Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) 

In high school, famed director Paul Thomas Anderson made a 30-minute film about a male porn star, which he called The Dirk Diggler Story.

Years later, Paul's short film inspired the breakout hit of his career, Boogie Nights. He followed up this critically acclaimed film with Magnolia, an ensemble piece that starred Hollywood heavy-hitters like Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The movie garnered three Oscar® nominations, including one for Paul's clever screenplay.

Now, Paul is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for There Will Be Blood, the film adaptation of Upton Sinclair's novel Oil!. In the film, Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis plays a dishonest Texas oil prospector who will stop at nothing to make his fortune.