Reed Morano has cemented her place in in the record books with a historic Directors Guild of America win. This past Saturday she took home the DGA Award in the drama series category for helming “Offred,” the pilot of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Morano previously received an Emmy for the dystopian series, making her the first woman to win both prizes. She directed the first three episodes of the Margaret Atwood adaptation.
The “Halt and Catch Fire” director is the fourth woman to secure the drama DGA award (following Barbara Kopple, Lesli Linka Glatter, and Patty Jenkins) and the third to win that category at the Emmys (following Karen Arthur and Mimi Leder).
Morano’s latest pic, “I Think We’re Alone Now,” just premiered at Sundance Film Festival and took home a Special Jury Award for Excellence in Filmmaking. The post-apocalyptic character drama centers on a misanthrope (Peter Dinklage) who is forced to deal with unwelcome company (Elle Fanning).
Morano made her feature directorial debut with 2015 Olivia Wilde-starrer “Meadowland,” a drama about grief-stricken parents dealing with the emotional fallout of their child’s disappearance. Also a cinematographer, she served as DP on the film and scored an Independent Spirit Award in that capacity. Her next project, spy thriller “The Rhythm Section,” recently suspended production due to the film’s star, Blake Lively, suffering an injury and needing time to heal. Morano is currently in pre-production on an untitled drama about a narcissistic virtuoso violinist (Jeff Bridges) who is forced to move back in with his estranged wife (Diane Lane) after he’s diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
The DGA Awards also saw women taking home trophies in the Comedy Series and Children’s Programs categories. “Veep’s” Beth McCarthy-Miller won the former and “Anne with An E’s” Niki Caro the latter.
In his opening remarks at the ceremony, DGA President Thomas Schlamme suggested the industry has reached a “tipping point.” “Today we are witnessing a historic cultural shift in our industry and hopefully our society as well,” he said. He emphasized that the guild is committed to creating “more respectful and inclusive workplaces, which includes a world where our members and others can show up for work without any fear of sexual harassment,” and mentioned the Guild’s newly announced procedures for handling harassment claims and their participation in the New Commission led by Anita Hill. “This is not just a fight by women for women, they didn’t create this problem,” he observed. “It’s a fight by everyone for a better world for everyone.”
Check out Schlamme’s full speech over at Deadline.
