Golden Globes 2026: Paul Thomas Anderson wins ‘Best Director’ for ‘One Battle After Another’
At the 83rd annual Golden Globes, Paul Thomas Anderson has been named ‘Best Director’ for his adventure-epic, One Battle After Another, which is contending as a comedy at this year’s ceremony.
The action-packed thriller, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, among an all-star ensemble cast, has been hotly tipped as one of the best films of the year.
Previously, the picture won ‘Best Feature’ at the Gotham Awards at the end of 2025, and is also leading the pack in the Baftas longlist, picking up mentions in 16 out of a possible 25 categories.
This win makes for Anderson’s first-ever Golden Globe. Anderson’s last movie, 2021’s Licorice Pizza, followed the tight-lipped Phantom Thread, which was released in 2017.
The other contenders in the ‘Best Director’ category included: Chloé Zhao, for Hamnet, Ryan Coogler, for Sinners; Jafar Panahi, for It Was Just An Accident; Guilermo del Toro, for Frankenstein; and Joachim Trier, for Sentimental Value.
This win was a surprise for very few, as One Battle After Another was the frontrunner in all nominated categories overall, leading the pack with a massive nine nominations. Other nominations for the political pinch-me movie include ‘Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy’ and ‘Best Leading Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy’ for Leonardo DiCaprio.
Anderson, who also picked up the ‘Best Screenplay’ award earlier in the night, said: “I stole a lot of words from Thomas Pynchon, who wrote a great book that we adapted. Stole some words from Nina Simone – somebody asked her what freedom was. She said, ‘No fear.’ Pretty good line. So I share this with everybody I magpie’d off of.”
Adding, “We steal all the bits and pieces that everybody says as best we can.”
Far Out gave One Battle After Another a victorious four-and-a-half stars, observing in a review: “What you have here is a truly great movie that still honours PTA’s style and legacy, while almost being endlessly engaging on so many levels, from the apt political tension of our times, to the simple hook of a high-octane action movie.”
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