The Directors Guild of America has announced its nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 2025, setting the stage for one of the most competitive awards races in recent years. Winners will be revealed at the 78th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 7, 2026, a ceremony long viewed as a key bellwether for the Oscars.
DGA President Christopher Nolan unveiled the nominees on January 8, highlighting a slate that reflects both large-scale studio filmmaking and distinctive auteur-driven work. “We could not be prouder to recognize the incredible work of this year’s nominees for their dedication to the art of filmmaking,” Nolan said in a statement.
In the top Theatrical Feature Film category, the nominees include Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet. The lineup spans Warner Bros., Netflix, A24, and Focus Features, underscoring the continued parity between traditional studios and streaming-backed prestige titles.
The Michael Apted Award for First-Time Theatrical Feature Film spotlights emerging directors making significant debuts, including Hasan Hadi (The President’s Cake), Harry Lighton (Pillion), Charlie Polinger (The Plague), Alex Russell (Lurker), and Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby), several of whom are already attracting strong industry attention.
Television categories remain a major focus for the Guild, with nominations across Dramatic Series, Comedy Series, Limited and Anthology Series, Movies for Television, Variety, Sports, and Reality. High-profile nominees include Ben Stiller (Severance), Janicza Bravo and Christopher Storer (The Bear), Mike White (The White Lotus), Jason Bateman (Black Rabbit), and Jesse Armstrong (Mountainhead), reflecting the continued dominance of director-driven storytelling on premium platforms.
The DGA also recognized excellence in Commercials, Documentary Film, and Documentary Series, reinforcing the Guild’s expansive view of directing as a craft that spans formats, budgets, and distribution models.
A full list of nominations is below:
Theatrical Feature Film
- Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
- Ryan Coogler — Sinners (Warner Bros.)
- Guillermo del Toro — Frankenstein (Netflix)
- Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme (A24)
- Chloé Zhao — Hamnet (Focus Features)
First-Time Theatrical Feature Film
(Michael Apted Award)
- Hasan Hadi — The President’s Cake (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Harry Lighton — Pillion (A24)
- Charlie Polinger — The Plague (IFC)
- Alex Russell — Lurker (MUBI)
- Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby (A24)
Dramatic Series
- Liza Johnson — The Diplomat, “Amagansett” (Netflix)
- Amanda Marsalis — The Pitt, “6:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)
- Janus Metz — Andor, “Who Are You?” (Disney+)
- Ben Stiller — Severance, “Cold Harbor” (Apple TV+)
- John Wells — The Pitt, “7:00 A.M.” (HBO Max)
Comedy Series
- Lucia Aniello — Hacks, “A Slippery Slope” (HBO Max)
- Janicza Bravo — The Bear, “Worms” (FX on Hulu)
- Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg — The Studio, “The Oner” (Apple TV+)
- Christopher Storer — The Bear, “Bears” (FX on Hulu)
- Mike White — The White Lotus, “Denials” (HBO Max)
Limited & Anthology Series
- Jason Bateman — Black Rabbit, “The Black Rabbits” (Netflix)
- Antonio Campos — The Beast in Me, “Sick Puppy” (Netflix)
- Lesli Linka Glatter — Zero Day, “Episode 6” (Netflix)
- Shannon Murphy — Dying for Sex, “It’s Not That Serious” (FX on Hulu)
- Ally Pankiw — Black Mirror, “Common People” (Netflix)
Movies for Television
- Jesse Armstrong — Mountainhead (HBO Max)
- Stephen Chbosky — Nonnas (Netflix)
- Scott Derrickson — The Gorge (Apple TV+)
- Michael Morris — Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)
- Kyle Newacheck — Happy Gilmore 2 (Netflix)
Variety
- Yvonne De Mare — The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
- Andy Fisher — Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
- Beth McCarthy-Miller — SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (Peacock)
- Liz Patrick — SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
- Paul Pennolino — Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO Max)
Sports
- Matthew Gangl — 2025 World Series, Game 7 (FOX Sports)
- Steve Milton — 2025 Masters Tournament (CBS Sports)
- Rich Russo — Super Bowl LIX (FOX Sports)
Reality / Quiz & Game
- Lucinda M. Margolis — Jeopardy! (Syndicated)
- Adam Sandler — The Price Is Right, “10,000th Episode” (CBS)
- Mike Sweeney — Conan O’Brien Must Go, “Austria” (HBO Max)
Commercials
- Kim Gehrig — Nike, Apple
- Miles Jay — ChatGPT, Meta
- Spike Jonze — Apple AirPods
- Andreas Nilsson — Andrex, Apple, Virgin Media
- Steve Rogers — Amazon, Squarespace, Coinbase
Documentary Film
- Mstyslav Chernov — 2000 Meters to Andriivka (PBS)
- Geeta Gandbhir — The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
- Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni — Cutting Through Rocks
- Elizabeth Lo — Mistress Dispeller (Oscilloscope)
- Laura Poitras & Mark Obenhaus — Cover-Up (Netflix)
Documentary Series / News
- Marshall Curry — SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (Peacock)
- Susan Lacy & Jessica Levin — Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO Max)
- Rebecca Miller — Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV+)
- Alexandria Stapleton — Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix)
- Matt Wolf — Pee-Wee as Himself (HBO Max)
As awards season accelerates, the DGA nominations once again serve as a critical indicator of where industry momentum is heading, not just creatively, but strategically, across film, television, and branded storytelling.
REELated:
“One Battle After Another” tops Critics Choice Awards
