DGA, ASC, and Annie Awards Honor Genre Nominees
Awards season is well underway, and several awards events have already taken place. Among them, the Director’s Guild of America (DGA), American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), and the International Animated Film Society’s Annie Awards have some genre representation amidst their winners.
The Director’s Guild hosted its 69th awards dinner on February 4 this year. The craft union, which “represents the creative and economic rights of directors and members of the directorial team working in film, television, commercials, documentaries, news, sports and new media,” featured several genre nominations and a few winners.
Ridley Scott, best known for Blade Runner, The Martian, and the upcoming Alien: Covenant, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Feature Film, which is given to “a Director in recognition of distinguished achievement in motion picture direction,” and is the guild’s highest honor.
The ASC had their 31st annual show on February 4, as well. The society has the “dual purpose of advancing the art and science of cinematography and bringing cinematographers together to exchange ideas, discuss techniques and promote the motion picture as an art form.”
The Annie Awards honor animation in films, shows, and commercials. According to their site, they are the highest honor for those in the field of animation. The 44th annual awards show also took place on February 4 and included both fully animated productions and animated special effects.
Game of Thrones won two awards for “The Battle of the Bastards” episode, which aired on HBO on June 19, 2016. Miguel Sapochnik won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series, which marked his first nomination from DGA. Fabian Wagner won ASC’s award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in the Regular Series for Non-Commercial Television category.
Game of Thrones is currently nominated for two Golden Globes and walked away with an AFI and Screen Actors Guild award. The same episode was also nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in a Live Action Production.
Doctor Strange came out with an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production for the Mirror Dimension. It’s also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Achievement in Visual Effects category and three BAFTA Awards.
Along with the winners, several genre shows and movies pulled in nominations from each awards event. Arrival, Deadpool, Stranger Things, and Westworld all earned nominations in various categories. Arrival is also nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Motion Picture, Directing, Writing, and Cinematography.
Though Arrival didn’t win one of the DGA, ASC, or Annie awards, it would be surprising if it didn’t come out with at least one Oscar this year. While it faces stiff competition from the likes of Hidden Figures and La La Land, it should be able to pull in a few more awards to add to the 186 it’s already won.
Doctor Strange may be able to nab its Oscar, though it’s up against Rogue One for Visual Effects.
The Oscars will be taking place on February 26 on ABC. For full lists of nominations and awards from each event, you can check out the DGA, ASC, and Annie Awards websites. For a full list of Oscar nominations, go here.
Don’t forget to check back on the site for genre winners after the Academy Awards, as well!
