“The Shape of Water” has another trophy to add to its haul.
Director Guillermo del Toro picked up the top prize at Saturday’s Directors Guild of America Awards, putting him in good standing to pick up the best director statue at the upcoming Academy Awards.
In the last 20 years, there have been only three instances in which the winner of the DGA’s top prize did not get the Oscar for best directing. “Shape of Water” earned 13 Academy Award nominations this year, the most of any film.
Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”), Martin McDonagh (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk”), and Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) were also nominated for the DGA’s outstanding feature film directing award.
Del Toro’s win comes on the heels of his best director victory at the Golden Globes.
During award season, “Shape of Water” has also picked up awards from the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (including best picture and best director), the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the Producers Guild of America Awards.
Peele didn’t walk away empty handed.
The “Get Out” director earned the outstanding first-time feature film award, besting Geremy Jasper (“Patti Cake$”), William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”), Taylor Sheridan (“Wind River”), and Aaron Sorkin (“Molly’s Game”).
Other winners at the DGA ceremony included Reed Morano (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Beth McCarthy-Miller (“Veep”), and Jean-Marc Vallée (“Big Little Lies”).
At the Oscars, del Toro will face off against Nolan, Peele, Gerwig and Paul Thomas Anderson (“Phantom Thread”).
The Academy Awards will take place March 4 with host Jimmy Kimmel.