; NBC
“Jeopardy!,” Written by Matthew Caruso, John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
“Paid Off with Michael Torpey,” Head Writer: Ethan Berlin; Writers: John Chaneski, Rosemarie DiSalvo, Leigh Hampton, Katie Hartman, Amanda Melson, Larry Owens, Jennie Sutton, Michael Torpey, Jeremy Weiner; truTV
“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” Head Writer: Stephen A. Melcher, Jr.; Writers: Kyle Beakley, Tom Cohen, Patricia A. Cotter, Ryan Hopak, Gary Lucy, James Rowley, Ann Slichter, Dylan Snowden; Disney/ABC Syndication (WINNER)
DAYTIME DRAMA
“Days of Our Lives,” Head Writer: Ron Carlivati; Writers: Sheri Anderson, Lorraine Broderick, David Cherrill, Joanna Cohen, Lisa Connor, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Cydney Kelley, David Kreizman, David A. Levinson, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine Schock, Elizabeth Snyder, Tyler Topits; NBC
“General Hospital,” Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Christopher Van Etten; Writers: Barbara Bloom, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles; ABC (WINNER)
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“Carnivorous Carnival: Part One” (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Teleplay by Joe Tracz; Netflix
“The Ersatz Elevator: Part One” (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Teleplay by Daniel Handler; Netflix (WINNER)
“For The Last Time” (Andi Mack), Written by Jonathan S. Hurwitz; Disney Channel
“Picture Day” (Alexa & Katie), Written by Ray Lancon; Netflix
“Warehouse Towel Fight” fka “Emil Strikes Back” (Prince of Peoria), Written by Marty Donovan; Netflix
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Black Hole Apocalypse” (Nova), Written by Rushmore DeNooyer; PBS
“Blackout in Puerto Rico” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
“The Gang Crackdown” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“Trump’s Takeover” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS (WINNER)
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia – Part 1” (Frontline), Written by David Fanning & Linda Hirsch & Martin Smith; PBS
“The Circus, Part One” (American Experience), Written by Sharon Grimberg; PBS
“The Eugenics Crusade” (American Experience), Written by Michelle Ferrari; PBS (WINNER)
“Into The Amazon” (American Experience), Written by John Maggio; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Catastrophe” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
“Las Vegas Massacre” (CBS Evening News with Anthony Mason), Written by Jerry Cipriano and Joe Clines; CBS News
“The Spotted Pig” (60 Minutes), Written by Anderson Cooper and Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“100,000 Women” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley and Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
“On Broadway: Rodgers and Hammerstein” (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Mo Rocca and Kay M. Lim; CBS News
“War Crime” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
“Wounds of War” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
DIGITAL NEWS
“D.C.’s Biggest Homeless Shelter Is About to Close. Will Amazon Take Its Place?,” Written by Emma Roller; Splinter
“How To Not Die In America,” Written by Molly Osberg; Splinter
“Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games,” Written by Cecilia D’Anastasio; Kotaku.com (WINNER)
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“2017 Year in Review,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
“RFK: 50 Years After Shots Rang Out at The Ambassador Hotel,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio (WINNER)
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“5pm CBS News Radio Glor Newscast,” Written by James Hutton; CBS News Radio
“ABC News 6p Hourly 9-27-2018,” Written by Stephanie Pawlowski; ABC News Radio
“Remembering The Good, The Bad and the Brilliant,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio (WINNER)
“World News This Week 9-21-2018,” Written by Joan B. Harris; ABC News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“John McCain: A Life of Service,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio (WINNER)
“A Tribute to Le Grand Orange,” Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS Radio News
ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)
“FBI 2018 Promo Reel,” Written by Ralph Buado; CBS
“Tribute to Star Trek for the 2019 Creative Arts Emmys,” Written by Sean Brogan; CBS (WINNER)
“Westworld: Season 2 Promo (Super Bowl spot),” Written by Jonathan Nolan; HBO
The Directors Guild of America held its annual awards ceremony this past weekend, revealing its picks for the best in film and television direction. And while the night’s biggest winner has been earning plenty of accolades in recent weeks, victors in other categories proved that there are no guarantees when it comes to awards season.
Alfonso Cuaron took home the DGA’s top prize, claiming the Best Feature Film Director award for “Roma.” The Netflix film — loved by critics and tied for the most Oscar nominations in this year’s field — now has a decent shot at winning the Best Director prize at the Academy Awards later this month, since the DGA frequently overlaps with the Oscars.
Cuaron beat out an impressive field that included Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”), Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”), Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”), and Adam McKay (“Vice”). Cooper was also nominated in the Best First-Time Feature Film Director category, but in a stunning upset, lost the prize to Bo Burnham (“Eighth Grade“). Looks like his Best Director Oscar snub may not have been a fluke after all.
In other surprises, both “Succession” (McKay) and “Barry” (Bill Hader) took home the top awards in the drama and comedy television categories, respectively, beating out buzzier fare like “The Americans” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
A list of winners in the major categories is below. The full list can be found here.
FEATURE FILM: ALFONSO CUARÓN
“Roma”
(Netflix)
Unit Production Manager: Ana Hernandez
First Assistant Director: Frederic Henocque Albino
Second Assistant Director: Patrick Heyerdahl
Second Second Assistant Directors: Luis Fernando Vásquez, Julián ‘Chico’ Valdés, Arturo Garcia
FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM : BO BURNHAM
“Eighth Grade”
(A24)
First Assistant Director: Dan Taggatz
Second Assistant Director: Vic Coram
Second Second Assistant Director: Evelyn Fogleman
DOCUMENTARY: TIM WARDLE
“Three Identical Strangers”
(Neon and CNN Films)
DRAMATIC SERIES: ADAM MCKAY
“Succession” – “Celebration”
(HBO)
Unit Production Manager: Regina Heyman
First Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen
Second Assistant Director: Scott Bowers
Second Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Notte
Location Managers: Michael Kriaris, Patty Carey
COMEDY SERIES: BILL HADER
“Barry” –“Chapter One: Make Your Mark”
(HBO)
Unit Production Managers: Mark Tobey, Aida Rodgers
First Assistant Director: Dale Stern
Second Assistant Director: Michelle Gritzer
Second Second Assistant Director: Chris Riddle
Additional Second Assistant Director: Gary Cotti
MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND LIMITED SERIES: BEN STILLER
“Escape at Dannemora”
(Showtime)
Unit Production Managers: Adam Brightman, Bill Carraro
First Assistant Directors: Lisa M. Rowe, Lyda Blank, Phillip A. Patterson
Second Assistant Director: Kevin R. Shields
Second Second Assistant Director: Luke A. Crawford
Location Manager: Hyo Park
After announcing its nominations in the television and documentary categories earlier this week, the Directors Guild of America has now revealed its slate of nominees for its annual film awards — and with it, prognosticators may have a clearer shape of the Oscar race.
Recent Golden Globe winners “Roma” (Best Director Alfonso Cuaron) and “Green Book” (Best Comedy Film, helmed by Peter Farrelly) were both represented in the DGA’s lineup, as were “A Star Is Born” (Bradley Cooper), “BlacKkKlansman” (Spike Lee), and “Vice” (Adam McKay). Cooper also received a second DGA nomination in the first-time director category, as did newly-minted Writers Guild Awards nominee Bo Burnham (“Eighth Grade”).
Amazingly enough, this is Lee’s first ever DGA nomination. He seems all but a shoo-in to repeat for an Oscar nomination, too.
Speaking of the Oscars, the DGA picks typically have lots of overlap with the eventual Academy shortlists of both Best Director and Best Picture. Last year’s DGA champ, “The Shape of Water,” went on to claim both of those Oscar statuettes.
The full list of nominees is below. The DGA Awards will be handed out on February 2.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM:
BRADLEY COOPER A Star is Born
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Dohrmann
First Assistant Director: Michele “Shelley” Ziegler
Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
Second Second Assistant Director: Matthew R. Milan
ALFONSO CUARÓN Roma
(Netflix)
Unit Production Manager: Ana Hernandez
First Assistant Director: Frederic Henocque Albino
Second Assistant Director: Patrick Heyerdahl
Second Second Assistant Directors: Luis Fernando Vásquez, Julián ‘Chico’ Valdés, Arturo Garcia
PETER FARRELLY Green Book
(Universal Pictures)
Unit Production Managers: Alissa M. Kantrow, John Brister, Franses Simonovich (New York Unit)
First Assistant Directors: J.B. Rogers, Alejandro Ramia (New York Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Paul B. Uddo, Jack McKenna (New York Unit)
Second Second Assistant Directors: Gerson Paz, Jonathan Warren
Location Manager: Louis Zuppardi
SPIKE LEE BlacKkKlansman
(Focus Features)
Unit Production Manager: Marcei A. Brown
First Assistant Director: Mike Ellis
Second Assistant Director: Tracey Hinds
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jason Perez, Christina Ann Walker, Anastasia Folorunso
ADAM MCKAY Vice
(Annapurna Pictures)
Unit Production Managers: Julie Hartley, Jeff Waxman
First Assistant Director: Matt Rebenkoff
Second Assistant Director: Joann Connolly
Second Second Assistant Directors: Yarden Levo, Dave Vogel (Washington D.C. Unit)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT OF A FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR:
BO BURNHAM Eighth Grade
(A24)
First Assistant Director: Dan Taggatz
Second Assistant Director: Vic Coram
Second Second Assistant Director: Evelyn Fogleman
BRADLEY COOPER A Star is Born
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Dohrmann
First Assistant Director: Michele “Shelley” Ziegler
Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
Second Second Assistant Director: Matthew R. Milan
CARLOS LÓPEZ ESTRADA Blindspotting
(Summit Entertainment)
Assistant Director: La Mar Stewart
Second Second Assistant Director: Dominic Martin
Additional Second Second Assistant Director: Armin Houshmandi
MATTHEW HEINEMAN A Private War
(Aviron Pictures) Unit Production Manager: Louise Killin First Assistant Directors: George Walker, Peter Freeman (Jordan Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Tom Mulberge (UK Unit), Tom Browne (Jordan Unit)
Second Second Assistant Director: Tarik Afifi (Jordan Unit)
BOOTS RILEY Sorry to Bother You
(Annapurna Pictures)
Production Manager: Chris Martin
First Assistant Director: Brian Benson
Second Assistant Director: Hilton Jamal Day
Second Second Assistant Directors: Sam Purdy, Nick Alvarez
Awards season is officially in full swing, and the latest group to announce nominations for its annual awards is the Writers Guild of America.
The WGA revealed its nominees for the best film screenplays of the year on Monday, in three different categories: Original, adapted, and documentary. There are plenty of names in the WGA’s lineup that should already sound familiar to those that have been following awards season, including “Black Panther,” “A Star Is Born,” “Roma,” and newly-minted Best Comedy Golden Globewinner “Green Book.”
But the WGA is also known for including some less high-profile nominees each year — titles that are critically beloved, but not entirely on the Best Picture Oscar radar, either. This year’s honorees feature films such as “Eighth Grade,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” and potential-but-not-a-lock-just-yet candidate “A Quiet Place.”
The full lineup — including nominees in the video game writing category — is below. The Writers Guild Awards winners will be announced at simultaneous ceremonies in New York City and Los Angeles on Sunday, February 17.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eighth Grade
Written by Bo Burnham; A24
Green Book
Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly; Universal Pictures
A Quiet Place
Screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, Story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck; Paramount Pictures
Roma
Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix
Vice
Written by Adam McKay; Annapurna Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BlackKklansman
Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, Based on the book by Ron Stallworth; Focus Features
Black Panther
Written by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight
If Beale Street Could Talk
Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Based on the novel by James Baldwin; Annapurna Pictures
A Star is Born
Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters, Based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay by John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson, Based on a story by William Wellman and Robert Carson; Warner Bros.
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Bathtubs Over Broadway
Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; Focus Features
Fahrenheit 11/9
Written by Michael Moore; Briarcliff Entertainment
Generation Wealth
Written by Lauren Greenfield; Amazon Studios
In Search of Greatness
Written by Gabe Polsky; Art of Sport
VIDEOGAME WRITING
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Associate Narrative Directors Matthew Zagurak, Joel Janisse, James Richard Mittag; Narrative Director Melissa MacCoubrey; Story by Jonathan Dumont, Melissa MacCoubrey, Hugo Giard; Scriptwriters Madeleine Hart, Betty Robertson, Jesse Scoble, Diana Sherman, Kelly Bender, Jojo Chia, Ian Fun, Zachary M. Parris, Ken Williamson, Daniel Bingham, Jordan Lemos, Simon Mackenzie, Katelyn MacMullin, Susan Patrick, Alissa Ralph, Stephen Rhodes; Team Lead Writer Sam Gill; AI Writers Jonathan Flieger, Kimberly Ann Sparks; Ubisoft Quebec
Batman: The Enemy Within, Episode 5-Same Stitch
Lead Writer James Windeler; Written by Meghan Thornton, Ross Beeley, Lauren Mee; Story by Meghan Thornton, Michael Kirkbride; Telltale Games
God of War
Written by Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog; Story and Narrative Design Lead Matt Sophos; Story and Narrative Design Richard Zangrande Gaubert; Narrative Design Orion Walker, Adam Dolin; Sony Interactive Entertainment
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Story Lead Jon Paquette; Writers Benjamin Arfmann, Kelsey Beachum; Co-Written by Christos Gage; Additional Story Contributions by Dan Slott; Insomniac Games & Sony Interactive Entertainment
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Narrative Designers Alex Scokel, Eric Fenstermaker, Kate Dollarhyde, Megan Starks, Olivia Veras, Paul Kirsch; Additional Writing Tony Evans, John Schmautz, Casey Hollingshead, Nitai Poddar; Narrative Design Leads Carrie Patel, Josh Sawyer; Obsidian Entertainment
The Film Independent Spirit Awards announced its nominations today, kicking awards season into higher gear as the end of 2018 approaches.
Critical favorites “Eighth Grade” and “First Reformed” were the most high-profile of the feature film nominees. Both movies earned four nominations in total.
“We the Animals,” which follows three boys growing up in a mixed-race family in upstate New York, led all films with five nominations.
The Spirit Awards have become a harbinger of Oscar accolades. Four of the last five Spirit winners for Best Feature went on to win the Academy Award. And every Spirit winner for the last nine years has at least been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
The 34th Spirit Awards will air live from Santa Monica on IFC at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Here’s the full list of Spirit Award nominations:
BEST FEATURE
“Eighth Grade”
“First Reformed”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Leave No Trace”
“You Were Never Really Here”
BEST DIRECTOR
Debra Granik, “Leave No Trace”
Barry Jenkins, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Tamara Jenkins, “Private Life”
Lynne Ramsay, “You Were Never Really Here”
Paul Schrader, “First Reformed”
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Toni Collette, “Hereditary”
Elsie Fisher, “Eighth Grade”
Regina Hall, “Support the Girls”
Helena Howard, “Madeline’s Madeline”
Carey Mulligan, “Wildlife”
BEST MALE LEAD
John Cho, “Searching”
Daveed Diggs, “Blindspotting”
Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Christian Malheiros, “Socrates”
Joaquin Phoenix, “You Were Never Really Here”
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Kayli Carter, “Private Life”
Tyne Daly, “A Bread Factory”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, “Leave No Trace”
J. Smith-Cameron, “Nancy”
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Raúl Castillo, “We the Animals”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Josh Hamilton, “Eighth Grade”
John David Washington, “Monsters and Men”
BEST SCREENPLAY
Richard Glatzer (Writer/Story By), Rebecca Lenkiewicz & Wash Westmoreland, “Colette”
Nicole Holofcener & Jeff Whitty, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Tamara Jenkins, “Private Life”
Boots Riley, “Sorry to Bother You”
Paul Schrader, “First Reformed”
BEST FIRST FEATURE
“Hereditary”
“Sorry to Bother You”
“The Tale”
“We the Animals”
“Wildlife”
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Bo Burnham, “Eighth Grade”
Christina Choe, “Nancy”
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbreds”
Jennifer Fox, “The Tale”
Quinn Shephard (Writer/Story By) and Laurie Shephard (Story By), “Blame”
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“On Her Shoulders”
“Shirkers”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
“Burning” (South Korea)
“The Favourite” (United Kingdom)
“Happy as Lazzaro” (Italy)
“Roma” (Mexico)
“Shoplifters” (Japan)
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
“A Bread Factory”
“En El Septimo Dia”
“Never Going Back”
“Socrates”
“Thunder Road”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ashley Connor, “Madeline’s Madeline”
Diego Garcia, “Wildlife”
Benjamin Loeb, “Mandy”
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, “Suspiria”
Zak Mulligan, “We the Animals”
BEST EDITING
Joe Bini, “You Were Never Really Here”
Keiko Deguchi, Brian A. Kates & Jeremiah Zagar, “We the Animals”
Luke Dunkley, Nick Fenton, Chris Gill & Julian Hart, “American Animals”
Anne Fabini, Alex Hall and Gary Levy, “The Tale”
Nick Houy, “Mid90s”
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
“Suspiria”
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Alexandria Bombach, “On Her Shoulders”
Bing Liu, “Minding the Gap”
RaMell Ross, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
SOMEONE TO WATCH
Alex Moratto, “Socrates”
Ioana Uricaru, “Lemonade”
Jeremiah Zagar, “We the Animals”
PRODUCERS AWARD
Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams
Gabrielle Nadig
Shrihari Sathe
BONNIE AWARD
Debra Granik
Tamara Jenkins
Karyn Kusama
Big catch: It’s only for Wednesday night, August 8.
But if you don’t have big plans for 8/8 evening (aka tomorrow, as of this writing), consider tracking down a local screening of “Eighth Grade.”
The coming-of-age comedy has earned raves from critics (98 percent fresh) and viewers. However, it’s struggling to reach its target young teen base because it was slapped with an R-rating.
So for one night only there will be free screenings for all ages. Eff the R!
Eighth Grade announced that they are offering no-ratings-enforced screenings, because real life is unrated!! it's such a beautiful way to advocate for young people – to let them see media made about their everyday struggles, esp media that respects young people so deeply!! <3
The film has been crushing in its limited release, ranking No. 13 on the box office chart from this past weekend despite only opening in about 1,000 theaters. It’s The Little Movie That Could!
