{"id":574544,"date":"2026-02-08T05:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T05:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/574544\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T05:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T05:56:09","slug":"2026-directors-guild-awards-winners-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/574544\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Directors Guild Awards Winners List"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe Directors Guild of America<\/a> recognized the best film, TV and commercial directors of the past year at the 2026 DGA Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeading into Saturday night\u2019s ceremony \u2014 hosted this year by Kumail Nanjiani<\/a> from the Beverly Hilton \u2014 Paul Thomas Anderson\u00a0(One Battle After Another),\u00a0Ryan Coogler\u00a0(Sinners),\u00a0Guillermo Del Toro\u00a0(Frankenstein),\u00a0Josh Safdie\u00a0(Marty Supreme) and Chlo\u00e9 Zhao (Hamnet) were up for the top prize of outstanding directorial achievement in theatrical feature film, in what tends to be a major predictor for the best director category at the Oscars. (At the Oscars though, Sentimental Value\u2018s Joachim Trier is nominated in Del Toro\u2019s place).<\/p>\n

\n\tAnderson took it home, emotionally taking the stage and calling his directing team up to join him. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is an incredible, incredible honor. We\u2019re going to take it with the love that it\u2019s given and the appreciation of all our comrades in this room,\u201d the filmmaker said, but noting \u201cobviously we are up here minus one.\u201d He then paid tribute to first director Adam Somner, who passed away from cancer in November 2024.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe evening saw additional honors handed out to first-time feature filmmakers, as well as in a number of TV categories and special honors for associate director\/stage manager David Charles and assistant director Gregory McCollum. It was also the first show presided over by new DGA president Christopher Nolan<\/a>, who was elected to helm the Hollywood union in September.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe night began with remarks from Nolan \u2014 emphasizing the hard times<\/a> that filmmakers are currently facing \u2014 followed by Nanjiani, who teased, \u201cThank you Chris Nolan for opening for me\u2026 it\u2019s like a dream, inside a dream, inside a dream.\u201d He also joked during his opening bit that directors are \u201cthe greatest communicators on the planet. You can take a complex idea and turn it into something an actor can understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe DGA Awards<\/a> are unique in that each nominee for the theatrical feature film category receives an honorary medallion\u00a0and gets a moment on stage before the winner is announced. Anderson had the first presentation, following words from his One Battle After Another star Leonardo DiCaprio, who paid tribute to how he has given Los Angeles \u201ca cinematic identity that feels almost forensic.\u201d Michael B. Jordan was on hand to present to Coogler, saying, \u201cRyan builds families, not film sets\u201d that leaves actors wanting to work with him again and again; Jacob Elordi made an appearance for Del Toro, telling him, \u201cYou\u2019re the greatest friend a monster could have,\u201d as the filmmaker spotted Nolan in the crowd and joked \u201cI love saying President Nolan\u201d because it was so rare to say a good name after \u201cPresident.\u201d (Anderson jokingly gave another nod to President Nolan in his acceptance speech.)<\/p>\n

\n\tTimoth\u00e9e Chalamet teased Safdie for his recent appearance on The Tonight Show, saying \u201cyour days of self-styling are officially over,\u201d and called him a \u201cquadruple threat\u201d for the many hats he wears on set; Safdie showed off his DGA card on stage and revealed that he reads every DGA magazine front to back. The final presentation came courtesy of Steven Spielberg, who spoke on behalf of Zhao and praised her for bringing Hamnet to life, saying he and their film\u2019s team would \u201cfollow her into a dark forest anytime.\u201d She joked back that she wanted to play a drinking game for every time someone on stage throughout the night shouted out Spielberg as an inspiration, and went on to thank all the storytellers in the room for their \u201ccreative fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Studio<\/a>, The Pitt, Dying for Sex, SNL50, Mr. Scorsese and doc 2000 Meters to Andriivka also notched wins, while The Plague filmmaker Charlie Polinger nabbed a surprise win in the first-time feature category, thanking the collaborators who were willing to take a chance on him. Female directors made a particular splash at the show, topping five categories throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

\n\tCheck out a complete list of this year\u2019s DGA winners below.<\/p>\n

\t\tTheatrical Feature Film\t<\/p>\n

\n\tPaul Thomas Anderson, One\u00a0Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Will Weiske
First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
Second Assistant Director: Trevor Tavares, Ian Stone
Second Second Assistant Director: Dominic Pacitti, Rafael Sanz-Jimenez
Additional Second Assistant Director: Nuekellar Hardy, Chunning Chang, Kit Conners, Kasia Trojak, Tyler Young<\/strong> (WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tRyan Coogler, Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Will Greenfield, Kenneth Yu
First Assistant Director: Marvin Williams
Second Assistant Director: Amir R. Khan
Additional Second Assistant Director: Gregg Carr, Desiree Stevenson<\/p>\n

\n\tGuillermo Del Toro, Frankenstein (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: J. Miles Dale
First Assistant Director: Walter Gasparovic
Second Assistant Director: Chad Belair<\/p>\n

\n\tJosh Safdie, Marty Supreme (A24)
Unit Production Manager: Anthony Katagas, Joe Guest
First Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
Second Assistant Director: Zach Citarella
Second Second Assistant Director: Kailyn Dabkowski
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Max Samu, Suk Yi Mar, Samson Jacobson
Location Manager: Matthew Kania, Ross Brodar<\/p>\n

\n\tChlo\u00e9 Zhao, Hamnet (Focus Features)<\/p>\n

\t\tMichael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film\t<\/p>\n

\n\tHasan Hadi, The President\u2019s Cake (Sony Pictures Classics)
Harry Lighton, Pillion (A24)
Charlie Polinger, The Plague (Independent Film Company) (WINNER)<\/strong>
Alex Russell, Lurker (MUBI)
Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby (A24)<\/p>\n

\t\tDramatic Series\t<\/p>\n

\n\tLiza Johnson, The Diplomat, \u201cAmagansett\u201d (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: John P. Fedynich
First Assistant Director: Adam Escott
Second Assistant Director: Tom Glick
Second Second Assistant Director: Rachel Sikora
Location Manager: Rob Coleman<\/p>\n

\n\tAmanda Marsalis, The Pitt, \u201c6:00 p.m.\u201d (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Michelle Lankwarden
First Assistant Director: Eric Tignini
Second Assistant Director: Kevin Zelman
Second Second Assistant Director: Nicole Jones, Rebecca Rogers, Chloe Huckins
Additional Second Assistant Director: Michelle Akeley<\/strong> (WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tJanus Metz, Andor, \u201cWho Are You?\u201d (Disney+)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Karl Caffrey
First Assistant Director: Sean Guest\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBen Stiller, Severance, \u201cCold Harbor\u201d (Apple TV+)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Caroline Baron
First Assistant Director: Katie Pruitt
Second Assistant Director: Cat McFayden
Second Second Assistant Director: Forrest Viola
Additional Second Assistant Director: Erin Skelly
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Sean Fogel, Alexandra Vivas
Location Manager: Ryan Smith, Grace Kwon<\/p>\n

\n\tJohn Wells, The Pitt, \u201c7:00 a.m.\u201d (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Michelle Lankwarden
First Assistant Director: Eric Tignini
Second Assistant Director: Kevin Zelman
Second Second Assistant Director: Nicole Jones, Rebecca Rogers
Additional Second Assistant Director: Chloe Huckins\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tComedy Series\t<\/p>\n

\n\tLucia Aniello, Hacks, \u201cA Slippery Slope\u201d (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Mark Rabinowitz
First Assistant Director: Jeff Rosenberg
Second Assistant Director: Kirisa Gavrin
Second Second Assistant Director: Alaina Neumann Rafdal
Additional Second Assistant Director: Amy Ergle\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tJanicza Bravo, The Bear, \u201cWorms\u201d (FX on Hulu)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Carrie Holt de Lama, Tyson Bidner
First Assistant Director: Larissa Malarek
Second Assistant Director: Olivia Dame
Second Second Assistant Director: Sof\u00eda Blanco
Location Manager: Maria C. Roxas, Gilbert B. Morales
Assistant Location Manager: Oscar Roxas<\/p>\n

\n\tSeth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, The Studio, \u201cThe Oner\u201d (Apple TV+)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Shawn Dyrdahl
First Assistant Director: Donald Murphy
Second Assistant Director: Peter Dress\u00a0<\/strong> (WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tChristopher Storer, The Bear, \u201cBears\u201d (FX on Hulu)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Carrie Holt de Lama, Tyson Bidner
First Assistant Director: Duccio Fabbri
Second Assistant Director: Larissa Malarek, Olivia Dame
Second Second Assistant Director: Sof\u00eda Blanco
Location Manager: Maria C. Roxas, Gilbert B. Morales
Assistant Location Manager: Oscar Roxas<\/p>\n

\n\tMike White, The White Lotus, \u201cDenials\u201d (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Regina Heyman, Mark Kamine
First Assistant Director: Justin Ritson
Second Assistant Director: Joe Landry
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Aidan Sleeper\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tLimited and Anthology Series\t<\/p>\n

\n\tJason Bateman, Black Rabbit, \u201cThe Black Rabbits\u201d (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Becky Phillips, Erica Kay
First Assistant Director: John Silvestri
Second Assistant Director: Nick Notte
Second Second Assistant Director: Jimmy Rosario, Jilly Blundell
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAntonio Campos, The Beast in Me, \u201cSick Puppy\u201d (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Caroline Baron
First Assistant Director: Tomas Deckaj
Second Assistant Director: Scott Bowers
Second Second Assistant Director: Matt Merksamer, Sean Fogel
Location Manager: Grace Kwon<\/p>\n

\n\tLesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day, \u201cEpisode 6\u201d (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Amy Herman
First Assistant Director: Michael Lerman
Second Assistant Director: Scott Bowers
Second Second Assistant Director: Kaitlin Heins
Additional Second Assistant Director: Davis Woodall
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Mike Buonanno
Location Manager: Ronnie Kupferwasser<\/p>\n

\n\tShannon Murphy, Dying for Sex, \u201cIt\u2019s Not That Serious\u201d (FX on Hulu)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Francesca M. Mannix
First Assistant Director: Julie A. Bloom
Second Assistant Director: Findlay Ward Zotter
Second Second Assistant Director: Kristin Dombroski, Laura E. Rizer\u00a0(WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAlly Pankiw, Black Mirror, \u201cCommon People\u201d (Netflix)
Unit Production Manager: Shawn Williamson<\/p>\n

\t\tMovies for Television\t<\/p>\n

\n\tJesse Armstrong, Mountainhead (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Jill Footlick
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
Second Assistant Director: MarSchelle Walker
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi<\/p>\n

\n\tStephen Chbosky, Nonnas (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Pamela Hirsch, Kara Doherty
First Assistant Director: Chris Surgent
Second Assistant Director: Takahide Kawakami
Second Second Assistant Director: Cary Lee
Location Manager: Tatiana Forster<\/strong> (WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tScott Derrickson, The Gorge (Apple TV+)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Greg Goodman
First Assistant Director: Cliff Lanning
Second Assistant Director: Lee Tailor<\/p>\n

\n\tMichael Morris, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Newacheck, Happy Gilmore 2 (Netflix)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Brittany Sugarman, David Bausch
First Assistant Director: David M. Bernstein
Second Assistant Director: Ryan Robert Howard
Second Second Assistant Director: Kaitlin Heins
Additional Second Assistant Director: Mia Bruno
Location Manager: Louis Zuppardi
Assistant Location Manager: Scott Ferlisi<\/p>\n

\t\tVariety\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYvonne Demare, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, \u201cJulia Roberts; Sam Smith\u201d (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Karen Yaeger
Stage Manager: Mark McKenna, Jeff Leib<\/p>\n

\n\tAndy Fisher, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, \u201cStephen Colbert; Kumail Nanjiani; Rene\u00e9 Rapp\u201d (ABC)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Jeri-Ann Wong, Amy Stober, David Craig
Stage Manager: Alec Potter, Josh Wader, Christian Jensen, Peter Epstein\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBeth McCarthy Miller, SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (Peacock)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Susan Sullivan
Stage Manager: Lynn Finkel, Linda Carrizzo, Joey Despenzero, Phyllis Digilio-Kent, John Esposito, Andrew Feigin, Steve Hollander, Greg Kasoff, Alissa Levisohn Hoyo, Arthur Lewis, Jennifer Marquet, Cyndi Owgang, Jason Pacella, Tammy Raab, Elise Reaves, Cheryl Teetzel-Moore, Niclana Tolmasoff, Bret Warren, Ari Woog\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLiz Patrick, SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Laura Ouziel Mack, Janine DeVito, Amy Mancini, Dan Dome
Stage Manager: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly, Eddie Valk, Peter Epstein, Karen Tasch Weiss, Steve Bautista, Joey Despenzero, Frank Fernandez, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Cyndi Owgang, Elise Reaves, Niclana Tolmasoff, Leslie Williams\u00a0(WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tPaul Pennolino, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, \u201cPublic Media\u201d (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Elliot Mendelson
Stage Manager: Jeff Leib, Mark McKenna, Craig Spinney<\/p>\n

\t\tSports\t<\/p>\n

\n\tMatthew Gangl, 2025 World Series \u2013 Game 7 \u2013 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays (FOX Sports)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Larry Lancaster, Aaron Stojkov, Bryan Colucci
Stage Manager: Dominick Tringali, Dan Frank<\/strong> (WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tSteve Milton, 2025 Masters Tournament \u2013 Augusta National Golf Club (CBS Sports)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Robert Matina, Chris Svendsen, Andy Freedman, Eric Spitzer, Ade Ellis, Tyler Jahn, Josh Weingardt, Brian Maher, Stuart Millstein, Katie Keane, Adam Cohen, Jack Kempner, George Wishart, Dan Obermuller
Stage Manager: Cory Fishman<\/p>\n

\n\tRich Russo, Super Bowl LIX \u2013 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs (FOX Sports)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Rich Gross, Casey Garland<\/p>\n

\t\tReality \/ Quiz and Game\t<\/p>\n

\n\tLucinda M. Margolis, Jeopardy!, \u201cEp. 9341\u201d (Syndicated)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Chloe Corwin
Stage Manager: James F. McGuire\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAdam Sandler, The Price is Right, \u201c10,000th\u00a0Episode\u201d (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Jazmin Eckenberg
Stage Manager: Steven Hollander, Jason Galland, Alex Weston<\/p>\n

\n\tMike Sweeney, Conan O\u2019Brien Must Go, \u201cAustria\u201d (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Jason Chillemi<\/strong> (WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\tCommercials\t<\/p>\n

\n\tKim Gehrig (Somesuch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

You Can\u2019t Win. So Win. \u2013 Nike | Wieden+Kennedy
Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: Peter Jackson, John Mattern
Second Assistant Director: Melina Greene
Second Second Assistant Director: Chelsea Meador
\u00a0
I\u2019m Not Remarkable \u2013 Apple | Client Direct
First Assistant Director: Guy Forgaard
Second Assistant Director: Amanda Johnson
Second Second Assistant Director: Michael Dudley, Clyde Broom (WINNER)<\/p>\n

\n\tMiles Jay (Smuggler)<\/p>\n

Dish \u2013 ChatGPT | Isle of Any
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Yianni Papadopoulos
First Assistant Director: George Nessis
Second Assistant Director: Rachel Obering
Second Second Assistant Director: Reed Baum<\/p>\n

Pull Up \u2013 ChatGPT | Isle of Any
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Yianni Papadopoulos
First Assistant Director: George Nessis
Second Assistant Director: Rachel Obering
Second Second Assistant Director: Reed Baum
\u00a0
Trip \u2013 ChatGPT | Isle of Any
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Yianni Papadopoulos
First Assistant Director: George Nessis
Second Assistant Director: Julia Blanford
Second Second Assistant Director: K.J. Walsh
\u00a0
Home for the Holidays \u2013 Meta | Droga5
Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: David Webb<\/p>\n

\n\tSecret Santa \u2013 Meta | Droga5
Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: David Webb \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSpike Jonze (MJZ)<\/p>\n

Someday \u2013 Apple Airpods 4 | TBWA\\Media Arts Lab
Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: Steve Danton, Kate Greenberg
Second Assistant Director: Matthew Dennis Smith
Second Second Assistant Director: Amy Hughes, Carly Sturgeon<\/p>\n

Andreas Nilsson (Biscuit Filmworks)<\/p>\n

Conquer the First School Poo \u2013 Andrex | FCB London
\u00a0
Garrett \u2013 Apple iPhone 16 Pro | Client Direct
Unit Production Manager: James Veal
First Assistant Director: George Nessis
Second Assistant Director: Reed Baum<\/p>\n

\n\tBig Flex \u2013 Apple iPhone 16 Pro | Client Direct
Unit Production Manager: James Veal
First Assistant Director: George Nessis
Second Assistant Director: Reed Baum<\/p>\n

\n\tTrunk Trucker \u2013 Virgin Media | VCCP London<\/p>\n

Steve Rogers (Biscuit Filmworks)<\/p>\n

Bring a Book to Life \u2013 Amazon | Droga5 London<\/p>\n

A Tale as Old as Websites \u2013 Squarespace| Client Direct<\/p>\n

Everything is Fine \u2013 Coinbase | Mother London<\/p>\n

\t\tDocumentary Film\t<\/p>\n

\n\tMstyslav Chernov, 2000 Meters to Andriivka (PBS) (WINNER)<\/strong>
Geeta Gandbhir, The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, Cutting Through Rocks (Assembly Releasing)
Elizabeth Lo, Mistress Dispeller (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, Cover-Up (Netflix)<\/p>\n

\t\tDocumentary Series \/ News\t<\/p>\n

\n\tMarshall Curry, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, \u201cWritten By: A Week Inside the SNL Writers Room\u201d (Peacock)
Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, \u201cPart Two\u201d (HBO Max)
Rebecca Miller, Mr. Scorsese, \u201cAll This Filming Isn\u2019t Healthy\u201d (Apple TV+) (WINNER)<\/strong>
Alexandra Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, \u201cOfficial Girl\u201d (Netflix)
Matt Wolf, Pee-Wee as Himself, \u201cPart 1\u201d (HBO Max)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Directors Guild of America recognized the best film, TV and commercial directors of the past year at…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":574545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[5800,225285,249515,129610,171,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-574544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-awards","9":"tag-dga-awards","10":"tag-dga-awards-2026","11":"tag-directors-guild-of-america","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116033472861981400","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}