In a significant ceremony held Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson secured the highest honor at the 78th Directors Guild Awards (DGA) for his work on the film One Battle After Another. This achievement positions Anderson as a favored contender for his first Academy Award for Best Director.
The Directors Guild Awards often serve as an important gauge for the Oscars, with an exceptional track record of predicting winners. Over the past decade, the DGA winner has matched the Oscar recipient for Best Director nine times. Historically, the guild has diverged from the Academy’s choice in this category only eight times over nearly 80 years.
Anderson’s victory is part of a broader sweep for One Battle After Another throughout the awards season. The film has received accolades from various critics’ groups, the Gotham Awards, and the Golden Globes. It currently sits as the presumptive favorite for Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars scheduled for March 15, with Academy voting slated to commence on February 26.
The competition this year included directors Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Guillermo Del Toro for Frankenstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, highlighting a diverse range of acclaimed cinematic works.
During his acceptance speech, Anderson paid tribute to Adam Somner, a late assistant director who passed away in 2024. Reflecting on Somner’s absence, Anderson remarked, “Obviously, we are here tonight, but less one.”
The ceremony was hosted by Kumail Nanjiani and marked the first under the guidance of Christopher Nolan, newly appointed president of the Directors Guild of America. Nolan opened the event by acknowledging the difficulties currently facing filmmakers.
Highlighting the guild’s recent struggles, Nolan disclosed that union employment decreased approximately 40% in 2024, followed by an additional 25% reduction thereafter. Despite steady consumer expenditure on entertainment, Nolan emphasized the need for the industry to ensure its returns on this investment by maintaining audience engagement.
Additional recognitions from the evening included Charlie Polinger winning the Outstanding Directorial Debut Award for The Plague. The award for Best Documentary Direction went to Mstyslav Chernov of Frontline PBS and The Associated Press for 2000 Meters to Andriivka. Furthermore, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were honored for their direction of the comedy series The Studio.