Academy Award for Best Director

Winners

2025One Battle After Another★★★☆Paul Thomas Anderson
2024Anora★★★★☆Sean Baker
2023Oppenheimer★★★★★Christopher Nolan
2022Everything Everywhere All at Once★★★☆Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
2021The Power of the Dog★★★☆☆Jane Campion
2020Nomadland★★★★★★Chloé Zhao
2019Parasite★★★☆Bong Joon-ho
2018Roma★★★☆☆Alfonso Cuarón
2017The Shape of Water★★★☆☆☆Guillermo del Toro
2016La La Land★★★☆☆Damien Chazelle
2015The Revenant★★★★☆Alejandro González Iñárritu
2014Birdman or★★☆☆Alejandro González Iñárritu
2013Gravity★☆☆☆☆Alfonso Cuarón
2012Life of Pi★☆☆☆Ang Lee
2011The Artist★★★★Michel Hazanavicius
2010The King's Speech★★★★☆Tom Hooper
2009The Hurt Locker★★★☆☆Kathryn Bigelow
2008Slumdog Millionaire★★★★Danny Boyle
2007No Country for Old Men★★☆☆Joel Coen
2006The Departed★★☆☆Martin Scorsese
2005Brokeback Mountain★★★★☆☆Ang Lee
2004Million Dollar Baby★★★☆☆Clint Eastwood
2003The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King★★★★Peter Jackson
2002The Pianist★★★★☆☆Roman Polanski
2001A Beautiful Mind★★★☆☆Ron Howard
2000Traffic★☆☆Steven Soderbergh
1999American Beauty★★★★★☆Sam Mendes
1998Saving Private Ryan★★☆☆☆Steven Spielberg
1997Titanic★★★☆☆James Cameron
1996The English Patient★★★★☆☆Anthony Minghella
1995Braveheart★★☆Mel Gibson
1994Forrest Gump★★★★☆Robert Zemeckis
1993Schindler's List★★★★☆Steven Spielberg
1992Unforgiven★★☆☆☆Clint Eastwood
1991The Silence of the Lambs★★★★☆Jonathan Demme
1990Dances With Wolves★★★☆☆Kevin Costner
1989Born on the Fourth of July★★☆☆Oliver Stone
1988Rain Man★★★★Barry Levinson
1987The Last Emperor★★★★Bernardo Bertolucci
1986Platoon★★★Oliver Stone
1985Out of Africa★★★☆Sydney Pollack
1984Amadeus★★★★☆Miloš Forman
1983Terms of Endearment★★★★James L. Brooks
1982Gandhi★★★★Richard Attenborough
1981Reds★☆☆☆☆Warren Beatty
1980Ordinary People★★★☆Robert Redford
1979Kramer vs. Kramer★★★★☆Robert Benton
1978The Deer Hunter★★☆☆Michael Cimino
1977Annie Hall★★★★☆Woody Allen
1976Rocky★★★☆☆John G. Avildsen
1975One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest★★★★★★Miloš Forman
1974The Godfather Part II★★☆☆Francis Ford Coppola
1973The Sting★★☆George Roy Hill
1972Cabaret★★★☆Bob Fosse
1971The French Connection★★★★☆William Friedkin
1970Patton★★★☆Franklin J. Schaffner
1969Midnight Cowboy★★★☆☆John Schlesinger
1968Oliver!★★☆Carol Reed
1967The Graduate★★☆☆☆Mike Nichols
1966A Man for All Seasons★★★★★Fred Zinnemann
1965The Sound of Music★★☆Robert Wise
1964My Fair Lady★★★★George Cukor
1963Tom Jones★★★☆Tony Richardson
1962Lawrence of Arabia★★★★☆David Lean
1961West Side Story★★☆☆☆Robert Wise
1960The Apartment★★★☆☆Billy Wilder
1959Ben-Hur★★★★★William Wyler
1958Gigi★★Vincente Minnelli
1957The Bridge on the River Kwai★★★★★David Lean
1956Giant★☆☆☆George Stevens
1955Marty★★★★☆Delbert Mann
1954On the Waterfront★★★★Elia Kazan
1953From Here to Eternity★★☆☆☆Fred Zinnemann
1952The Quiet Man★☆John Ford
1951A Place in the Sun★★☆☆☆George Stevens
1950All About Eve★★★☆☆Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1949A Letter to Three Wives★☆Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1948The Treasure of the Sierra Madre★★☆☆John Huston
1947Gentleman's Agreement★★★☆☆Elia Kazan
1946The Best Years of Our Lives★★★★William Wyler
1945The Lost Weekend★★★★★Billy Wilder
1944Going My Way★★★★Leo McCarey
1943Casablanca★★☆Michael Curtiz
1942Mrs. Miniver★★★☆William Wyler
1941How Green Was My Valley★★John Ford
1940The Grapes of Wrath★☆☆John Ford
1939Gone with the Wind★★★☆Victor Fleming
1938You Can't Take It with You★★Frank Capra
1937The Awful Truth★☆☆Leo McCarey
1936Mr. Deeds Goes to Town★☆☆Frank Capra
1935The Informer★★☆John Ford
1934It Happened One Night★★★★Frank Capra
1932Cavalcade★★☆Frank Lloyd
1931Bad Girl★☆Frank Borzage
1930Skippy★☆☆Norman Taurog
1929All Quiet on the Western Front★★★☆Lewis Milestone
1928The Divine Lady★☆Frank Lloyd
1927Two Arabian KnightsLewis Milestone
19277th Heaven★★☆Frank Borzage