Iñarritu’s “The Revenant” Wins Him Top Honor at Directors Guild Awards

The moviemaker repeated last year’s triumph, when he also received the best director DGA honor for “Birdman,” which went on to win Oscars for best picture and best director.

Iñarritu said that he did not expect to win and told the specialized Deadline media outlet that he felt like a “deer” caught in the headlights by the honor.

“When I returned here as a nominee, there were more than 120 Mexicans in the kitchen serving food and this is the best party I’ve had. Viva Mexico. It’s not at all like people such as Donald Trump have described, let me tell you,” said Iñarritu.

“This hug, this embrace you (my peers) are giving me today goes to a small country, to a whole Latin American community in this country,” he said, thanking his family and, in particular, remembering his late father.

Iñarritu competed for the best director prize with Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”), Adam McKay (“The Big Short”), George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) and Ridley Scott (“The Martian”).

This was Iñarritu’s fourth nomination for a DGA prize, the others being for “Birdman,” “Babel” and “Best Job,” a television ad.

“The Revenant” has picked up 12 Oscar nominations, after receiving three Golden Globes awards for best dramatic film, best director and best actor (Leonardo DiCaprio).

The Directors Guild Awards are usually a good barometer for the Oscars, which will be presented on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles.