Danny Boyle wins DGA Award for "Slumdog Millionaire"

Los Angeles, Feb 1 (PTI) British director Danny Boyle has
added another feather to his cap by bagging the top honour from the Directors Guild of America for "Slumdog Millionaire", brightening his chances to scoop an Oscar for the much-acclaimed rags-to-riches saga set on Mumbai.

The British-Indian film beat rivals like "The Curious
Case of Benjamin Button" (David Fincher), "The Dark Knight"
(Christopher Nolan), "Frost/Nixon" (Ron Howard) and "Milk"
(Gus Van Sant) to win the award.

The DGA awards have given another major boost to the
film before the big Oscar night on February 22, since the DGA
winners almost always triumph at the Academy Awards, going by
trends over the last 50 years.

Set in the slums of Mumbai, the film has emerged a
favourite in the award ceremonies.

The latest honour for "Slumdog Millionaire" follows its
recent win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where it won
best cast ensemble and best picture from the Producers Guild
of America, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"Slumdog Millionaire" is being seen as the front-runner
at the Oscars with 10 nominations, second only to "The Curious
Case of Benjamin Button" which has 14 nominations to its
credit.

The DGA award is also a first for Boyle, who had never
previously been nominated for it.

Among the other winners at the Guild, "The Office" bagged
top honour for television comedy, "The Wire" was honoured for
TV drama and "Recount" won in TV movie category.

The drama series prize went to director Dan Attias for
"The Wire," while "Austin Powers" and "Meet the Parents"
director Jay Roach was the recipient for the election drama
"Recount."

Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir" won the documentary
award. It has already been nominated in the foreign-language
category at the Academy Awards. PTI BK