Established 1961 21 Lifestyle Awards Monday, January 27, 2020 DGA Feature Film Award winner for ‘1917’ Sam Mendes poses in Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies the press room during the 72nd Annual Directors Guild Of for Television and Limited Series winner America Awards at The Ritz Carlton. — AFP photos Swedish director Johan Renck poses in the press room. DGA First-Time Feature Film Award winner for ‘Honey Boy’ Alma Har’el (second left) poses in the press room. DGA Feature Film Award nominee Taika Waititi Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary winners Julia Reichert and DGA Commercials Award winner Spike Jonze poses in the press DGA Reality Programs Award winner for ‘Encore!’ Jason Cohen poses in the press room. Steven Bognar pose in the press room. room. poses in the press room. ollywood’s directors handed World “He’s a master of so many mediums... he’s do” on boosting diversity but pointed to HWar I thriller “1917” their top annual pretty much done it all,” said George the recently introduced first-time director prize Saturday, one of the final major MacKay. “We’ll be very excited to see category, featuring three women. Alma award shows that typically spells success what happens at the Oscars-I’ve never Har’el (“Honey Boy”) won the prize, prais- at next month’s Oscars. The win makes been before!” his co-star Dean-Charles ing fellow female nominees Mati Diop British auteur Sam Mendes hot favorite for Chapman told AFP. (“Atlantics”) and Melina Matsoukas the best director Oscar-the Directors (“Queen & Slim”) as “the future.” Guild of America Awards have correctly The category means “new voices like predicted the victor the past six years run- us can be included and celebrated,” said ning. The movie, which follows two British Har’el, voicing support for a campaign to 1. Outstanding Directorial Achievement in soldiers on a perilous mission across no assist new mothers in the movie industry. Feature Film for 2019 man’s land, has already scooped the Around 50 Hollywood women including Golden Globe for best drama, and has 10 Amy Schumer, Amy Poehler and Greta Sam Mendes “1917” (Universal Pictures) Oscar nominations. Gerwig recently co-signed a letter stat- 2. Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a Mendes praised the work of fellow ing women “are penalized for having chil- First-Time Feature Film Director for 2019 nominees Martin Scorsese (“The dren in a way that their male counter- Alma Har’el, “Honey Boy” Irishman”), Quentin Tarantino (“Once parts are not.” 3. Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Upon a Time... in Hollywood”), Bong Joon- Dramatic Series ho (“Parasite”) and Taika Waititi (“Jojo ‘Zeitgeist film’ Nicole Kassell, “Watchmen,” “It’s Summer Rabbit.”) “To those who kick dirt on the “American Factory,” a film about a US and We’re Running Out of Ice” grave of the movies-not so fast,” he said, Rust Belt factory reopened by a Chinese 4. Outstanding Directorial Achievement in dedicating the win to his grandfather, billionaire, and which was produced by the Frank Capra Achievement award recipient Comedy Series whose life inspired the film. “I know it Obamas, won best documentary. “When director Duncan Henderson poses in the press Bill Hader, “Barry,” “ronny/lily” sounds a bit loopy but I did feel he was Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First- we started (the film), we didn’t have room. Time Feature Film winner director Alma Har’el 5. Outstanding Directorial Achievement in with us in a couple of occasions when I President Trump even, let alone trade wars Movies for Television & Miniseries was struggling,” said Mendes. poses in the press. and the conflict with China,” director Julia Guild awards, the DGAs are longer-run- ning and offer prestigious recognition from Johan Renck, “Chernobyl” Victory also boosts the film’s frontrun- Reichert told AFP. “I think we’re kind of a 6. Outstanding Directorial Achievement in ner status for the best picture Academy ‘New voices’ zeitgeist film.” The DGAs also honor televi- 18,000 voters including top directors. “To Variety/Talk/News/Sports - Specials Award. The win comes more than two A-list presenters at the glamorous sion-Bill Hader won for directing dark hit- be nominated alongside these absolute James Burrows (“All in the Family” and “The decades after Mendes first received the downtown Los Angeles event Saturday man comedy “Barry,” in which he also legends is very surreal for me,” Waititi told DGA award for “American Beauty,” a vic- included Al Pacino, Leonardo DiCaprio stars, while the limited series prize went to AFP. “I am amongst the greats right now.” Jeffersons” - Directed by Andy Fisher, (“Live tory that led to Oscars wins for that film. and Alfonso Cuaron, with Judd Apatow “Chernobyl.” The Oscars will be handed out in in Front of a Studio Audience’ - Directed by Mendes told AFP his first win had been returning as host. Like the Oscars, the Superhero series “Watchmen” won the Hollywood on February 9.—AFP (ABC) “frightening to be pitched into this sort of DGAs were criticized this year for exclud- drama prize, seeing off an all-HBO shortlist 7. Outstanding Directorial Achievement in frenzy,” adding: “I’m 20 years older and ing women from the top prize shortlist. including the much-maligned final season Documentary Steven Bognar and Julia I’m probably a little less scared.” The film’s DGA president Thomas Schlamme said the of “Game of Thrones.” Although lower key Reichert, “American Factory” (Netflix) two lead actors paid tribute to Mendes. movie industry “still have a lot of work to than the Golden Globes and Screen Actors ivided by hatred but united over the Burmese. We also love Myanmar,” the 27- Maung Saungkha, who was jailed for six Dwritten word, Rohingya Muslim year-old told AFP. Poets once vexed months in 2016 for writing a poem deemed poets in Bangladeshi refugee camps Myanmar’s censorship-obsessed former defamatory to the former president, says joined Buddhist bards in Myanmar by military junta. Now younger writers are acknowledging the word “Rohingya” is a video link as part of a groundbreaking keeping the art form alive as a form of dis- first step towards preventing more human poetry festival in a country reeling from sent under the civilian government of Aung rights abuses. “We hope people will learn genocide allegations. Five Rohingya writ- San Suu Kyi, which has defended the about equal rights and about treating dif- ers took part in the three-day “Poetry for crackdown against the Rohingya. ferent people in a humane way.” Humanity” event in Yangon, with three Forty poets from across Myanmar This photo shows a Buddhist monk attending “Poetry for Humanity” event in which Rohingya Muslim poets recited speaking live by video link to a packed Embracing the ‘R’ word recite works in various languages including poetry via a video link in Yangon. room while two had sent pre-recorded The festival came in a week of height- Burmese, but the focus is on re-connecting readings, fearing their stuttering connec- ened sensitivity over the crisis. The the estranged Muslim minority. Ethnic tion would not hold up. They drew International Court of Justice ruled Rakhine writer Won Roe travelled espe- applause for verses on the bloodshed that Thursday there was enough evidence to cially from his home state, where deep forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya pursue allegations that Myanmar commit- divisions prevail between the mainly to flee their homes in northern Rakhine ted genocide against the Rohingya, and Buddhist Rakhine and remaining Rohingya state-and also for their resilience. ordered the country to comply with urgent Muslim communities. Rakhine mobs stand “My words are taller than the walls put measures to protect the minority. Some accused of committing atrocities against between Buddhists and Muslims. My 740,000 fled over the border to escape a the Rohingya alongside security forces. words are stronger than the hatred bloody military crackdown in 2017 that is But Won Roe is convinced poetry can act designed for me,” reads one verse from thought to have killed thousands. as a “bridge between communities” and writer Mayyu Ali’s poem “My Words”. He Yet the minority evoke little sympathy in worked closely, if virtually, with Mayyu Ali fled with his family to the Bangladeshi Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where even ahead of the event. “I see him as a poet, a This photo shows Rohingya Muslim poets reciting poems via a This photo shows a laptop screen displaying a camps where he has helped bring together the word “Rohingya” is taboo. Many friend.”—AFP video link during the “Poetry for Humanity” event in Yangon. video link of Rohingya Muslim poets reciting a group of around 150 refugees sharing a instead refer to them pejoratively as poetry during the “Poetry for Humanity” event passion for poetry. “I want to show “Bengali”, suggesting they are illegal inter- in Yangon.— AFP photos Burmese people that the Rohingya are also lopers from Bangladesh. Festival organiser.