Feb 09, 2026 9:01pm IST
Paul Thomas Anderson Sweeps the DGA, Oscars Next?
Paul Thomas Anderson took home the top Directors Guild of America award on February 7, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton. He won for "One Battle After Another," and honestly, that pretty much cements him as the Oscar favorite now. The DGA and Oscar for Best Director have lined up five years straight.
Let’s talk about the film categories. Anderson beat out Coogler, Josh Safdie, Zhao and Guillermo del Toro for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film. Charlie Polinger grabbed the first-time feature prize for "The Plague." Mstyslav Chernov landed the documentary award for "2000 Meters to Andriivka."
This year felt different, directors tackled stories about war and there were more fresh voices than usual. The top film category included a majority of directors from underrepresented backgrounds, only the second time that’s happened at the DGA.
TV had its own standouts. Amanda Marsalis won Drama Series for "The Pitt," riding the show’s Emmy momentum. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg took Comedy Series for "The Studio," just like at the Emmys. Liz Patrick won the Variety award for "SNL50: The Anniversary Special." Historically, these winners tend to do well at the Emmys too.
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For Limited Series, Shannon Murphy took home the prize for Dying for Sex. Rebecca Miller won Documentary Series with "Mr. Scorsese: All This Filming Isn’t Healthy." The winners in these categories tackled tough subjects, health, mortality, legacy and handled them with real skill.
The show had its share of special moments. Kumail Nanjiani hosted. David Charles received the Franklin J. Schaffner Award for service to the guild and Gregory G. McCollum was honored with the Frank Capra Award for his career achievements.
Why does all this matter? The DGA honors the best from 2025 in film, TV and documentaries. With Christopher Nolan now guild president, there’s a focus on all the people behind the scenes, not just the big names. For Oscar watchers, Anderson’s win is a big clue, he’s the one to watch.
The night brought together established names and rising talent, setting the stage for all the debates and predictions that come with awards season.
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