Within 24 hours, "Anora" surged to the front of the Oscar pack, with the Palme d'Or winner earning the top prizes at the PGA and DGA Awards 2025.

Hollywood’s award season has been uncharacteristically up for grabs, with half a dozen legitimate best-picture contenders. Some had pegged “Anora” as the frontrunner going into the season after it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Anora" director Sean Baker has won the DGA Award for Theatrical Feature, gaining significant Oscar momentum ahead of final voting.

Sean Baker scored the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Feature for "Anora" at a ceremony in Beverly Hills Saturday.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film – for Anora. And if past statistics are a signifier of what’s to come, this is a major indicator for the Oscars Best Director category. “My imposter syndrome is skyrocketing right now,

Anora helmer Sean Baker won the marquee Theatrical Feature Film prize at the 77th annual DGA Awards, which were handed out tonight at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Check out the winners list below.

Sean Baker has won Best Film Director for Anora at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards. The award is a consistently reliable bellwether for the Best Director Oscar, with 19 of the past 22 DGA winners going on to win the Academy Award for directing.