Paul Thomas Anderson, director of One Battle After Another, won the top honour at the Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, reinforcing the film’s status as a strong Oscar favourite.
Anderson, whose film centres on a former revolutionary attempting to protect his teenage daughter when his past resurfaces, claimed the feature film award — widely regarded as a key bellwether for the Academy Awards, which bring the Hollywood awards season to a close.
“It’s a tremendous honour to receive this,” Anderson said as he accepted the prize at the Beverly Hills ceremony.
“We’ll take it with the love with which it’s been given and with appreciation for all our comrades in this room,” he added.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film portrays a timeless version of America in which white supremacists conspire in the shadows, immigration raids sweep through communities, and revolutionary groups take up arms. It has already picked up accolades at both the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes in January.
One Battle After Another heads into the Oscars as the second most-nominated film, with 13 nominations. Only Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller Sinners, which leads with a record 16 nominations, has more. Coogler was also nominated in the feature film category at the Directors Guild Awards.
Anderson was presented with the statuette by Sean Baker, who won the same award last year for his dark comedy Anora, which later went on to secure an Oscar.
Historically, the Directors Guild Awards have closely predicted the Academy Awards, with 20 of the past 22 winners going on to claim the Oscar for best director. The last three winners were for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Oppenheimer and Anora.
Also on Saturday, Oscar-winning Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Mstyslav Chernov won the award for best documentary. His film 2000 Metres to Andriivka follows a Ukrainian platoon attempting to liberate a village occupied by Russian forces, offering a stark insight into the realities of war.
“It’s frightening to live in a world where, instead of holding a camera, you have to take up a gun to defend your home and what you believe in,” Chernov said at the ceremony, hosted by comedian Kumail Nanjiani.
“I want to thank every soldier, every civilian, and every filmmaker who chose, for now, to put down the camera, take up a gun, and fight so that I could have this chance,” he added.
