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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 I 4 5 DGA Events Roundup Mel Gibson discusses Hacksaw Ridge Director Mel Gibson's new biographical drama, Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of WWII Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who refused to bear arms on religious grounds. Ostracized by his fellow soldiers for his pacifist stance, Doss proved his bravery after risking his life to save 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa and went on to become the first Conscientious Objector ever to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Following the DGA membership screening in New York on November 2, Gibson sat down with Director John Polson to discuss the making of Hacksaw Ridge. He also spoke about the film with Richard Donner after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on November 5. Gibson's other credits are the feature films The Man Without a Face, The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto; the documentary Mel Gibson Goes Back to School; and the pilot and other episodes of the television series Complete Savages. In 1995, Gibson was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures and took home Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his feature Braveheart. Gibson has been a DGA member since 1992. Photos: 1. Directors John Polson (moderator) and Mel Gibson in New York. 2. Directors Richard Donner (moderator) and Mel Gibson in Los Angeles. photo by Marcie Revens photo by Howard Wise Mick Jackson discusses Denial An acclaimed writer battles for historical truth after a renowned Holocaust denier sues her for libel in Director Mick Jackson's biographical drama, Denial. Based on the book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, Jackson's film recounts the story of Deborah E. Lipstadt, a writer and historian who is accused of libel after declaring David Irving a Holocaust denier. When Irving sues, Lipstadt and her legal team must prove that the Holocaust occurred since in the English legal system, the burden of proof is on the accused. Following the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on October 9, Jackson sat down with Director Jeremy Kagan, to discuss the making of Denial. In addition to Denial, Jackson's credits include the feature films Volcano, The Bodyguard, L.A. Story and Chattahoochee; the movies for television The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Traffic and Threads; the pilots for the series In Justice, That's Life and Strange World; and episodes of the series Numb3rs and The Handler. Jackson is also a four-time winner of the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series with Temple Grandin (2010), Live from Baghdad (2002), Tuesdays with Morrie (1999) and Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995). Jackson has been a DGA member since 1990. photo by Howard Wise Photo: Directors Mick Jackson and Jeremy Kagan (moderator). Additional photos and podcasts are posted online at www.dga.org. 1 2