DGA Award for Scorsese's "The Departed"

Film-maker Martin Scorsese has scored the best feature award from the Directors Guild of America for his commercial gangster thriller "The Departed".

It was the director's first victory after numerous, previous DGA nominations.

The award was presented by Steven Spielberg February 3 at LA's Century Plaza Hotel, based on voting by 13,400 Guild members.

In his acceptance speech, the Roger Corman alumnus (1972's "Boxcar Bertha"), paid tribute to genre film directors Don "Dirty Harry" Seigel and Robert "The Dirty Dozen" Aldrich.