Despite Academy Snub, Ben Affleck Takes Home Top Prize At Director's Guild Awards

He wasn't even nominated for an Oscar, but on Saturday night Ben Affleck received the top directing prize at the Director's Guild of America Awards (DGA) -- voted on by his fellow directors.

The "Good Will Hunting" actor beat out top talent including Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty," Tom Hooper for "Les Miserables," Ang Lee for "Life of Pi" and Steven Spielberg for "Lincoln."

"I don't this makes me a real director, but I think it means I'm on my way," Affleck said while accepting the award.

After "Argo" has had big wins at the Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards, AFI Awards and Producers Guild Awards, the DGA win is a big indicator that the film will also do well at the Academy Awards come February 24.

In fact, according to the LA Times, "only six times since the DGA Awards began in 1948 have the two honors differed" in the Best Director category.

Only problem is that Affleck was "mind-bogglingly" snubbed by the Academy and isn't even nominated in the Best Director category at the Oscars.

Directors Kathryn Bigelow and Tom Hooper, DGA nominees, were also left off the Academy's list.

But Affleck wasn't the only big winner of the night. Lena Dunham was also lauded for "Girls," Rian Johnson for "Breaking Bad" and Jay Roach for "Game Change" were also honored.

See the full list of winners below:

FEATURE FILM

*WINNER BEN AFFLECK
Argo
(Warner Bros. Pictures)

KATHRYN BIGELOW
Zero Dark Thirty
(Columbia Pictures)

TOM HOOPER
Les Miserables
(Universal Pictures)

ANG LEE
Life of Pi
(20th Century Fox)

STEVEN SPIELBERG
Lincoln
(DreamWorks Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox)

DOCUMENTARY FILM

KIRBY DICK
The Invisible War

*WINNER MALIK BENDJELLOUL
Searching For Sugar Man

LAUREN GREENFIELD
The Queen of Versailles

DAVID FRANCE
How To Survive A Plague

ALISON KLAYMAN
Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry

MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES

GREG BERLANTI
Political Animals, “Pilot”
(USA Network)

PHILIP KAUFMAN
Hemingway & Gellhorn
(HBO)

KEVIN REYNOLDS
Hatfields & McCoys
(History)

*WINNER JAY ROACH
Game Change
(HBO)

MICHAEL RYMER
American Horror Story: Asylum, “Dark Cousin”
(FX)

DRAMATIC SERIES

MICHAEL CUESTA
Homeland, “The Choice”
(Showtime)

JENNIFER GETZINGER
Mad Men, “A Little Kiss”
(AMC)

LESLI LINKA GLATTER
Homeland, “Q & A”
(Showtime)

*WINNER RIAN JOHNSON
Breaking Bad, “Fifty-One”
(AMC)

GREG MOTTOLA
The Newsroom, “We Just Decided To”
(HBO)


COMEDY SERIES

LOUIS C.K.
Louie, “New Year’s Eve”
(FX)

MARK CENDROWSKI
The Big Bang Theory, “The Date Night Variable”
(CBS)

BRYAN CRANSTON
Modern Family, “Election Day”
(ABC)

*WINNER LENA DUNHAM
Girls, “Pilot”
(HBO)

BETH MCCARTHY-MILLER
30 Rock, “Live from Studio 6H”
(NBC)

MUSICAL VARIETY

MICHAEL DEMPSEY
12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief
(Multiple Networks/Cable Outlets)

DON ROY KING
Saturday Night Live with Host Mick Jagger
(NBC)

DON MISCHER
84th Annual Academy Awards
(ABC)

CHUCK O’NEIL
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, “#17153”
(Comedy Central)

*WINNER GLENN WEISS
66th Annual Tony Awards
(CBS)


REALITY PROGRAMS

TONY CROLL
America’s Next Top Model, “The Girl Who Becomes America’s Next Top Model”
(CW)

PETER NEY
Face Off, “Scene of the Crime”
(Syfy)

*WINNER BRIAN SMITH
Master Chef, “Episode #305”
(Fox)

J. RUPERT THOMPSON
Stars Earn Stripes, “Amphibious Assault”
(NBC)

TIM WARREN
Ink Master, “Episode 103”
(Spike TV)

DAYTIME SERIALS

ALBERT ALARR
Days Of Our Lives, “11895”
(NBC)

LARRY CARPENTER
General Hospital, “Bad Water”
(ABC)

WILLIAM LUDEL
General Hospital, “Magic Milo”
(ABC)

SCOTT McKINSEY
General Hospital, “Shot Through The Heart”
(ABC)

*WINNER JILL MITWELL
One Life To Live, “Between Heaven and Hell”
(ABC)

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS

STUART GILLARD
Girl vs. Monster
(Disney Channel)

*WINNER PAUL HOEN
Let it Shine
(Disney Channel)

SAVAGE STEVE HOLLAND
Big Time Movie
(Nickelodeon)

JONATHAN JUDGE
Camp Fred
(Nickelodeon)

AMY SCHATZ
Don’t Divorce Me! Kids’ Rules for Parents on Divorce
(HBO)

COMMERCIALS

LANCE ACORD
Park Pictures

Jogger, Nike – Wieden + Kennedy, Portland

The Dog Strikes Back, Volkswagen 2012 – Deutsch LA

Thread, Levi’s – Wieden + Kennedy, Portland

Greatness, Nike – Wieden + Kennedy, Portland

STEVE AYSON
MJZ/The Sweet Shop

Beer Chase, Carlton Draught – Clemenger BBDO/Melbourne

Let Me Go, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Fallon Minneapolis

FREDRIK BOND
MJZ

Surfer, Puma – Droga5

Eternal Optimism, Budweiser – Anomaly

*WINNER ALEJANDRO G. INARRITU
Anonymous Content

Best Job, Proctor and Gamble – Wieden + Kennedy

TOM KUNTZ
MJZ

Terry Crews Muscle Music, Old Spice – Wieden + Kennedy NY

Stray Animals, DirecTV – Grey

Roadside Ditch, DirecTV – Grey

Platoon, DirecTV – Grey, NY

SEE ALSO: Outlawed 'Argo' DVDs are selling by the thousands in Iran >