Ideological Action Movie with 51-Year-Old DiCaprio Becomes Main Nominee for the Oscar 0 10

Director Paul Thomas Anderson received the top prize from the Directors Guild of America for the film "One Battle After Another." The awards ceremony took place in Los Angeles, making the film one of the main contenders for the Oscar.

Anderson's film tells the story of a former revolutionary trying to protect his teenage daughter when the past suddenly returns and threatens their lives. For this work, the director received the award in the feature film category. In the film industry, the Directors Guild award is traditionally seen as an important signal before the voting of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which concludes the awards season in Hollywood.

"It is a huge honor for me," said Anderson while accepting the award at the ceremony in Beverly Hills.

"We will accept it with the love with which it was given to us, and with gratitude to all our comrades in this room," the director added.

The lead role in the film was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The action of the film takes place in an alternate USA, where white radical groups are active, strict immigration raids are taking place across the country, and revolutionary movements are taking up arms again. Earlier this year, "One Battle After Another" already received awards at the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globe ceremony.

At the upcoming Oscars, the film is nominated in 13 categories – the second highest number among all participants. The only film with more nominations is the vampire film "The Sinners" directed by Ryan Coogler, which received 16 nominations, setting a record for the Academy. Coogler was also among the nominees for the Directors Guild award in the feature film category.

The statuette was presented to Anderson by Sean Baker, who won last year with the dark comedy "Anora." This film subsequently also won an Oscar.

Statistics from previous years show a close connection between the results of the Directors Guild voting and the Oscar awards. Of the last 22 winners of this award, 20 went on to win the Oscar for Best Director. This has also happened in the last three years, when the Academy statuettes were awarded to the films "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Oppenheimer," and "Anora."