<p>Chloe Zhao's <em>Nomadland</em> won this year's top Hollywood directing award Saturday -- the final major guild ceremony before the Oscars, and an important late bellwether in Tinseltown's pandemic-delayed and mainly virtual award season.</p>.<p>Zhao spent her entire victory speech praising her fellow nominees, who must now be wondering what they can do to catch up with her critically adored and awards-dominating US road movie before the Academy Awards on April 25.</p>.<p>"I want to thank you guys for teaching me so much, and for showing your support -- you have made this journey so much more special," the 39-year-old director, previously best known for indie movie <em>The Rider</em>, told rival directors via video call.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bafta-2021-a-celebration-of-diversity-972797.html" target="_blank">BAFTA 2021: A celebration of diversity </a></strong></p>.<p>Those filmmakers included David Fincher (<em>Mank</em>), Emerald Fennell (<em>Promising Young Woman</em>) and Lee Isaac Chung (<em>Minari</em>) -- who will also vie for the best director Oscar.</p>.<p>Zhao is entrenched as the strong favorite.</p>.<p>While the Directors Guild of America Awards last year plumped for Sam Mendes (<em>1917</em>) over Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho (<em>Parasite</em>), they have correctly predicted the victor the previous six years running.</p>.<p><em>Nomadland</em>, a semi-fictional drama, follows a community of older van-dwelling Americans left behind by the Great Recession, who forge a new, transient life off the grid in the American West.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/nomadland-movie-review-frances-mcdormand-starrer-is-a-captivating-drama-969369.html" target="_blank">'Nomadland' movie review: A captivating drama</a></strong></p>.<p>Beijing-born Zhao said she hopes audiences can "experience the lives of people that they may consider 'the other'" and so "walk away feeling a little bit less alone."</p>.<p>She described directing as an outlet and a remedy for her own experience of "very intense loneliness in my life."</p>.<p><em>Sound of Metal</em>, an Oscar best picture nominee about a heavy metal drummer who goes deaf, won the DGA's first-time director award.</p>.<p>Darius Marder thanked the deaf community for "inviting us in, sharing your culture, with us with the movie, with the screen."</p>.<p>Best documentary went to <em>The Truffle Hunters</em>, which follows a group of elderly Italians and their loyal dogs as they pursue the centuries-old tradition of seeking culinary delicacies in the forest.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/nomadland-director-chloe-zhao-not-ready-to-make-a-film-about-her-childhood-in-china-971544.html" target="_blank">'Nomadland' director Chloe Zhao not ready to make a film about her childhood in China </a></strong></p>.<p>The DGAs also honor television. The final season of <em>Homeland</em> took the drama series prize -- in a sign of changing times, Lesli Linka Glatter dialed in from a real-life celebration with "my whole, completely vaccinated director team."</p>.<p><em>The Flight Attendant</em> took best comedy series, while <em>The Queen's Gambit</em> continued its award season sweep in limited series.</p>.<p>Although lower key than the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards, the DGAs are longer-running, and its 18,000 voters including the industry's top directors offer prestigious recognition.</p>.<p>DGA President Thomas Schlamme opened the virtual award show from the guild's state-of-the-art Hollywood theater.</p>.<p>He later jokingly thanked the "home-field advantage" as he won an award for last year's <em>West Wing</em> reunion special to boost turnout in the US election.</p>
<p>Chloe Zhao's <em>Nomadland</em> won this year's top Hollywood directing award Saturday -- the final major guild ceremony before the Oscars, and an important late bellwether in Tinseltown's pandemic-delayed and mainly virtual award season.</p>.<p>Zhao spent her entire victory speech praising her fellow nominees, who must now be wondering what they can do to catch up with her critically adored and awards-dominating US road movie before the Academy Awards on April 25.</p>.<p>"I want to thank you guys for teaching me so much, and for showing your support -- you have made this journey so much more special," the 39-year-old director, previously best known for indie movie <em>The Rider</em>, told rival directors via video call.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bafta-2021-a-celebration-of-diversity-972797.html" target="_blank">BAFTA 2021: A celebration of diversity </a></strong></p>.<p>Those filmmakers included David Fincher (<em>Mank</em>), Emerald Fennell (<em>Promising Young Woman</em>) and Lee Isaac Chung (<em>Minari</em>) -- who will also vie for the best director Oscar.</p>.<p>Zhao is entrenched as the strong favorite.</p>.<p>While the Directors Guild of America Awards last year plumped for Sam Mendes (<em>1917</em>) over Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho (<em>Parasite</em>), they have correctly predicted the victor the previous six years running.</p>.<p><em>Nomadland</em>, a semi-fictional drama, follows a community of older van-dwelling Americans left behind by the Great Recession, who forge a new, transient life off the grid in the American West.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/nomadland-movie-review-frances-mcdormand-starrer-is-a-captivating-drama-969369.html" target="_blank">'Nomadland' movie review: A captivating drama</a></strong></p>.<p>Beijing-born Zhao said she hopes audiences can "experience the lives of people that they may consider 'the other'" and so "walk away feeling a little bit less alone."</p>.<p>She described directing as an outlet and a remedy for her own experience of "very intense loneliness in my life."</p>.<p><em>Sound of Metal</em>, an Oscar best picture nominee about a heavy metal drummer who goes deaf, won the DGA's first-time director award.</p>.<p>Darius Marder thanked the deaf community for "inviting us in, sharing your culture, with us with the movie, with the screen."</p>.<p>Best documentary went to <em>The Truffle Hunters</em>, which follows a group of elderly Italians and their loyal dogs as they pursue the centuries-old tradition of seeking culinary delicacies in the forest.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/nomadland-director-chloe-zhao-not-ready-to-make-a-film-about-her-childhood-in-china-971544.html" target="_blank">'Nomadland' director Chloe Zhao not ready to make a film about her childhood in China </a></strong></p>.<p>The DGAs also honor television. The final season of <em>Homeland</em> took the drama series prize -- in a sign of changing times, Lesli Linka Glatter dialed in from a real-life celebration with "my whole, completely vaccinated director team."</p>.<p><em>The Flight Attendant</em> took best comedy series, while <em>The Queen's Gambit</em> continued its award season sweep in limited series.</p>.<p>Although lower key than the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards, the DGAs are longer-running, and its 18,000 voters including the industry's top directors offer prestigious recognition.</p>.<p>DGA President Thomas Schlamme opened the virtual award show from the guild's state-of-the-art Hollywood theater.</p>.<p>He later jokingly thanked the "home-field advantage" as he won an award for last year's <em>West Wing</em> reunion special to boost turnout in the US election.</p>