"In hindsight, one of the driving forces behind Anderson's recognition with this particular voting body is that the Directors Guild of America Awards honor more than just the director. When films or TV shows are nominated, not only do they receive the coveted DGA medallion, but their unit production managers, assistant directors, and even location managers do as well. Anderson's "One Battle After Another" was dedicated to his longtime first AD, the late Adam Somner (who also was an executive producer on the film) and aligned with the ethos behind the ceremony itself to honor the directing unit as a whole."
"When Anderson finally won his first DGA Award (he had been nominated twice before for "Licorice Pizza" and "There Will Be Blood"), the audience gave such strong applause to Anderson's first invocation of Somner that the director had to pause his speech. Somner, who died of cancer toward the end of 2024, had not only collaborated with Anderson, but multiple Best Director Oscar winners - including Martin Scorsese, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Steven Spielberg, who was in the room."
Paul Thomas Anderson won the 2026 Directors Guild of America Award for One Battle After Another and dedicated the honor to his longtime first assistant director, the late Adam Somner. The DGA honors the entire directing unit by awarding directors alongside unit production managers, assistant directors, and location managers. Somner, who died of cancer toward the end of 2024, had worked with Anderson and multiple Best Director Oscar winners, including Martin Scorsese and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Anderson praised Somner for taking the work seriously while not taking himself seriously, saying Somner made crews feel safe and urging people to cherish close relationships.
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