Scorsese named best director at DGA Awards

It looks like it really could be Marty's year.

In what might well finally signal an Oscar win for the oft-nominated director, Martin Scorsese copped the DGA feature film award Saturday for "The Departed."

The Irish mob film overcame competition from the helmers of "Dreamgirls," "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Queen" and "Babel."

"Departed" represented Scorsese's seventh nomination for a DGA award, but he had never won previously. The guild gave him a lifetime achievement award in 2003.

A sixth loss at the Academy Awards on Feb. 25 would give Scorsese the record for most Oscar noms without winning.


"This picture, for me, started out as a genre film," Scorsese said in accepting the DGA Award.

As such, he said, his vision of success for the film was relatively modest. "I didn't think I'd be standing here today, I really didn't," he said.

In other awards, Walter Hill won in the DGA's telefilm category for the AMC Western "Broken Trail," and Arunas Natelis was honored for his documentary "Before Flying Back to the Earth."

The awards were presented at the guild's annual gala in Century City.

A complete list of awards follows:

Outstanding directorial achievement in feature film
Martin Scorsese, "The Departed" (Warner Bros. Pictures)


Outstanding directorial achievement in movies for television
Walter Hill, "Broken Trail" (AMC)


Outstanding directorial achievement in dramatic series night
Jon Cassar, "24" ("7:00am * 8:00am") (Fox)


Outstanding directorial achievement in comedy series
Richard Shepard, "Ugly Betty" (pilot) (ABC)


Outstanding directorial achievement in musical variety
Rob Marshall, "Tony Bennett: An American Classic" (NBC)


Outstanding directorial achievement in reality programs
Tony Sacco, "Treasure Hunters" (Episode #101) (NBC)


Outstanding directorial achievement in daytime serials
Jill Mitwell, "One Life To Live" (Episode #9779) (ABC)


Outstanding directorial achievement in children's programs
Kenny Ortega, "High School Musical" (Disney Channel)


Outstanding directorial achievement in commercials
Dante Ariola, "First Taste (Coca-Cola)", "Snowball (Traveller's Insurance)", "Human (Johnny Walker)"


Outstanding directorial achievement in documentary
Arunas Matelis, "Before Flying Back to the Earth" (Studio Nominum, Tag/Traum)


2007 DGA service and career achievement award recipients


DGA Honorary Life Membership Award
Carl Reiner


Robert B. Aldrich Service Awards
Paris Barclay, Taylor Hackford


Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award
Terry Benson


Lifetime Achievement Award in News Direction
George Paul