While at the Sundance Feature Film Program , Anderson already had a deal with Rysher Entertainment to direct his first full-length feature , '' Sydney '' , retitled '' Hard Eight '' ( 1996 ) . Upon completion of the film , Rysher re-edited it . Anderson , who still had the workprint of his original cut , submitted the film to the 1996 Cannes Film Festival , where it was accepted and screened in the Un Certain Regard section . Anderson managed to get his version released but only after he retitled the film , and raised the $ 200,000 necessary to finish it ; Anderson and stars Philip Baker Hall , Gwyneth Paltrow and John C. Reilly contributed the funding . The version that was released was Anderson 's and the acclaim from the film launched his career . The story concerns Sydney Brown ( Hall ) , an experienced gambler who takes John Finnegan ( Reilly ) under his wing , while John becomes romantically involved with a troubled waitress ( Paltrow ) . The film also featured Philip Seymour Hoffman as an arrogant gambler , beginning a five-film collaboration between the pair . In his review of the film , '' Chicago Sun-Times '' critic Roger Ebert wrote , " Movies like '' Hard Eight '' remind me of what original , compelling characters the movies can sometimes give us . " Anderson began working on the script for his next feature film during his troubles with '' Hard Eight '' , completing the script in 1995 . The result was Anderson 's breakout drama film '' Boogie Nights '' ( 1997 ) , which is based on his short film '' The Dirk Diggler Story '' and is set in the Golden Age of Porn . The film follows a nightclub dishwasher ( Mark Wahlberg ) who becomes a popular pornographic actor under his stage name Dirk Diggler . The script was noticed by New Line Cinema 's president , Michael De Luca , who felt " totally gaga " reading it . It was released on October 10 , 1997 and was a critical and commercial success . The film revived the career of Burt Reynolds , and provided breakout roles for Wahlberg and Julianne Moore . After the film 's production , Reynolds refused to star in Anderson 's third film '' Magnolia '' . At the 70th Academy Awards , the film was nominated for three Academy Awards , including for Best Supporting Actor ( Burt Reynolds ) , Best Supporting Actress ( Julianne Moore ) and Best Original Screenplay
70th Academy Awards
70th Academy Awards
Paul Thomas Anderson