DGA Monthly

2 6 I D G A M O N T H L Y In 2022, WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after Russian customs officials alleged they found cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage. The media frenzy surrounding her harrowing experience in a Russian penal colony and eventual release as part of a prisoner swap was fueled by speculation and attempts to leverage her narrative to advance political agendas. Alex Stapleton's documentary, The Brittney Griner Story, gives the floor to Griner and an inner circle of friends and family to tell her journey, her fight for freedom and her work to help other wrongfully detained Americans. On September 25, Stapleton discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by DGA National Vice President Laura Belsey and shared her current philosophy on trying to balance the political components of the film. "This question of being objective in journalism is interesting, especially right now. I think that the job of the film was to be humanist first, and so we tried to create a film in a new realm right now where it's not about trying to represent all sides. It's like what sides are about saving lives at a basic fucking level of this country and what we demand out of the government that we pay taxes to versus, 'how do I be fair?'" Alex Stapleton discusses The Brittney Griner Story An Eastern Region Special Projects Documentary Series Screening photo by Marcie Revens Photo: Director Alex Stapleton and DGA National Vice President Laura Belsey (moderator) discuss The Brittney Griner Story, following the September 25 screening in New York. After their daughter appears at school with bruises, an immigrant conservative Romanian family living in Norway faces the scrutiny of the local judicial system and the child welfare service in Director Cristian Mungiu's family drama from Romania, Fjord. Mungiu's film had its world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival where it won the François Chalais Prize, the FIPRESCI Prize, the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, the Prix de la Citoyenneté and the Palme d'Or. After the October 5 screening in New York, Mungiu discussed the making Fjord with Director Ira Sachs and spoke about if the process gets easier as he makes more films. "It's not so difficult to make a film where you surprise people once, but to make yourself become an author with a style, a vision about cinema and universal themes, is a bit more complicated. I never know once I finish a film if I will be able to make another one. I don't want to say that I'm always telling important things, but I need to believe that this is relevant. I need to convince myself at least — because you're investing so much energy into this — from all the possible themes in the world, I'm trying to choose the one which is the closest to me but is relevant for others as well." Cristian Mungiu discusses Fjord An Eastern Region Special Projects Global Cinema Series Screening of a film from Romania photo by Marcie Revens Photo: Directors Ira Sachs (moderator) and Cristian Mungiu discuss the making of Fjord, following the New York screening on October 5. Photos 1-2: Special Projects Committee Co-Chair Michael Goi and Classic Film Series Subcommittee Chair Arthur Allan Seidelman speak about the legacy and impact of John Rich. 3: Director John Rich (1925-2012). 4-5: A poster and a still from Roustabout. 1 2 3 4 5 Intro photos by Deverill Weekes On September 22, the Special Projects Committee hosted the latest installment of their Classic Film Series with Director John Rich's 1964 musical, Roustabout, in the Guild's Los Angeles Theater. The series screens iconic movies, often followed by a discussion about their legacy. Elvis Presley's 16th film, Roustabout tells the story of a singer who takes a job at a struggling carnival. The evening opened with a welcome from Special Projects Committee Co-Chair Michael Goi and Classic Film Series Subcommittee Chair Arthur Allan Seidelman, who spoke about the legacy of the film and its Director. A Director of some of the best-loved comedies in television history, Rich's credits include The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times, Barney Miller, Newhart, Benson, The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island. He won a DGA Award and an Emmy in 1972 for directing All in the Family and was twice nominated in 1971 and 1973 for the same series. His credits also include other classic television series such as Our Miss Brooks, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, Gunsmoke and The Dick Van Dyke Show for which he won an Emmy award in 1963. A Guild member since 1953, Rich was instrumental in the 1960 merger between the Screen Directors Guild and the Radio and Television Directors Guild, which later became the Directors Guild of America. He served on the National Board and Western Directors Council for over 50 years in many capacities, including Secretary (1958-59), Treasurer (1965-67), and several terms as a Vice President. In 1993, Rich received the Robert B. Aldrich Award for Extraordinary Service to the Guild. He was honored again in 2003 with the DGA Honorary Life Member Award. Classic Film Series Screens John Rich's 1964 musical, Roustabout See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. Special Projects Screenings

• Cover