January 16, 2007
LOS ANGELES, CA - Directors Guild of America President Michael Apted today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary and the five nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for 2006. The winners will be announced at the 59th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
"Congratulations to all the nominees for their superb work," Apted said. "At its best, documentary filmmaking elevates the disparate elements of lives and events into a narrative that is both compelling and insightful. It takes a skilled director to achieve this feat, and this year's five nominees exemplify that devotion and storytelling expertise."
"It takes great skill to tell a compelling story in under 30 to 60 seconds," Apted continued. "These five commercial directors have mastered the format, using their talent, craft and imagination to provide us with some of the most innovative filmmaking out there today. My congratulations to them all."
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2006 are (in alphabetical order):
AMY BERG
Deliver Us from Evil
Lionsgate Films
This is Ms. Berg's first DGA Award Nomination.
MICHAEL GLAWOGGER
Workingman's Death
Lotus Films & Quinte Film
This is Mr. Glawogger's first DGA Award Nomination.
JAMES LONGLEY
Iraq in Fragments
Typecast Pictures/HBO Documentary Films
This is Mr. Longley's first DGA Award Nomination.
ARUNAS MATELIS
Before Flying Back to the Earth
Studio Nominum, Tag/Traum
This is Mr. Matelis' first DGA Award Nomination.
JEAN-HENRI MEUNIER
Ici Najac, A Vous La Terre
Little Bear
This is Mr. Meunier's first DGA Award Nomination.
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for 2006 are (in alphabetical order):
DANTE ARIOLA
Production Company:
MJZ
First Taste, Coca Cola - Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam
- Unit Production Manager: Natalie Gillian Hill
- First Assistant Director: Gregory G. McCollum
- Second Assistant Director: John Ray Elmore
Snowball, Traveler's Insurance - Fallon MN
- Unit Production Manager: Natalie Gillian Hill
- First Assistant Director: Gregory G. McCollum
- Second Assistant Director: John Ray Elmore
- Second Second Assistant Director: Clark Credle
Human, Johnny Walker - Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Unit Production Manager: Brady Vant Hull
- First Assistant Director: Haze J. F. Bergeron III
- Second Assistant Director: Ryan E. Lippert
This is Mr. Ariola's fourth DGA Award nomination in this category. He was nominated in 2004 for Money Tree (Barclay's), Urban Legend (Levi's), and Circus (Stella), in 2002 for Butcher (Bank of America), Cheese (Buddy Lee) and Signs (Sony Playstation 2), and in 2000 for Taxi (Hewlett Packard), Tickets (Hewlett Packard) and Elephant (Nike).
BRYAN BUCKLEY
Production Company: Hungry Man
Animal, Amex - Ogilvy & Mather
- Unit Production Manager: Stephen W. Ruggieri
- First Assistant Director: Craig H. Owens
- Second Assistant Director: Eric Topp
- Second Second Assistant Director: Robert Torres
Manthem, Burger King - Crispin Porter Bogusky
- First Assistant Director: Kevin Byrne
More Mayo, Burger King - Crispin Porter Bogusky
- First Assistant Director: Rhonda L. Raulston
- Second Assistant Director: Dean Peratsakis
This is Mr. Buckley's third DGA Award nomination in this category. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials in 1999 for Broker (E*Trade), Trimount Studios (E*Trade), When I Grow Up (Monster.com) and Friends (Onhealth.com) and was nominated in 2000 for Basketball (E*Trade), Monkey(E*Trade), Wazoo (E*Trade) and Action Figures (Fedex).
DAVID GRAY
Production Company: Hungry Man
Transvestite, Tribeca Film Festival
Mugger, Tribeca Film Festival - Ogilvy & Mather
- First Assistant Director: John C. Towse
- Second Assistant Director: Michael R. Vernola
Jesus Throws, Full Tilt Poker - Wong Doody
- First Assistant Director: Edward James Walsh
- Second Assistant Director: Ronald C. Misetich
Born, Ebay - Delaney Lund Knox Warren and Partners
This is Mr. Gray's first DGA Award nomination.
TOM KUNTZ
Production Company: MJZ
Fruit Pants, Altoids - Leo Burnett
- First Assistant Director: Chris Tomas Medak
- Second Assistant Director: Shea Farrell
- Second Second Assistant Directors: Leslie M. Evers, Cara Lee McCastlain
Trade, Skittles
Beard, Skittles
Leak, Skittles - TBWA Chiat Day
- Unit Production Manager: Caleb Harper Omens
- First Assistant Director: Craig H. Owens
- Second Assistant Director: Eric Topp
This is Mr. Kuntz's first DGA Award nomination.
JOE PYTKA
Production Company: Pytka
Clydesdale's American Dream, Budweiser - DDB
- First Assistant Director: Randy Fletcher
- Second Assistant Director: Greg J. Jenks
Preparation, Disney - Leo Burnett
- First Assistant Director: Randy Fletcher
- Second Assistant Directors: Randall Scott LaFollette, Fred A. Donatelli
Where Were You, WTC Memorial - TBWA Chiat Day
- First Assistant Director: Randy Fletcher, Jermaine Sumra
- Second Assistant Director: Ryan Lippert, Jennifer Wilkins
This is Mr. Pytka's 15th DGA Award nomination in this category. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials in 1991 for Dance Card (Hallmark) and The Bo Show (Nike), in 1986 for Chuck Wagon (Henry Weinhard), Brothers (John Hancock) and Floats (Pepsi Cola), and in 1982 for Baseball (Budweiser Light), Basketball (Budweiser Light) and Future/Gallup (Henry Weinhard). He was nominated in 2003 for 23 vs. 39 (Gatorade), Prodigy (IBM), and Shakespeare (Nextel), in 2001 for Pillow Talk (Disney), Skating (NYC Miracle), The Deli (NYC Miracle) and Ketchup Soup (The Ad Council), in 1995 for Diner (Pepsi), Set Piece (Pepsi) and Stranded (Pepsi), in 1994 for Season's Song (Nike), The Wall (Nike) and Summer of Love (Pepsi), in 1993 for Barkley of Seville (Nike), Kenya (Nike) and Playground (Pepsi), in 1992 for Old Friend (Hallmark) and Hare Jordan (Nike), in 1990 for Opera (Diet Pepsi), New Technology (Federal Express) and Bo & Bo (Nike), in 1987 for I'm Different (Apple Computers), Fortieth Birthday (John Hancock) and Continents (Perrier), in 1985 for Saloon (Henry Weinhard), Archeology (Pepsi Cola) and E.T. Special Olympics (Special Olympics), in 1983 for Boxer (Bud Light), Paris (Bud Light) and Rodeo (Bud Light), and in 1981 for Football (Budweiser Light), Thirsty Workers (Coca Cola) and Alaska (Henry Weinhard).