![Ben Affleck wins the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for "Argo" at the Directors Guild of America Awards.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/c6/1b/c61b7fb37e00b817e633def90ac344f8.jpg?itok=73mF0Ujy "Ben Affleck wins the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for "Argo" at the Directors Guild of America Awards.")
Two film honors were presented a week ago, the SAG Awards and the Producers Guild Awards, which finally determined the Oscar Best Picture frontrunner. “Argo” won the top prizes at both ceremonies following its many other wins and went on to win Best Director for Ben Affleck at the Directors Guild Awards on Feb. 2.
“Argo” has already won the Golden Globe for Best Picture – Drama and Affleck won the Best Director Award. After so many major wins for both the film and Affleck as director along with smaller awards across the country, the lack of a nomination for Best Director at the Academy Awards seems like an even bigger snub than it originally appeared.
With all of these wins, the absence of a Best Director nomination for Ben Affleck is shocking. He won the award for Best Director at the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes along with, most significantly, the Directors Guild, a sign of appreciation by his peers.
The consensus suggests one of the biggest Oscar snubs in history. Affleck seems to be both the critics’ and fans’ favorite, yet he somehow did not even receive a nomination (Kathryn Bigelow was also shockingly overlooked). This omission by the Academy leaves the category up for grabs; it’s anyone’s guess if Michael Haneke (“Amour”), Ang Lee (“Life of Pi”), David O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Steven Spielberg (“Lincoln”), or Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) will win.
Comments