DGA Awards: ‘The Pitt’, ‘Dying For Sex’, ‘The Plague’ Directors Among Early Winners (Updating Live)

The 78th DGA Awards honoring the year’s best in directing achievement across film, TV and commercials is underway Saturday at the Beverly Hilton.

A total of 12 competitive categories are up for grabs, including the marquee Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film race. The nominees there feature four of the five Oscar-nominated directors in One Battle After Another’s Paul Thomas Anderson, Sinners’ Ryan Coogler, Marty Supreme’s Josh Safdie and Hamnet’s Chloé Zhao. The other DGA nominee is Frankenstein’s Guillermo del Toro, who lost out on the Oscar list to Sentimental Value’s Joachim Trier.

Last year, the big DGA win went to Anora’s Sean Baker, who went on to win Directing the Oscars along with that pic scoring Best Picture. Two years ago Christopher Nolan won at the DGAs ahead of picking up Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for Oppenheimer. (Now Nolan is the president of the DGA, which begins labor contract negotiations with studios rep the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Monday.)

In fact, the DGA win and Oscars Directing trophy has matched each of the last five years.

Already this evening, Amanda Marsalis won the Dramatic Series prize for HBO Max’s The Pitt, after being nominated for the Emmy in the category. The series ending up winning five Emmys in total last fall including Best Drama Series.

Shannon Murphy, meanwhile, won Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Limited Series & Anthology for FX on Hulu’s Dying for Sex, and Liz Patrick of NBC’s SNL50: The Anniversary Special took the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety prize.

Last year, the directors behind FX’s Shōgun (Frederick E.O. Toye), HBO Max’s Hacks (Lucia Aniello) and Netflix’s Ripley (Steve Zaillian) took the top Drama, Comedy and Limited & Anthology series prizes. Aniello is back in the race this year.

In the Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film category, Charlie Polinger won for the dramatic thriller The Plague tonight, topping a nominees list that included Ava Victor (Sorry, Baby), Hasan Hadi (The President’s Cake), Harry Lighton (Pillion) and Alex Russell (Lurker).

Also on tap for tonight’s ceremony being emceed by Kumail Nanjiani are the Directors Guild of America’s honorary awards, which this year include associate director/stage manager David Charles receiving the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, which recognizes extraordinary service to the industry and the guild, and Commercials 1st AD Gregory G. McCollum receiving the Frank Capra Achievement Award, given in recognition of notable career achievements and for outstanding service to the DGA.

RELATED: DGA Awards Host Kumail Nanjiani Jabs Guild Over Its Former D.W. Griffith Award, Says ‘Sinners’ “Captured True Horror Of White People Dancing”

Below is the list of categories. Follow along tonight as they are updated with winners as part of Deadline’s complete event coverage.

Film

Theatrical Feature Film

Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film

Charlie Polinger
The Plague
(IFC Films)

Documentary Film

Television

Drama Series

Amanda Marsalis
The Pitt, “6:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)

Comedy Series

Limited & Anthology Series

Shannon Murphy
Dying for Sex, “It’s Not That Serious” (FX on Hulu)

Movies for Television

Variety

Liz Patrick
SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)

Documentary Series/News

Rebecca Miller
Mr. Scorsese, “All This Filming Isn’t Healthy” (Apple TV)

Reality, Quiz & Games

Mike Sweeney
Conan O’Brien Must Go, “Austria” (HBO Max)

Sports

Commercial

Kim Gehrig (Somesuch)

You Can’t Win. So Win. – Nike | Wieden+Kennedy

I’m Not Remarkable – Apple | Client Direct