With Oscars voting in full swing, and awards season entering its final stretch, tonight’s Directors Guild of America Awards marked one of the last benchmarks in a tight race for Best Director. Presented the evening’s top prize by last year’s winner Sean Baker (“Anora”), Paul Thomas Anderson took home the honor in the Theatrical Feature Film category for “One Battle After Another.”
Coming on the heels of the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards (but ahead of the Indie Spirit Awards next weekend), the 78th annual DGA ceremony clarified where filmmakers Anderson, Chloé Zhao (“Hamnet”), Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”), and Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”) presently stand on the podium they’ll share with Joachim Trier (“Sentimental Value”) at the 98th Academy Awards. Also competing in the 2026 DGA theatrical feature film category was Guillermo del Toro (“Frankenstein”).
Historically, the DGA doesn’t always mirror the Academy’s final Best Director lineup, but its winners often help define momentum heading into Oscars night. This year’s guild honorees reflected marquee auteurs as well as an eclectic slate of first-time directors, including Hasan Hadi (“The President’s Cake”), Harry Lighton (“Pillion”), Alex Russell (“Lurker”), and Eva Victor (“Sorry, Baby”), and race winner Charlie Polinger (“The Plague”). IndieWire’s Marcus Jones was on the ground at the Beverly Hilton.
Keep reading for the complete list of nominees and winners at the 2026 DGA Awards.
THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein”
Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”
FIRST-TIME THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM
Hasan Hadi, “The President’s Cake”
Harry Lighton, “Pillion”
WINNER: Charlie Polinger, “The Plague”
Alex Russell, “Lurker”
Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby”
DRAMATIC SERIES
Liza Johnson, “The Diplomat”
WINNER: Amanda Marsalis, “The Pitt”
Janus Metz, “Andor”
Ben Stiller, “Severance”
John Wells, “The Pitt”
COMEDY SERIES
Lucia Aniello, “Hacks”
Janicza Bravo, “The Bear”
WINNER: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, “The Studio”
Christopher Storer, “The Bear”
Mike White, “The White Lotus”
LIMITED & ATHOLOGY SERIES
Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit”
Antonio Campos, “The Beast in Me”
Lesli Linka Glatter, “Zero Day”
WINNER: Shannon Murphy, “Dying for Sex”
Ally Pankiw, “Black Mirror”
MOVIES FOR TELEVISION
Jesse Armstrong, “Mountainhead”
WINNER: Stephen Chbosky, “Nonnas”
Scott Derrickson, “The Gorge”
Michael Morris, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
Kyle Newacheck, “Happy Gilmore 2”
VARIETY
Yvonne De Mare, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
Andy Fisher, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Beth McCarthy-Miller, “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert”
WINNER: Liz Patrick, “SNL50: The Anniversary Special”
Paul Pennolino, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
SPORTS
WINNER: Matthew Gangl, 2025 World Series
Steve Milton, 2025 Masters Tournament
Rich Russo, Super Bowl LIX
REALITY — QUIZ & GAME
Lucinda M. Margolis, “Jeopardy!”
Adam Sandler, “The Price is Right”
WINNER: Mike Sweeney, “Conan O’Brien Must Go”
COMMERCIALS
WINNER: Kim Gehrig
Miles Jay
Spike Jonze
Andreas Nilsson
Steve Rogers
DOCUMENTARY
WINNER: Mstyslav Chernov, “2000 Meters to Andriivk”
Geeta Gandbhir, “The Perfect Neighbor”
Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, Eyni Sara Khaki, and Mohammad Reza Eyni, “Cutting Through Rocks”
Elizabeth Lo, “Mistress Dispeller”
Mark Obenhaus and Laura Poitras, “Cover-Up”
DOCUMENTARY SERIES – NEWS
Marshall Curry, “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night”
Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes”
WINNER: Rebecca Miller, “Mr. Scorsese”
Alexandria Stapleton, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning”
Matt Wolf, “Pee-wee as Himself”
