英语文摘:Tom Hooper lands DGA top honor for "The King's Speech"

Kathryn Bigelow Presenter Kathryn Bigelow (L) and feature film award recipient Tom Hooper (R) pose backstage at the 63rd annual DGA Awards dinner in Los Angeles on January 29, 2011.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Director Tom Hooper, the helmer of British period drama "The King's Speech," won the top film honor at the Directors Guild of America(DGA) Awards presented Saturday night in Los Angeles, pulling off an upset win.

The director, who was nominated by DGA for the second time, outperformed David Fincher for "The Social Network" and walked away triumphantly from a ceremony which was not broadcasted live across the country. Hooper was previously nominated for the DGA Award for Movies for Television/Miniseries for "John Adams" in 2008.

The win sets up the stage for a showdown between Hooper and Fincher, who has long been considered a top favorite for the Oscars, which are slated to be presented on Feb. 27.

The award ceremony is one of the two remaining events scheduled over the weekend in the runup to the Oscars presentation, followed by Screen Actors Guild award ceremony slated for Sunday.

"Inside Job," a chronicle of the economic meltdown in 2008, landed the night's another big-screen honor for documentary. Charles Ferguson, who directed the film, called the documentary "a pretty ballsy, out-there movie." The movie is also a top contender in the Oscar derby.

The ceremony, which was held at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles, was hosted by director/actor Carl Reiner. More than 1,600 guests attended the event.

The DGA Award has traditionally served as one of the industry's most accurate barometers for who will win the Best Director Academy Award. Only six times since the DGA Awards began in 1948 has the Feature Film winner not gone on to win the corresponding Academy Award.