{"id":169711,"date":"2026-02-08T22:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T22:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/169711\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T22:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T22:59:09","slug":"paul-thomas-anderson-wins-directors-guild-award-for-one-battle-after-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/169711\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Thomas Anderson wins Directors Guild Award for ‘One Battle After Another’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a widely anticipated outcome that felt like a long-overdue coronation, Paul Thomas Anderson<\/a> won the top honor at Saturday\u2019s Directors Guild of America Awards for his Thomas Pynchon-inspired political thriller \u201cOne Battle After Another.\u201d<\/a> The ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.<\/p>\n

It was the director\u2019s first DGA win after two prior nominations, in 2008 for \u201cThere Will Be Blood\u201d<\/a> and in 2022 for his San Fernando Valley reminiscence \u201cLicorice Pizza.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

Speaking at the podium after receiving the award from last year\u2019s winner, \u201cAnora\u201d<\/a> director Sean Baker<\/a>, a humbled Anderson thanked the guild, mentioning recent EGOT winner Steven Spielberg, sitting in the audience right in front of him. \u201cIt reminds me, being in this room, of \u2018Close Encounters,\u2019 \u201d Anderson said. \u201cWe\u2019re all brought here for a reason \u2014 some cosmic thing brought us to this room. It was that call to the mountain. It\u2019s that feeling that we all love making s\u2014 and we need to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson also devoted much of his speech to remembering his first-assistant director Adam Somner, who died from thyroid cancer in November 2024. \u201cMay you be blessed with the relationship I had with him,\u201d the director said, \u201cand if you have one already, hold them close and remind them that you love them.\u201d<\/p>\n

True to tradition, the evening was both a celebration of achievements in directing and an occasion for much pro-guild testifying \u2014 from nominees, winners and Christopher Nolan<\/a>, presiding over his first ceremony as DGA president. \u201cWe are the best at what we do,\u201d Nolan said, touching on last year\u2019s 40% dip in DGA member employment with a note of solidarity and urgency. \u201cWe are the storytellers. We are the people who have to innovate.\u201d<\/p>\n

All five nominees for theatrical feature film are invited to give a speech during these annual awards, with the eventual winner speaking twice. Guillermo del Toro<\/a>, up for his personal take on \u201cFrankenstein,\u201d<\/a> saluted Nolan: \u201cI love saying \u2018President Nolan\u2019 because it\u2019s so good to say \u2018President\u2019 with a good word after it,\u201d he cracked to hearty applause. (The joke was echoed by several podium speakers.)<\/p>\n

Ryan Coogler<\/a>, a DGA nominee for \u201cSinners,\u201d<\/a> thanked the guild for his health insurance and mentioned his longtime dream \u2014 not of filmmaking but of joining a union, like some of the adults in his life growing up. <\/p>\n

\u201cLately I\u2019ve been learning about alchemy, \u201c said Chlo\u00e9 Zhao<\/a>, representing \u201cHamnet,\u201d<\/a> her domestic drama about the grief-stricken family life of William Shakespeare. \u201cYou need fire and you need a chalice. To me, that fire is my creativity. It\u2019s my birthright to create. And that chalice is the community that holds me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indicating the respect the DGA commands among actors, several A-listers attended the ceremony to introduce their directors: Leonardo DiCaprio for Anderson, Jacob Elordi for Del Toro and Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, the latter celebrating his \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d<\/a> director Josh Safdie<\/a> with sincerity and gentle deprecation. \u201cI don\u2019t think Josh will ever be \u2018institutional,\u2019 \u201d Chalamet said. \u201cI think Josh will forever be an insurgent filmmaker and I don\u2019t think the world would be right otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Oscar victory path is now clear for Anderson, previously nominated for the academy\u2019s directing honor three times, for \u201cThere Will Be Blood,\u201d \u201cPhantom Thread\u201d and \u201cLicorice Pizza,\u201d but never a winner. Twenty of the last 23 recipients of the DGA\u2019s top prize have gone on to take the Oscar for directing.<\/p>\n

Here is a complete list of the night\u2019s nominees, with winners in bold:<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in theatrical feature film<\/p>\n

Paul Thomas Anderson, \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ryan Coogler, \u201cSinners\u201d (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guillermo del Toro, \u201cFrankenstein\u201d (Netflix)
Josh Safdie, \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d (A24)
Chlo\u00e9 Zhao, \u201cHamnet\u201d (Focus Features)<\/p>\n

Michael Apted Award for outstanding directorial achievement in first-time theatrical feature film<\/p>\n

Charlie Polinger, \u201cThe Plague\u201d (Independent Film Co.)
Hasan Hadi, \u201cThe President\u2019s Cake\u201d (Sony Pictures Classics)
Harry Lighton, \u201cPillion\u201d (A24)
Alex Russell, \u201cLurker\u201d (Mubi)
Eva Victor, \u201cSorry, Baby\u201d (A24)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in documentary<\/p>\n

Mstyslav Chernov, \u201c2000 Meters to Andriivka\u201d (PBS)
Geeta Gandbhir, \u201cThe Perfect Neighbor\u201d (Netflix)
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, \u201cCutting Through Rocks\u201d (Assembly Releasing)
Elizabeth Lo, \u201cMistress Dispeller\u201d (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, \u201cCover-Up\u201d (Netflix)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in dramatic series<\/p>\n

Amanda Marsalis, \u201cThe Pitt,\u201d \u201c6:00 P.M.\u201d (HBO Max)
Liza Johnson, \u201cThe Diplomat,\u201d \u201cAmagansett\u201d (Netflix)
Janus Metz, \u201cAndor,\u201d \u201cWho Are You?\u201d (Disney+)
Ben Stiller, \u201cSeverance,\u201d \u201cCold Harbor\u201d (Apple TV+)
John Wells, \u201cThe Pitt,\u201d \u201c7:00 A.M.\u201d (HBO Max)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in comedy series<\/p>\n

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, \u201cThe Studio,\u201d \u201cThe Oner\u201d (Apple TV+)
Lucia Aniello, \u201cHacks,\u201d \u201cA Slippery Slope\u201d (HBO Max)
Janicza Bravo, \u201cThe Bear,\u201d \u201cWorms\u201d (FX on Hulu)
Christopher Storer, \u201cThe Bear,\u201d \u201cBears\u201d (FX on Hulu)
Mike White, \u201cThe White Lotus,\u201d \u201cDenials\u201d (HBO Max)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in limited and anthology series<\/p>\n

Shannon Murphy, \u201cDying for Sex,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Not That Serious\u201d (FX on Hulu)
Jason Bateman, \u201cBlack Rabbit,\u201d \u201cThe Black Rabbits\u201d (Netflix)
Antonio Campos, \u201cThe Beast in Me,\u201d \u201cSick Puppy\u201d (Netflix)
Lesli Linka Glatter, \u201cZero Day,\u201d \u201cEpisode 6\u201d (Netflix)
Ally Pankiw, \u201cBlack Mirror,\u201d \u201cCommon People\u201d (Netflix)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in movies for television<\/p>\n

Stephen Chbosky, \u201cNonnas\u201d (Netflix)
Jesse Armstrong, \u201cMountainhead\u201d (HBO Max)
Scott Derrickson, \u201cThe Gorge\u201d (Apple TV+)
Michael Morris, \u201cBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy\u201d (Peacock)
Kyle Newacheck, \u201cHappy Gilmore 2\u201d (Netflix)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in variety<\/p>\n

Liz Patrick, \u201cSNL50: The Anniversary Special\u201d (NBC)
Yvonne De Mare, \u201cThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert,\u201d \u201cJulia Roberts; Sam Smith\u201d (CBS)
Andy Fisher, \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!,\u201d \u201cStephen Colbert; Kumail Nanjiani; Rene\u00e9 Rapp\u201d (ABC)
Beth McCarthy-Miller, \u201cSNL50: The Homecoming Concert\u201d (Peacock)
Paul Pennolino, \u201cLast Week Tonight With John Oliver,\u201d \u201cPublic Media\u201d (HBO Max)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in sports<\/p>\n

Matthew Gangl, 2025 World Series \u2013 Game 7 \u2013 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Fox Sports)
Steve Milton, 2025 Masters Tournament \u2013 Augusta National Golf Club (CBS Sports)
Rich Russo, Super Bowl LIX \u2013 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Fox Sports)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in reality \/ quiz & game<\/p>\n

Mike Sweeney, \u201cConan O\u2019Brien Must Go,\u201d \u201cAustria\u201d (HBO Max)
Lucinda M. Margolis, \u201cJeopardy!,\u201d \u201cEp. 9341\u201d (Syndicated)
Adam Sandler, \u201cThe Price Is Right,\u201d \u201c10,000th Episode\u201d (CBS)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in documentary series \/ news<\/p>\n

Rebecca Miller, \u201cMr. Scorsese,\u201d \u201cAll This Filming Isn\u2019t Healthy\u201d (Apple TV+)
Marshall Curry, \u201cSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,\u201d \u201cWritten By: A Week Inside the SNL Writers Room\u201d (Peacock)
Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, \u201cBilly Joel: And So It Goes,\u201d \u201cPart Two\u201d (HBO Max)
Alexandra Stapleton, \u201cSean Combs: The Reckoning,\u201d \u201cOfficial Girl\u201d (Netflix)
Matt Wolf, \u201cPee-Wee as Himself,\u201d \u201cPart 1\u201d (HBO Max)<\/p>\n

Outstanding directorial achievement in commercials<\/p>\n

Kim Gehrig (Somesuch), \u201cYou Can\u2019t Win. So Win.\u201d \u2013 Nike | Wieden+Kennedy
Miles Jay (Smuggler)
Spike Jonze (MJZ)
Andreas Nilsson (Biscuit Filmworks)
Steve Rogers (Biscuit Filmworks)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a widely anticipated outcome that felt like a long-overdue coronation, Paul Thomas Anderson won the top honor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":169712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[49037,56982,37181,29454,45589,25320,3558,21526,48,52,51,47,50,49,9233,2219,66788,9455,81416,81415,218],"class_list":["post-169711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-a24","tag-anderson","tag-apple-tv","tag-cbs","tag-fx","tag-guillermo-del-toro","tag-hbo-max","tag-hulu","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-netflix","tag-nominee","tag-paul-thomas-anderson","tag-peacock","tag-president-nolan","tag-snl50","tag-winner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}