This year’s Best Director Oscar race has proven a surprising one, with two of the most-nominated directors at every other awards show being shut out of the big game. We’re, of course, talking about Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow for Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, respectively. So hopes were high that vindication would be at their backs, guiding at least one of them to gold. And what a victory it was for winner Affleck, who took home the top feature film honors at the ceremony in Hollywood. Affleck’s win is just one of many that he’s gained for directing the story of Tony Mendez and the six fugitive Americans embassy workers in 1980. At this point, it seems hard to imagine Affleck will miss the Oscar trophy he could’ve won, had the Academy not snubbed him during nominations. What’s one award amongst friends, right?
But it wasn’t just a big night for movies. Big names in television — including Lena Dunham, Louis C.K., Bryan Cranston, and Looper‘s Rian Johnson — were all up for directoral nods on the small screen. But it was the seemingly-unstoppable Dunham that took home the top prize in comedic television for her HBO series Girls — and on her first nomination, to boot! Welcome to 2013: Year of the Dunham. (And you thought it was 2012, pish posh!) Johnson took home the dramatic prize for his work on the Cranston-fronted Breaking Bad. Cranston himself was up for directing an episode of Modern Family. From meth kingpin to primetime comedy director — there’s really nothing that man can’t do, huh?
Check out the full list of nominees (and winners; bolded) below!
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
BEN AFFLECK
Argo (Warner Bros. Pictures)
KATHRYN BIGELOW
Zero Dark Thirty
(Columbia Pictures)
TOM HOOPER
Les Misérables
(Universal Pictures)
ANG LEE
Life of Pi
(Twentieth Century Fox)
STEVEN SPIELBERG
Lincoln
(DreamWorks Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series
GREG BERLANTI
Political Animals, “Pilot”
(USA Network)
PHILIP KAUFMAN
Hemingway & Gellhorn
(HBO)
KEVIN REYNOLDS
Hatfields & McCoys
(History Channel)
JAY ROACH
Game Change (HBO)
MICHAEL RYMER
American Horror Story: Asylum, “Dark Cousin”
(FX)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series
MICHAEL CUESTA
Homeland, “The Choice”
(Showtime)
JENNIFER GETZINGER
Mad Men, “A Little Kiss”
(AMC)
LESLI LINKA GLATTER
Homeland, “Q&A”
(Showtime)
RIAN JOHNSON
Breaking Bad, “Fifty-One” (AMC)
GREG MOTTOLA
The Newsroom, “We Just Decided To” (Pilot)
(HBO)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
LOUIS C.K.
Louie, “New Year’s Eve”
(FX)
MARK CENDROWSKI
The Big Bang Theory, “The Date Night Variable”
(CBS)
BRYAN CRANSTON
Modern Family, “Election Day”
(ABC)
LENA DUNHAM
Girls, “Pilot” (HBO)
BETH MCCARTHY-MILLER
30 Rock, “Live from Studio 6H”
(NBC)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety
MICHAEL DEMPSEY
12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief
(Multiple Networks/Cable Outlets)
DON ROY KING
Saturday Night Live with Host Mick Jagger
(NBC)
DON MISCHER
84th Annual Academy Awards
(ABC)
CHUCK O’NEIL
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, “Episode #17153”
(Comedy Central)
GLENN WEISS
66th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs
TONY CROLL
America’s Next Top Model, “The Girl Who Becomes America’s Next Top Model”
(CW)
PETER NEY
Face Off, “Scene of the Crime”
(Syfy)
BRIAN SMITH
Master Chef, “Episode #305” (FOX)
J. RUPERT THOMPSON
Stars Earn Stripes, “Amphibious Assault”
(NBC)
TIM WARREN
Ink Master, “Pasties and a Cameltoe”
(SpikeTV)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials
ALAN ALARR
Days of Our Lives, “Trapped”
(NBC)
LARRY CARPENTER
General Hospital, “Bad Water”
(ABC)
WILLIAM LUDEL
General Hospital, “Magic Milo”
(ABC)
SCOTT MCKINSEY
General Hospital, “Shot Through The Heart”
(ABC)
JILL MITWELL
One Life To Live, “Between Heaven and Hell” (ABC)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs
STUART GILLARD
Girl vs. Monster
(Disney Channel)
PAUL HOEN
Let it Shine (Disney Channel)
SAVAGE STEVE HOLLAND
Big Time Movie
(Nickelodeon)
JONATHAN JUDGE
Camp Fred
(Nickelodeon)
AMY SCHATZ
Don’t Divorce Me! Kids’ Rules for Parents on Divorce
(HBO)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
MALIK BENDJELLOUL
Searching For Sugar Man
KIRBY DICK
The Invisible War
DAVID FRANCE
How To Survive A Plague
LAUREN GREENFIELD
The Queen of Versailles
ALISON KLAYMAN
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
What do you think of this year’s winners? Let us know in the comments!
[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Follow Alicia on Twitter @alicialutes
More:
Sundance Awards: ‘Fruitvale’ Is 2013’s First Oscar Contender
Producers Guild Awards 2013: ‘Argo,’ ‘Homeland’ Continue Award Season Domination
SAG Awards 2013: ‘Argo’ Wins Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture
You Might Also Like:
