LOS ANGELES: British historical drama “The King's Speech” got a new boost in the race for Oscars glory Saturday, as its director won a key prize in a weekend of Hollywood awards. Tom Hooper got the top gong for outstanding directorial achievement at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) show, seen as a key indicator of prospects for success at next month's glittering Academy Awards. The winner of the DGA award has gone on to win the Oscar for best director on all but six times since 1948. Hooper's movie starring Colin Firth as the stammering King George VI has gained momentum as Hollywood's awards season progresses, and he was up against the directors of four other Oscar frontrunners for the DGA award. He notably beat David Fincher, director of Facebook movie “The Social Network,” which was an early favorite for awards glory but which lost ground as the weeks and awards shows go on. Others in the running for the DGA had been Darren Aronofsky for ballet-themed drama “Black Swan,” Christopher Nolan for high-tech thriller “Inception,” and David O. Russell for boxing movie “The Fighter.” The films are all up for best film Oscar, along with Western remake “True Grit,” arm-amputating “127 Hours,” “The Kids Are All Right” Debra Granik's “Winter's Bone” and animated blockbuster “Toy Story 3.” But the understated British movie, also starring Helena Bonham Carter and Australian Geoffrey Rush as the kind's voice coach, appears increasingly like the film to beat. Saturday's DGA awards were to be followed 24 hours later by the screen actors' Sunday evening, expected to give yet another pointer to who will sweep Oscars glory next month. “The Fighter” and “The King's Speech” were the most nominated for the SAGs, with four nods each. In the SAGs' equivalent of the best film category, the best ensemble performance nominees are: “The Fighter,” “The King's Speech,” “The Kids Are All Right” and “The Social Network.” Firth is clear front-runner for best actor at the SAGs, in a shortlist with last year's winner Jeff Bridges for “True Grit,” Robert Duvall for “Get Low,” Jesse Eisenberg for “The Social Network” and James Franco for “127 Hours.” – Agence France
