Paul Thomas Anderson Wins Best Director Oscar

0:00It's March 16th. Here's your Durham News in 2 Minutes. Paul Thomas Anderson took home the best director Oscar at the 2026 Academy Awards for his film One Battle After Another. The win came during the ceremony on Sunday, March 15th, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. At 55 years old, this marked his first victory in the category after three prior nominations. The other nominees included Chloe Zhao, for Hamnet, Josh Safty for Marty Supreme, Joaquin Trier for Sentimental Value, and Ryan Kugler for Sinners. Safty led with four total nominations that year, while Anderson and Kugler each had three. Zhao and Trier picked up two apiece. In his acceptance speech, Anderson joked about how hard he had to work for the award and express deep gratitude. He praised his fellow nominees as an outstanding group and noted his own second win of the Knight Invest Adapted Screenplay. Leading up to the Oscars, Anderson dominated the directing race. He won at the Golden Globes in January, beating Zhao, Trier, Kugler, and others.

1:05He also claimed top honors at the Critics' Choice Awards and the BAFTA Awards. Zhao stood out as the only prior Oscar winner among the directors, with two from No Madland in 2021. Anderson has 14 career nominations overall, while he used part of his speech to honor his lay collaborator, Adam Somner, who died from cancer in November, 2024. This DNA story comes to you thanks to our sponsor. A pillow that plays your sound quietly, comfortably, effortlessly, built for nighttime listening, O-L-I-SoliPillow.com.