Westborough native beats out Steven Spielberg for major directors award. Is Oscar gold next?

Craig S. Semon, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
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Daniel M. Kwan’s hot streak continues.

Along with his creative partner Daniel Scheinert, Kwan — a Westborough native and Westborough High School Class of 2006 graduate — won top prize for feature filmmaking at the 75th annual Directors Guild of America Awards held Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

Jamie Lee Curtis photo bombs Best Director nominees, left to right, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Producer Jonathan Wang.
Jamie Lee Curtis photo bombs Best Director nominees, left to right, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Producer Jonathan Wang.

Kwan and Scheinert, who are collectively known as “The Daniels,” took home their latest trophy for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Not only did they beat three-time Directors Guild of America Award-winner Steven Spielberg, nominated for the same award for his autobiographical “The Fabelmans,” critics are considering Kwan and Scheinert practical shoo-ins for winning Oscar gold for the same category at the 95th Academy Awards next month.

And, that’s not all.

More:Westborough native Daniel Kwan nominated for 3 Oscars for 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

An Oscar favorite with a leading 11 nominations, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” also puts Kwan and Scheinert in serious consideration for two other major Academy Awards —   best picture and best original screenplay.

In addition, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” received Oscar nominations for best actress for Michelle Yeoh and best supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan, both of who are early favorites to win their respective category, as well as Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, both nominated for best supporting actress.

Directors: Daniel Kwan, a Westborough native, and Daniel Scheinert of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Directors: Daniel Kwan, a Westborough native, and Daniel Scheinert of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Kwan and Scheinert, both 35, met while studying film at Emerson College in Boston.

“The Daniels” are just the third duo to win the Directors Guild of America’s top award, following Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for “West Side Story” (1961) and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “No Country for Old Men” (2007).

The success of Kwan is the closest the quiet town of Westborough has had to a connection to Hollywood since the opening of the Ruth Gordon Flick, a complex of three small theaters on Lyman Street, off Route 9. Not only was the theaters’ namesake there for the dedication ceremony Aug. 25, 1979, Gordon — an Academy Award winner for “Rosemary’s Baby” and star of the cult film “Harold and Maude” — was tickled pink by the honor.

In 75 years, only 10 times have the Directors Guild of America winner and the Oscar winner not aligned.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Westborough native beats out Spielberg for major directors award