The 2026 Directors Guild of America Awards, held Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, served a powerful indicator for the upcoming Academy Awards, with acclaimed auteur Paul Thomas Anderson taking home the night’s top prize for his work on the epic One Battle After Another.
A Major Step Towards Oscar Gold
Entering the evening as the undeniable frontrunner for both the DGA and the Oscar for Best Director, Anderson’s victory solidifies his frontrunner status in this year’s competitive awards season. The DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film is widely considered the most reliable bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Historically, the DGA winner has only failed to win the Academy Award on eight occasions in the past 77 years, with the winning film also claiming Best Picture over 75% of the time.
Anderson triumphed over a formidable slate of nominees that included Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet. Notably, the Academy’s directorial nominations mirrored the DGA’s shortlist with one key exception: Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) rounded out the Oscar five, replacing del Toro.
Celebrating First-Time Feature Directors and Powerful Documentaries
The Michael Apted Award for First-Time Theatrical Feature Film was presented to Charlie Polinger for The Plague, who beat out fellow newcomers Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby) and Harry Lighton (Pillion).
In the documentary category, Mstyslav Chernov earned the award for his harrowing war film, 2000 Meters to Andriivka. This marks Chernov’s second profound cinematic exploration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, following his acclaimed 20 Days in Mariupol.
Television’s Top Directing Honors
The small screen’s highest directing honors were distributed across a wide range of genres and platforms. Amanda Marsalis won for Dramatic Series for the tense episode “6:00 P.M.” of the hit show The Pitt. The comedy series category was won by the dynamic duo of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for their work on The Studio.
Other television winners included:
- Limited Series & Anthology: Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex, “It’s Not That Serious”
- Movies for Television: Stephen Chbosky, Nonnas
- Variety Special: Liz Patrick, SNL50: The Anniversary Special
- Reality/Quiz & Games: Mike Sweeney, Conan O’Brien Must Go
- Documentary/News: Rebecca Miller, Mr. Scorsese, “All This Filming Isn’t Healthy”
- Sports: Matthew Gangl, 2025 World Series – Game 7 – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays
A Night of Leadership and Legacy
Hosted by comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani, the ceremony also served as the first presided over by newly elected DGA President Christopher Nolan. The new leadership became a running joke, with Guillermo del Toro quipping during his acceptance, “I love saying ‘President Nolan.’ It’s so good saying ‘president’ with a good word after it.”
The event also paid continuous tribute to legendary director Steven Spielberg, who was in attendance not as a nominee but as a producer of Hamnet and a presenter. Special achievement awards were given to David Charles (Franklin Schaffner Award) and Gregory McCollum (Frank Capra Award) for their contributions to the industry.
Complete List of 2026 Directors Guild Award Winners
- Theatrical Feature Film: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
- First-Time Theatrical Feature Film: Charlie Polinger, The Plague
- Documentary: Mstyslav Chernov, 2000 Meters to Andriivka
- Dramatic Series: Amanda Marsalis, The Pitt, “6:00 P.M.”
- Comedy Series: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, The Studio
- Limited Series & Anthology: Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex, “It’s Not That Serious”
- Movies for Television: Stephen Chbosky, Nonnas
- Variety Special: Liz Patrick, SNL50: The Anniversary Special
- Sports: Matthew Gangl, 2025 World Series – Game 7
- Reality/Quiz and Game: Mike Sweeney, Conan O’Brien Must Go
- Documentary/News: Rebecca Miller, Mr. Scorsese, “All This Filming Isn’t Healthy”
- Commercials: Kim Gehrig (Somesuch) for spots including Nike’s “You Can’t Win. So Win.” and Apple’s “I’m Not Remarkable.”
