‘La La Land’ Wins at the Directors Guild Awards, Because Obviously

Like a parent who already bought you a puppy and can’t keep a secret and tries to pretend that that’s not a fluffy new friend yapping from behind the garage, Hollywood keeps pretending that the Oscar race is an actual race this year. La La Land, the nostalgic musical from writer/director Damien Chazelle, has 14 nominations this year – a tie for the most Oscar nominations in history – and it keeps racking up all of the guild awards in advance of the ceremony.

This weekend was no different, with Damien Chazelle himself winning the Directors Guild of America Award ahead of fellow Oscar nominees Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By The Sea) and Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), as well as DGA Awards nominee Garth Davis (Lion). Although Garth Davis was not nominated for an Academy Award (his spot was taken by Mel Gibson for Hacksaw Ridge), the director did pick up a DGA Award for Best First-Time Feature.

Lionsgate

Also: It Looks Like ‘La La Land’ is the Next ‘The Artist’

Although La La Land was not the big winner at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, that doesn’t seem to have affected the film’s overall momentum. It’s possible that the Oscars may surprise audiences and pundits by skewing towards more politically charged motion pictures this year, instead of the sentimental romance with no controversial themes to speak of, but it’s far more likely that Oscar night will play out exactly like we all expect it too, with La La Land more or less sweeping the awards from top to bottom.

Other big winners at this year’s DGA Awards include Ezra Edelman, the director of the Oscar-nominated documentary O.J. Made in America, as well as Ridley Scott – the celebrated director of Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator – who picked up one of the guild’s lifetime achievement awards.

Check out the complete list of winners at the DGA website, and keep coming back as we report on every single award La La Land wins, apparently.

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Top Photo: Lionsgate

William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most CravedRapid Reviews and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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