Leonardo DiCaprio's ‘One Battle After Another' takes over 2026 DGA Awards

Paul Thomas Anderson stole the spotlight at the 78th Directors Guild of America Awards, taking home the top prize for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for One Battle After Another.

The ceremony at Beverly Hills celebrated the best of directing across movies, TV and documentaries, however, Anderson’s win made it clear that he’s a major force this awards season.

Paul beat tough competition, including Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet.

The filmmaker’s victory highlights One Battle After Another as a standout in this year’s awards season.

The star-studded event also recognised emerging talent, with Charlie Polinger winning for a first-time feature with The Plague and Mstyslav Chernov received the documentary directing award for 2000 Meters to Andriivka.

In television, Amanda Marsalis was honoured for drama directing on The Pitt, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for comedy on The Studio, Shannon Murphy for limited series with Dying for Sex and Stephen Chbosky for Movies for Television with Nonnas.

The DGA Awards celebrated the art of storytelling and direction, showing how talented directors continue to shape both audiences’ hearts and the future of film and television.