Overview
- Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme) and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) will compete for the DGA’s top film honor.
- Hasan Hadi (The President’s Cake), Harry Lighton (Pillion), Charlie Polinger (The Plague), Alex Russell (Lurker) and Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby) are nominated for the Michael Apted first‑time feature award, with Hadi’s film serving as Iraq’s Oscar submission.
- Del Toro and Zhao are past DGA winners, Anderson earns his third nod, and Coogler and Safdie receive their first nominations, with Coogler becoming only the fifth Black director recognized by the guild.
- The slate leans toward U.S. studio releases—Warner Bros. secured two of the five spots—while internationally acclaimed filmmakers such as Joachim Trier and Park Chan-wook were notable omissions.
- Historically one of the strongest predictors of the Academy Awards, the DGA will announce winners on Feb. 7 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.