6 Best DGA Award-Winning Directors' Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 1, 2026

The Directors Guild of America Award has long been one of the strongest predictors of directing excellence, honoring some of cinema’s most technically masterful filmmakers. In Saving Private Ryan (1998): A group of soldiers is sent behind enemy lines to bring home a paratrooper whose brothers have died in combat. Equally memorable is Parasite (2019): A poor family schemes their way into the household of a wealthy family, with shocking consequences.

Parasite (2019)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 99% Metacritic 97

A poor family schemes their way into the household of a wealthy family, with shocking consequences.

Directed by Bong Joon Ho · 2h 13m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars309 wins & 261 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Roma (2018)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 96% Metacritic 96

A live-in housekeeper for a middle-class family navigates upheaval in 1970s Mexico City.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón · 2h 15m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars256 wins & 230 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Shape of Water (2017)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 92% Metacritic 87

A mute cleaning woman falls in love with a mysterious aquatic creature held in a secret government lab.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro · 2h 03m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars138 wins & 350 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Gravity (2013)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 96% Metacritic 96

Two astronauts fight for survival after debris destroys their space shuttle, leaving them stranded in orbit.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón · 1h 31m · Rated PG-13

Won 7 Oscars242 wins & 189 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Hurt Locker (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A bomb disposal expert's reckless bravery puts his entire unit at risk during the Iraq War.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow · 2h 11m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 94% Metacritic 91

A group of soldiers is sent behind enemy lines to bring home a paratrooper whose brothers have died in combat.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 49m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars79 wins & 75 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best DGA Award-Winning Directors' Movies

Parasite (2019)

Roma (2018)

The Shape of Water (2017)

Gravity (2013)

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

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