Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DGA
THE 2026 DGA AWARDS WEREN’T ABOUT WINNING—THEY WERE A SHOCKING, GRAVE-SIDE VIGIL where Hollywood’s elite EXPOSED the industry’s DARK, GRIM TRUTH: FILM SETS ARE BECOMING BODY BAGS. As Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg collected their comedy trophy, they delivered a TERRIFYING eulogy for the late Catherine O’Hara, a sickening reminder that even icons are MORTAL. But the REAL horror came from Paul Thomas Anderson. Accepting for One Battle After Another, he revealed the BRUTAL, HIDDEN COST of filmmaking: the life of First AD Adam Somner, dead from thyroid cancer. Anderson’s haunting words—”Think about this work… how dangerous it can be, REALLY DANGEROUS”—weren’t about stunts; they were a SOUL-SHATTERING admission that the relentless grind of production can LITERALLY KILL.
This was no celebration. It was a WAKE. While the industry pats itself on the back, its brightest stars stood on stage BEGGING for recognition of the LOST. The speeches painted a picture of a Hollywood that DEVOURS its own, where ‘safety’ is a tragic punchline and every award is TEMPERED BY LOSS. Is this the price of art? Are the films we stream and cherish FORGED IN BLOOD and personal tragedy? The winners’ list below reads like a roll call, but the REAL story was told in the trembling voices and tear-filled pauses—a chilling testament to the HUMAN SACRIFICE demanded by the entertainment machine. As the applause fades, one question echoes in the silence: WHO HAS TO DIE FOR YOUR NEXT FAVORITE SHOW?
Theatrical Feature Film
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film
Hasan Hadi, The President’s Cake
Harry Lighton, Pillion
Charlie Polinger, The Plague
Alex Russell, Lurker
Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby
Documentary Film
Mstyslav Chernov, 2000 Meters to Andriivka
Geeta Gandbhir, The Perfect Neighbor
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, Cutting Through Rocks
Elizabeth Lo, Mistress Dispeller
Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, Cover-Up
Dramatic Series
Liza Johnson, The Diplomat, “Amagansett”
Amanda Marsalis, The Pitt, “6:00 P.M.”
Janus Metz, Andor, “Who Are You?”
Ben Stiller, Severance, “Cold Harbor”
John Wells, The Pitt, “7:00 A.M.”
Comedy Series
Lucia Aniello, Hacks, “A Slippery Slope”
Janicza Bravo, The Bear, “Worms”
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, The Studio, “The Oner”
Christopher Storer, The Bear, “Bears”
Mike White, The White Lotus, “Denials”
Limited & Anthology Series
Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit, “The Black Rabbits”
Antonio Campos, The Beast in Me, “Sick Puppy”
Lesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day, “Episode 6”
Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex, “It’s Not That Serious”
Ally Pankiw, Black Mirror, “Common People”
Movies for Television
Jesse Armstrong, Mountainhead
Stephen Chbosky, Nonnas
Scott Derrickson, The Gorge
Michael Morris, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Kyle Newacheck, Happy Gilmore 2
Variety
Yvonne De Mare, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, “Julia Roberts, Sam Smith”
Andy Fisher, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “Stephen Colbert, Kumail Nanjiani, Reneé Rapp”
Beth McCarthy-Miller, “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert”
Liz Patrick, “SNL50: The Anniversary Special”
Paul Pennolino, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, “Public Media”
Sports
Matthew Gangl, 2025 World Series, Game 7 – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Steve Milton, 2025 Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club
Rich Russo, Super Bowl LIX, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Reality / Quiz and Game
Lucinda M. Margolis, Jeopardy!, “Ep. 9341”
Adam Sandler, The Price Is Right, “10,000th Episode”
Mike Sweeney, Conan O’Brien Must Go, “Austria”
Documentary Series/News
Marshall Curry, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, “Written By: A Week Inside the SNL Writers Room”
Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, “Part 2”
Rebecca Miller, Mr. Scorsese, “All This Filming Isn’t Healthy”
Alexandra Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, “Official Girl”
Matt Wolf, Pee-wee As Himself, “Part 1”
Author: Kayitsi.com
