Los Angeles – Damien Chazelle took the top prize at the 69th annual Directors Guild of America awards Saturday for his musical romance “La La Land,” solidifying its front-runner status for the Oscars.
The Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film award is the Directors Guild’s equivalent of a best picture prize, and is seen as a strong prognosticator of the best director Oscar, which will be awarded on February 26.
Seventeen of the last 21 DGA winners have gone on to win best director at the Academy Awards. All but one of their films won the Oscars’ top prize, best picture, as well, according to film industry website The Wrap.
“La La Land” took a record-setting seven Golden Globes and is up for a record-tying 14 Oscars, including best director.
The Directors Guild is a non-profit trade group representing more than 16,000 directors of film, television and commercials in the United States.
-dpa
