DGA Awards Winners Announced

The 78th Directors Guild of America Awards honor the year's best directing achievements across film, TV and commercials.

Feb. 7, 2026 at 9:15pm

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The 78th DGA Awards ceremony took place on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton, recognizing outstanding directorial achievements in film, television, and commercials. Notable winners included Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another in the Theatrical Feature Film category, and Sean Baker who won the Drama Series award for Anora.

Why it matters

The DGA Awards are considered a strong indicator of who will win the Best Director Oscar, as the winners have matched for the last five years. The awards also shine a light on rising talent in television directing, with HBO Max's The Pitt and FX's The Bear earning multiple nominations.

The details

A total of 12 competitive categories were awarded, including the marquee Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film race. The nominees in that category featured four of the five Oscar-nominated directors - Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet. The other DGA nominee was Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein.

  • The 78th DGA Awards ceremony took place on Saturday, February 8, 2026.
  • Last year, the big DGA win went to Sean Baker for Anora, who went on to win the Directing Oscar as well.

The players

Paul Thomas Anderson

The director of One Battle After Another, who won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film.

Sean Baker

The director of Anora, who won the DGA Award for Drama Series last year and went on to win the Directing Oscar.

Guillermo del Toro

The director of Frankenstein, who was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film.

Kumail Nanjiani

The host of the 78th DGA Awards ceremony.

David Charles

The associate director/stage manager who received the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, recognizing extraordinary service to the industry and the guild.

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What’s next

The winners of the DGA Awards will be closely watched as indicators of who will take home the Best Director Oscar at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.

The takeaway

The DGA Awards continue to be a prestigious honor that recognizes the top directing talent in film, television, and commercials. The matching of the DGA and Oscar winners in recent years underscores the influence and predictive power of these awards.