Paul Thomas Anderson cemented his status as the Oscar frontrunner with the top prize at the 78th Directors Guild Of America (DGA) Awards in Beverly Hills on Saturday (February 7) for Warner Bros’ One Battle After Another.
The DGA Awards are a highly reliable Academy Awards bellwether, with all five of the last winners going on to claim the Oscar and only four winners failing to convert in the last 25 years.
Taking to the stage at the Beverly Hilton to collect his first DGA win after three nominations, Anderson paid tribute to Adam Somner, his assistant director who died in 2024.
Anderson earned his first DGA nod in 2007 for There Will Be Blood in 2007 and followed that up with recognition for Licorice Pizza in 2021. Renowned as one of the great living directors, he has never won an Oscar and is nominated for three this year, including adapted screenplay and best picture.
The US filmmaker beat fellow DGA nominees Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Guillermo Del Toro for Frankenstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet.
Charlie Polinger won the Michael Apted award for first-time feature director for hazing drama The Plague, which premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard last year and is distributed in the US through Independent Film Company. He beat nominees including the UK’s Harry Lighton for Pillion, and 2025 breakout Eva Victor for Sorry, Baby.
In the documentary film category, Mstyslav Chernov prevailed with PBS’s 2000 Meters To Andriivka, Ukraine’s Oscar submission this season that did not make the cut in the Academy’s feature documentary nominations.
In the television categories, Amanda Marsalis won best dramatic series for HBO Max’s The Pitt; Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg won comedy series for Apple TV’s The Studio; Shannon Murphy won limited and anthology series for Dying For Sex (It’s Not That Serious) on FX for Hulu; Stephen Chbosky won best movie for television for Netflix’s Nonnas; and Rebecca Miller won documentary series/news for Apple TV’s Mr. Scorsese (All This Filming Isn’t Healthy).
Kumail Nanjiani hosted the DGA ceremony. Guild president Christopher Nolan and his negotiating team will engage with the Alliance Of Motion Picture And Television Producers (AMPTP) when contract renewal talks commence on Monday.
No comments yet