Argo’s tremendous late awards season surge continued apace on Saturday [2] as Ben Affleck won the DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Films.

Affleck famously missed out on an Academy Award nod last month and becomes only the third director to triumph at the DGAs without an Oscar nomination. The other two were Ron Howard for Apollo 13 in 1995 and Steven Spielberg for The Color Purple in 1986.

The result caps a fine week for Argo following a best picture win at the PGA awards and best cast prize at the SAG awards last weekend.

Affleck, nominated for the first time by the DGA, prevailed over fellow DGA nominees Spielberg, Ang Lee, Kathryn Bigelow and Tom Hooper.

Search For Sugar Man director Malik Bendjelloul was named best documentary director.