Campion Wins Top Hollywood Director Prize for ‘Power of the Dog’

New Zealand director Jane Campion was honored for "The Power of the Dog," starring Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons - AFP
New Zealand director Jane Campion was honored for "The Power of the Dog," starring Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons - AFP
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Campion Wins Top Hollywood Director Prize for ‘Power of the Dog’

New Zealand director Jane Campion was honored for "The Power of the Dog," starring Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons - AFP
New Zealand director Jane Campion was honored for "The Power of the Dog," starring Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons - AFP

Jane Campion hailed the shattering of Hollywood's glass ceiling as her movie "The Power of the Dog" was named the year's best film by her fellow directors Saturday -- a major accolade which historically leads to Oscars glory.

Campion won the Directors Guild of America's top prize for her Netflix adaptation of a Western novel about the toxic masculinity of sexually repressed cowboys, fending off illustrious rivals at the Los Angeles gala including Steven Spielberg.

Campion is the third woman to ever win the top Directors Guild of America prize, after Kathryn Bigelow for 2008's "The Hurt Locker," and Chloe Zhao last year for "Nomadland."

The New Zealand auteur said it was increasingly common to hear about glass ceilings being shattered during Hollywood's award season, and that "perhaps it's time to claim a sense of victory on that front."

"We've come so far and what's more, we're never going backwards," she said, before capping the night by taking the top prize, presented by last year's winner Zhao, AFP reported.

"I'm so proud of you... I'm here because I care about women having voices as well," said Campion.

Campion, who was first nominated in 1994 for "The Piano," earlier in the night reflected on a time when she was frequently "the only woman in the room."

"I remember that outsider feeling as I fought to get my stories told, to bring dynamic stories from underserved perspectives to light in a male-dominated field."

Maggie Gyllenhaal won best first-time director for "The Lost Daughter," a drama about the challenges and taboos surrounding motherhood.

Gyllenhaal -- until now primarily known as an actress in films such as "The Dark Knight" and "Secretary" -- said watching Campion's "The Piano" as a teen had "changed my life" and sparked a desire to one day direct.

"I think it is one of the real reasons that I am standing here and that ultimately, I got brave enough to say what I wanted," said Gyllenhaal.

- 'Dangerous' -

In the last nine years, only one director -- Sam Mendes -- has won the top DGA award and failed to then win best director at the Oscars, a fact that propels Campion to firm favorite status for the Academy Awards on March 27.

While Campion won on Saturday, many stars and nominees also devoted their speeches to fellow nominee Spielberg, with Rita Moreno hailing a "wizard," Denis Villeneuve a "giant" and Spike Lee "the godfather of cinema."

Spielberg, on his 12th DGA nomination, admitted that remaking the beloved musical "West Side Story" had been "really scary."

"It was terrifying, and I gave up a whole bunch of times. And every single time I said 'this is just too dangerous,'" the legendary director of "Jaws," "Schindler's List" and "Jurassic Park" said.

Lee received the DGA's lifetime achievement award -- the 35th person in Hollywood history to be granted the honor, and the first Black man.

"Attica," by Stanley Nelson, which recounts the United States' deadliest prison riot, won best documentary, beating musician Questlove's strongly favored "Summer of Soul."

The protest at Attica prison in 1971 New York state -- by mainly Black and Latino inmates -- ended in 43 deaths as law enforcement stormed the prison.

- 'Picking a successor' -

Although not broadcast on television and lower key than some other Hollywood awards, the DGAs are longer-running, and its 18,000 voters including the industry's top directors offer prestigious recognition.

They also honor the year's best TV episodes, with an installment of "Hacks" taking best comedy and "The Underground Railroad" limited series.

Best drama prize was a foregone conclusion -- all five nominated episodes were from the same show, HBO's "Succession."

"We're so glad that we don't have to choose the winners," said Brian Cox, who plays the patriarch of a squabbling media dynasty on "Succession."

"Because picking any of these incredible directors is as difficult as a parent picking a successor for his business -- and that is something I would never ever do."



‘Severance,’ ‘The Penguin’ Lead Nominations for TV’s Emmy Awards

US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)
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‘Severance,’ ‘The Penguin’ Lead Nominations for TV’s Emmy Awards

US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)

Psychological thriller "Severance" from Apple TV+ and HBO's crime drama "The Penguin" stacked up the most nominations for Emmy Awards on Tuesday, outpacing "The Studio" and "The White Lotus" in the contest for television's highest honors.

"Severance" received a leading 27 nominations and was nominated for the top prize of best drama alongside Star Wars series "Andor,The Pitt,The White Lotus" and others.

"The Penguin," set in the DC Comics universe and starring Colin Farrell, earned 24 nominations and will compete for best limited series against Netflix hit "Adolescence," among others.

Hollywood satire "The Studio," an Apple TV+ show featuring Seth Rogen as a nervous film executive, and HBO's "The White Lotus," about murder and misdeeds at a luxury resort, received 23 each.

"What the heck?!! We never thought this would happen," Rogen said in a statement.

Comedy nominees included defending champion "Hacks," previous winner "The Bear,Nobody Wants This" and "Abbott Elementary."

The 23 nominations for "The Studio" tied the record for a comedy in a single season, set last year by Chicago restaurant tale "The Bear."

Winners of the Emmys will be announced at a red-carpet ceremony in Los Angeles, broadcast live on CBS on September 14. Comedian Nate Bargatze will host.

The television industry is undergoing a contraction as media companies curtail the sky-high spending they shelled out to compete in the shift to streaming platforms led by Netflix.

Longtime Emmy favorite HBO and the HBO Max streaming service topped all programmers with 142 nominations, a record for the network.

Walt Disney collected 137 nominations, including six for ABC's "Abbott Elementary," one of the few broadcast shows in the Emmy mix. "Andor," on Disney+, received 14.

Netflix garnered 120 nods and Apple scored 81, its highest total since launching its streaming service in 2019.

"Severance" tells the story of office workers who undergo a procedure to make them forget their home life at work, and vice versa.

"It's distinctive in every way - in terms of its storytelling, in terms of style, in terms of its directing, its tone," said Matt Cherniss, head of programming at Apple TV+.

Star Adam Scott, a best actor nominee, said the cast was unsure how viewers would respond.

"The fact that it's resonated at all has been just such an incredible feeling," Scott said. "We thought it was something that might be too weird."

WYLE, FORD IN THE RUNNING

Noah Wyle received his first Emmy nomination since 1999 for his role as an emergency room doctor on "The Pitt." Wyle was nominated five times for "ER" but never won.

"I'm humbled and grateful," Wyle said of the recognition for "The Pitt," which received 13 total nominations.

Harrison Ford, 83, earned his first Emmy nod, for playing a grumpy therapist on "Shrinking."

Ron Howard, the former "Happy Days" star turned Oscar-winning director, also landed his first acting nomination, a guest actor nod for playing himself on "The Studio." He will compete with fellow director Martin Scorsese, also a guest star on the show.

Other notable acting nominees included Farrell and Cristin Milioti for "The Penguin,The Bear" actors Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, "Hacks" stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, Kathy Bates for "Matlock" and Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey for "The Last of Us."

Eight "White Lotus" actors were recognized.

"This is a bunch of cherries on the icing on the cake that was the gift of playing such a tortured and lonely human," said Jason Isaacs, who portrayed a suicidal father facing financial ruin on the show.

Beyonce also made the Emmys list. Her halftime performance during a National Football League game on Netflix was nominated for best live variety special.

Missing from the field was Netflix's popular Korean drama "Squid Game," while the final season of previous drama winner "The Handmaid's Tale" received just one nod.

Winners will be chosen by the roughly 26,000 performers, directors, producers and other members of the Television Academy.