Damien Chazelle wins top DGA award

Damien Chazelle has won the Directors Guild of America's top feature film award for the whimsical musical comedy-drama “La La Land.”

Chazelle won over Garth Davis for “Lion”, Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight”, Kenneth Lonergan for “Manchester by the Sea”, and Denis Villeneuve for “Arrival”. Alejandro Inarritu, who nabbed the last two DGA Awards for “The Revenant” and “Birdman”, made the announcement late Saturday night at the conclusion of the 69th Annual DGA Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Chazelle said backstage that he made “La La Land” — which stars Emma Stone as a hopeful actress and Ryan Gosling as a struggling musician falling in and out of love in an idealized Los Angeles — to celebrate the pursuit of artistic dreams. He also pointed out that he began working on “La La Land” seven years ago. 

Chazelle won the directing award at the Golden Globes for “La La Land” as part of the musical's sweep. He's nominated for a best director Oscar alongside Jenkins, Lonergan, Villeneuve, and Mel Gibson for “Hacksaw Ridge”.

Source: Variety