Awards season is in full swing as the entertainment world continues its march toward the 96th Academy Awards, with the latest stop taking place Saturday night for the 76th Directors Guild of America Awards. The event saw Christopher Nolan walk away with top honors at the awards show, potentially giving viewers a preview of what to expect at the upcoming Oscars.

Nolan took home the DGA award for best feature film thanks to his work on 2023's financial and critically acclaimed hit Oppenheimer, beating out names like Greta Gerwig for Barbie and Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. The director was upfront with his peers about his appreciation for the award and what their recognition of his work means to him on a professional and personal level.

“I don't wanna leave the stage without your understanding how much this means to me – that the idea that my peers would think I deserve this means everything to me,” Nolan said in his acceptance speech.

The win at Saturday's DGA Awards is Christopher Nolan's first win at the guild's annual awards show. He had been nominated four previous times in the same category for directing Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception, and Dunkirk.

Article Continues Below
More Entertainment News
Max
New to Max in June 2025Burtland Dixon ·
Cowboys, Netflix
New to Netflix in June 2025Burtland Dixon ·
Disney+ logo on TV in living ahead of the new titles coming in June 2025.
New to Disney+ in June 2025Andrew Korpan ·
Netflix, new to netflix this weekend
New to Netflix this Weekend (May 29-June 1, 2025)Burtland Dixon ·
Apple TV+ logo in front of beach to represent June.
New to Apple TV+ in June 2025Andrew Korpan ·
Hulu logo in front of beach to represent June.
New to Hulu this Weekend (May 29-June 1, 2025)Andrew Korpan ·

Nolan has also taken home a Golden Globe for best director at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on January 7, 2024.

The wins have lead many outlets and industry insiders to name Nolan as the frontrunner to take home best director at the Oscars in March. It is his second Oscar nomination for best director, the first being for 2017's World War 2 epic Dunkirk.

While Nolan is the speculative favorite, he does have stiff competition in the category of best director. Martin Scorsese and Yorgos Lanthimos are nominated for Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things, respectively, and have consistently found themselves nominated against Nolan during the 2024 awards season. In addition, Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest and Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall earned the directors their first Oscar nominations in the category.

The 96th Academy Awards will air on ABC on March 10, 2024.