Paul Thomas Anderson wins best director Oscar for ‘One Battle After Another’

By Canadian Press on March 15, 2026.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Thomas Anderson has long stood among modern cinema’s most influential filmmakers. Now he has an Oscar to match.

Anderson won the Academy Award for best director for “One Battle After Another,” the sweeping political drama that blends his signature character-driven storytelling with large-scale historical themes.

The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, follows a group of political activists navigating shifting alliances and generational power struggles. Anderson brings the same precise visual style and layered character work that has defined his career.

For more than two decades, Anderson has built one of the most respected bodies of work in American filmmaking. He first broke through with the 1997 film “Boogie Nights,” a sprawling ensemble drama set in the adult film industry that quickly established him as a bold new voice.

He followed with “Magnolia,” “Punch-Drunk Love” and the towering oil-industry epic “There Will Be Blood,” widely considered one of the defining films of the 21st century.

Anderson continued to earn acclaim with “The Master,” “Phantom Thread” and “Licorice Pizza,” films celebrated for their performances, craftsmanship and emotional depth.

Despite multiple nominations across directing and writing categories, Anderson had never won an Oscar for directing until now.

His victory for “One Battle After Another” cements his place among the academy’s most celebrated filmmakers.

Other nominees in the category included Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Chloé Zhao for “Hamnet,” Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value,” and Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme.”

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For more coverage of the Oscars, visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards.

Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press