Paul Thomas Anderson has cemented his status as the Oscar frontrunner, taking home the top honour at the 78th annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards in Beverly Hills, per variety.com.
The filmmaker won the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for his action epic One Battle After Another. The DGA prize is widely considered the most accurate barometer for the Best Director category at the Academy Awards; the guild has correctly predicted the Oscar winner in all but eight instances since its inception.
During his acceptance speech, Anderson paid tribute to his late assistant director, Adam Somner, who passed away in 2024. The win follows a dominant awards season for Anderson, who has already secured 32 individual directing trophies and a rare “clean sweep” of the four major critics’ prizes.
In the television categories, Amanda Marsalis claimed the Dramatic Series prize for The Pitt (HBO Max), beating out veteran executive producer John Wells.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg took home the Comedy Series award for the “The Oner” episode of The Studio (Apple TV+). The duo dedicated their win to the late comedy legend and co-star Catherine O’Hara, describing her as a “genius” and a childhood idol.
Other notable TV winners included: for Limited Series: Shannon Murphy (Dying for Sex), Variety Special: Liz Patrick (SNL50: The Anniversary Special), TV Movie: Stephen Chbosky (Nonnas) and Reality/Game Show: Mike Sweeney (Conan O’Brien Must Go).
The 78th DGA Awards marked a significant milestone for diversity. This year’s ceremony was only the second time in history that a majority of the five nominees in the top theatrical category hailed from underrepresented communities. Anderson shared the nominations shortlist with Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme) and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet).
The evening, hosted by comedian Kumail Nanjiani, also recognised industry service. DGA President Christopher Nolan opened the ceremony, which included the presentation of the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award to David Charles and the Frank Capra Achievement Award to Gregory G. McCollum.
•Featured image by Getty Images for DGA
