Oppenheimer filmmaker Christopher Nolan won the top prize at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards on Saturday.
The British director won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film honour for his epic biopic of nuclear scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Nolan, whose film is a favourite for the biggest prizes at the Oscars having gained 13 nominations, beat stiff competition from fellow nominees Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Greta Gerwig (Barbie), and Alexander Payne (The Holdovers).
"The idea that my peers would think that I deserve this means everything to me," the 53-year-old said in his acceptance speech. It is the first time he has won the award - a leading indicator for the Oscars - despite four previous nominations.
Elsewhere, Celine Song's poignant romance Past Lives won her the first-time director prize, while the episodes of The Last of Us, The Bear, and Lessons in Chemistry earned their directors the top TV accolades.
The full list of film and TV winners is as follows:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Theatrical Feature Film: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film: Celine Song, Past Lives
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series: Peter Hoar, The Last of Us, "Long, Long Time"
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series: Christopher Storer, The Bear, "Fishes"
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series: Sarah Adina Smith, Lessons in Chemistry, "Her and Him"
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - Regularly Scheduled Programming: Michael Mancini and Liz Patrick, Saturday Night Live, "Pedro Pascal / Coldplay"
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - Specials: Paul Miller, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs: Niharika Desai, Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, "Happiness is a Bottle of Cod Liver Oil"
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs: Amy Schatz, Stand Up & Shout: Songs From a Philly High School
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary: Mstyslav Chernov, 20 Days in Mariupol
