Paul Thomas Anderson’s 'One Battle After' another dominates 2026 DGA with major wins

Thomas takes home the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film at the DGA

Paul Thomas Anderson emerged as the night’s biggest winner at the 78th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards, taking home the top honor for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for One Battle After Another.

The ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, celebrated excellence in directing across film, television, documentaries and commercials, and is widely seen as a key indicator in the Oscar race.

Anderson’s win placed him ahead of a competitive field that included Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet. His victory further strengthens One Battle After Another as a major awards-season contender and positions Anderson as a frontrunner heading toward the Academy Awards.

The evening also spotlighted new and established voices across categories. Charlie Polinger won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for a First-Time Theatrical Feature Film for The Plague, while Mstyslav Chernov earned the documentary directing prize for 2000 Meters to Andriivka.

In television, Amanda Marsalis was recognized for drama directing for The Pitt, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg won in the comedy category for The Studio. Shannon Murphy took the limited series directing award for Dying for Sex, and Stephen Chbosky won for Movies for Television with Nonnas.