NEW YORK – Celebrated filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson clinched the top honor at the 78th Directors Guild Awards, positioning his film “One Battle After Another” as a strong contender for the upcoming Oscars.

The prestigious DGA Awards, held on Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, have long been regarded as a bellwether for the Academy Awards. Over the past decade, nine out of the ten DGA winners have subsequently taken home the Oscar for best director. Throughout its nearly 80-year history, the guild has only failed to predict the Oscar winner eight times.

This accolade further cements the awards-season dominance of “One Battle After Another,” which has already garnered acclaim from critics’ groups, as well as victories at the Gotham Awards and the Golden Globes. The film is now considered a front-runner for the best picture at the Oscars on March 15, with Academy voting set to commence on February 26.

Anderson was up against a notable group of nominees, including Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Guillermo Del Toro for “Frankenstein,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” and Chloé Zhao for “Hamnet.”

In his acceptance speech, Anderson paid homage to his late assistant director Adam Somner, who passed away in 2024, saying, “Obviously, we are up here minus one.”

The ceremony, hosted by Kumail Nanjiani, marked the first under the leadership of the new Directors Guild of America president, Christopher Nolan. He opened the event by acknowledging the “very hard times” filmmakers are currently facing.

“In 2024, our employment in our guild was down about 40%, and that was followed by another decline in ’25,” said Nolan. “The amount of money that people spend on our work, on entertainment, is very, very stable. Audiences are invested in us, we have to be sure that we’re able to repay that investment.”

Other winners Saturday included “The Plague” filmmaker Charlie Polinger for first-time director; “2000 Meters to Andriivka” director Mstyslav Chernov for best documentary filmmaking; and “The Studio” directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for comedy series.