Alejandro González Iñárritu and Kenny Ortega Win DGA Awards; González Iñárritu Talks About Immigration and Diversity

DGA Award winner Alejandro González Iñárritu.

DGA Award winner Kenny Ortega.

Winners were announced at the 68th annual Director's Guild of America (DGA) Awards in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, February 6, 2016. Last year’s DGA Awards winner Alejandro González Iñárritu repeated this year in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film this year with his work on 20th Century Fox’s The Revenant (he won last year for the feature film Birdman). Kenny Ortega picked up a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Series) for his work on the Disney Channel series "Descendants".

While accepting his award, González Iñárritu, a native of Mexico, spoke about the current climate of immigration in the United States (referencing the controversial remarks made by mogul-turned-reality television star-turned-erstwhile presidental candiate Donald J. Trump) as well as diversity in the arts. 

“When I went as a nominee back there, there was more than 120 Mexicans in the kitchen that serve you hot food, and that was the best party I had.... ¡Viva Mexico!... That’s not the people Donald Trump has described at all, let me tell you.”

Backstage, he added, “The power of this country comes from diversity. This country was impregnated by so many different races and the power of it relies on that. To try to build a wall and stop that is exactly to betray the power of this country, what has been absolutely outstanding, admirable, and unique in the United States.”

See González Iñárritu's acceptance speech in the video below. For more information on the DGA Awards, click here.