The 78th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards—honouring the finest directorial achievements of 2025—were held on February 7, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Comedian-actor Kumail Nanjiani hosted the ceremony before an audience of more than 1,000 guests, with presenters including Timothée Chalamet, Sean Baker, Yvette Nicole Brown, D’arcy Carden and more.
Theatrical Feature Film: Paul Thomas Anderson Takes the Top Prize
In the night’s biggest category, Paul Thomas Anderson won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures).
It was Anderson’s third DGA nomination in this category—and first win—following earlier nominations for There Will Be Blood and Licorice Pizza. His credited directorial team included Unit Production Manager Will Weiske and First Assistant Director Adam Somner, among others.
Nominees in the feature-film category included Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet).
First-Time Feature: Charlie Polinger Wins for The Plague
The Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film went to Charlie Polinger for The Plague.
Television Highlights: The Pitt and The Studio Shine
In Dramatic Series, Amanda Marsalis won for The Pitt (“6:00 P.M.”) on HBO Max.
In Comedy Series, Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg won for The Studio (“The Oner”)—notably on Apple TV (not Netflix).
Other key TV wins included:
- Limited & Anthology Series: Shannon Murphy — Dying for Sex (“It’s Not That Serious”) (FX on Hulu)
- Movies for Television: Stephen Chbosky — Nonnas (Netflix)
- Variety: Liz Patrick — SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
- Sports: Matthew Gangl — 2025 World Series – Game 7 (FOX Sports)
- Reality / Quiz & Game: Mike Sweeney — Conan O’Brien Must Go (“Austria”) (HBO Max)
Documentary Winners
The DGA Documentary Film prize went to Mstyslav Chernov for 2000 Meters to Andriivka (PBS).
In Documentary Series / News, Rebecca Miller won for Mr. Scorsese (“All This Filming Isn’t Healthy”) on Apple TV.
Special Honours
The DGA also recognised industry service and career achievement: David Charles received the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, and Gregory G. McCollum received the Frank Capra Achievement Award.
Why the DGA Win Matters Heading Into the Oscars
The DGA’s top feature prize is one of the most closely watched Oscar bellwethers: historically, the DGA feature winner has aligned with the Academy’s Best Director winner in the vast majority of years.
—By Manoj H