After accumulating 14 Oscar nominations without a win, could this finally be Paul Thomas Anderson’s year for Oscar glory?
It certainly looks promising! At Saturday night’s ceremony in the glamorous Beverly Hilton, the brilliant director behind “One Battle After Another” was awarded the top feature-film prize by the Directors Guild of America. This coveted award is a highly accurate predictor of Academy Award success, with 18 out of the last 20 DGA winners also taking home the Oscar for directing.
During his acceptance speech, Anderson touchingly remarked, “We are up here minus one,” dedicating his win to the late assistant director Adam Somner, who was a longtime collaborator on many of his films, and reflecting on “the love I had with him.”
Anderson triumphed over a formidable group of DGA nominees: Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Guillermo del Toro for “Frankenstein,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” and Chloé Zhao for “Hamnet.” At the upcoming Oscars, Anderson will face the same impressive competition, with the notable exception of del Toro, whose spot will be taken by Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value.”
While Anderson is no stranger to awards season, having been a strong contender for masterpieces like “There Will Be Blood” and “Phantom Thread,” this current season has been exceptionally successful for him. His film, “One Battle After Another,” has consistently swept the top honors at every major ceremony thus far, including the Gotham Awards, the Critics Choice Awards, and the Golden Globes. It’s now widely regarded as the leading contender for the coveted Best Picture Oscar.
Only one film seems poised to challenge “One Battle After Another” for the top spot: Ryan Coogler’s thrilling vampire drama, “Sinners.” This film made history last month by securing an astounding 16 Oscar nominations. If this impressive achievement has injected new life into “Sinners’” awards campaign, the upcoming ceremonies hosted by the producers and actors guilds will be crucial battlegrounds to gauge its momentum.
In other DGA awards, Charlie Polinger was honored with the prize for first-time theatrical filmmaker for his work on “The Plague,” and Mstyslav Chernov’s “2000 Meters to Andriivka” took home the award for documentary feature.
Below is a summary of the key winners.
Film
Feature
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Read the review.
First-Time Feature
Charlie Polinger, “The Plague”
Read the review.
Documentary
Mstyslav Chernov, “2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Read the review.
Television
Drama Series
Amanda Marsalis, “The Pitt,” “6 p.m.”
Comedy Series
Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, “The Studio,” “The Oner”
Limited and Anthology Series
Shannon Murphy, “Dying for Sex,” “It’s Not That Serious”
Movies for Television
Stephen Chbosky, “Nonnas”