‘The Artist’ sees honour list grow with director award

The Directors Guild of America Awards are the latest Hollywood film honours to go silent.

Hollywood’s top filmmakers group presented its feature-film honour to Michel Hazanavicius for his silent film The Artist, giving him the inside track for the best-director prize at the Academy Awards.

“I really love directors. I really have respect for directors. So this is really very moving and touching for me,” said Hazanavicius, whose black-and-white silent charmer has cleaned up at earlier Hollywood honours and could emerge as the best-picture favourite at the Feb 26 Oscars.