Editing Academy Award for Best Director

{{short description|Category of film award}}{{featured list}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox award|name=Academy Award for Best Director|image=Sean Baker at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (cropped).jpg|image_upright=|caption=The 2025<!--This year is in regards to the CEREMONY, not the year of films.--> recipient: [[Sean Baker]]|awarded_for=Excellence in Cinematic Direction Achievement|presenter=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] (AMPAS)|country=United States|year={{start date and age|1929|5|16}} (for films released during the [[1927 in film|1927]]/[[1928 in film|1928]] film season)|holder_label=Most recent winner|holder=[[Sean Baker]], ''[[Anora]]'' ([[97th Academy Awards|2024]])|most_awards=[[John Ford]] (4)<!-- This # is for his Director wins ONLY. "How Green Was My Valley"'s Best Picture win doesn't count, especially since the Oscar win went to the studio, not him. -->|most_nominations=[[William Wyler]] (12)<!-- These INCLUDE ALL THREE Best Director WINS as well. -->|website={{URL|oscars.org}}}} The '''Academy Award for Best Director''' (officially known as the '''Academy Award of Merit for Directing''') is an award presented annually by the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a [[film director]] who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the [[film industry]].

The [[1st Academy Awards]] ceremony was held in 1929 with the award being split into "Dramatic" and "Comedy" categories; [[Frank Borzage]] and [[Lewis Milestone]] won for ''[[7th Heaven (1927 film)|7th Heaven]]'' and ''[[Two Arabian Knights]]'', respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/aa27.html|title=1927–28 Academy Awards Winners|publisher=[[AMC Networks|Rainbow Media]]|last=Dirks|first=Tim|access-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724204258/http://www.filmsite.org/aa27.html|archive-date=July 24, 2010}}</ref> However, these categories were merged for all subsequent ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/oscars30.html|title=Academy Awards Winners (1927/8 – 1939)|publisher=[[AMC Networks|Rainbow Media]]|last=Dirks|first=Tim|access-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114184753/http://www.filmsite.org/oscars30.html|archive-date=January 14, 2016}}</ref> Nominees are determined by [[single transferable vote]] within the directors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a [[Plurality (voting)|plurality vote]] from the entire eligible voting members of the academy.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021054540/http://www.oscars.org/sites/default/files/87aa_rules.pdf|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url=http://www.oscars.org/sites/default/files/87aa_rules.pdf|title=87th Annual Academy Awards of Merit Rules|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=February 8, 2016|pages=Rule 5.5 & Rule 10|no-pp=y}}</ref><ref name="TheEnvelope">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017160343/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/oscars/env-oscarvote7jan07%2C0%2C6919642%2Cprint.story?coll=env-home-headlines|archive-date=October 17, 2006|url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/oscars/env-oscarvote7jan07,0,6919642,print.story?coll=env-home-headlines|title=Eight things every voter (and fan) should know about Oscar's decidedly unique nomination process.|first=Steve|last=Pond|access-date=2007-01-27|date=January 7, 2006|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2011/01/27/oscar-voter-ballot-reader-poll-results|title=Oscars: The wacky way the Academy counts votes, and the results of our 'If You Were an Oscar Voter' poll|last=Young|first=John|date=January 27, 2011|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=February 29, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506042043/http://www.ew.com/article/2011/01/27/oscar-voter-ballot-reader-poll-results|archive-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref>

For the first eleven years of the Academy Awards, directors were allowed to be nominated for multiple films in the same year. However, after the nomination of [[Michael Curtiz]] for two films, ''[[Angels with Dirty Faces]]'' and ''[[Four Daughters (1938 film)|Four Daughters]]'', at the [[11th Academy Awards]], the rules were revised so that an individual could only be nominated for one film at each ceremony.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.filmsite.org/aa38.html|title=1938 Academy Awards Winners and History|publisher=[[AMC Networks|Rainbow Media]]|last=Dirks|first=Tim|access-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121060632/http://www.filmsite.org/aa38.html|archive-date=November 21, 2015}}</ref> That rule has since been amended, although the only director who has received multiple nominations in the same year was [[Steven Soderbergh]] for ''[[Erin Brockovich (film)|Erin Brockovich]]'' and ''[[Traffic (2000 film)|Traffic]]'' in [[73rd Academy Awards|2000]], winning the award for the latter.

The Academy Awards for Best Director and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] have been very closely linked throughout their history. Of the 91 films that won Best Picture and were also nominated for Best Director, 70 won the award.<ref name="awardsdatabase.oscars.org">{{cite web|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/bestpixdirdiff.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113073946/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/bestpixdirdiff.html|title=Picture/Director Not from Same Film|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|date=March 11, 2011|archive-date=January 13, 2012|access-date=February 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Academy Awards Best Director – Facts & Trivia|url=https://www.filmsite.org/bestdirs1.html|access-date=2022-04-05|website=www.filmsite.org|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111222402/https://www.filmsite.org/bestdirs1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The award has been criticised in recent years for failing to recognise female directors.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Davis|first1=Clayton|title=#OscarsSoMale: Academy Awards Shut Out Women for Best Director|url=https://variety.com/2023/awards/awards/no-women-directors-nominated-oscars-1235496819/|access-date=7 January 2025|date=24 January 2023}}</ref> Of the 257 individual directors nominated in the history of the award, only 9 have been women;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Verhoeven|first1=Beatrice|title=Oscars: Coralie Fargeat Gets Sole Female Best Director Nod|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/women-best-director-nominations-oscars-2025-1236115056/|access-date=24 January 2025|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=23 January 2025}}</ref> and only 3 of the 76 winners have been women.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wiese|first1=Jason|title=Academy Award For Best Director: How Many Women Have Ever Been Nominated Or Won?|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2488534/academy-award-for-best-director-how-many-women-have-ever-been-nominated-or-won|access-date=7 January 2025|publisher=CinemaBlend|date=24 February 2024}}</ref>

Since its inception, the award has been given to 74 different directors or directing teams. As of the [[97th Academy Awards]] ceremony, American filmmaker [[Sean Baker]] is the most recent winner in this category for his work on ''[[Anora]]''.

== Winners and nominees ==
In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release in [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]], [[California]]; the ceremonies are always held the following year.<ref>{{harvnb|Crouse|2005|p=257}}</ref> For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months from August 1 to July 31.<ref name="Oscar eligibility">[[Academy Award for Best Director#Levy|Levy 2003]], page 52</ref> For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933.<ref name="Oscar eligibility" /> Since the [[7th Academy Awards|7th ceremony]] held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31.<ref name="Oscar eligibility" />

=== 1950s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1950 in film|1950]]{{small|[[23rd Academy Awards|(23rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Mankiewicz|[[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[All About Eve]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars23">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1951|title=The 23rd Academy Awards (1951) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128185155/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1951|archive-date=January 28, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Cukor|[[George Cukor]]}}
|''[[Born Yesterday (1950 film)|Born Yesterday]]''
|-
|{{sort|Huston|[[John Huston]]}}
|{{sort|Asphalt|''[[The Asphalt Jungle]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Reed|[[Carol Reed]]}}
|{{sort|Man|''[[The Third Man]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Wilder|[[Billy Wilder]]}}
|''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1951 in film|1951]]{{small|[[24th Academy Awards|(24th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Stevens|[[George Stevens]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Place|''[[A Place in the Sun (1951 film)|A Place in the Sun]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars24">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1952|title=The 24th Academy Awards (1952) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003505/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1952|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Huston|[[John Huston]]}}
|{{sort|African|''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Kazan|[[Elia Kazan]]}}
|{{sort|Streetcar|''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Minnelli|[[Vincente Minnelli]]}}
|{{sort|American|''[[An American in Paris (film)|An American in Paris]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Wyler|[[William Wyler]]}}
|''[[Detective Story (1951 film)|Detective Story]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1952 in film|1952]]{{small|[[25th Academy Awards|(25th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Ford|[[John Ford]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Quiet|''[[The Quiet Man]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars25">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1953|title=The 25th Academy Awards (1953) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111074417/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1953|archive-date=November 11, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|DeMille|[[Cecil B. DeMille]]}}
|{{sort|Greatest|''[[The Greatest Show on Earth (film)|The Greatest Show on Earth]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Huston|[[John Huston]]}}
|''[[Moulin Rouge (1952 film)|Moulin Rouge]]''
|-
|{{sort|Mankiewicz|[[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]]}}
|''[[5 Fingers]]''
|-
|{{sort|Zinnemann|[[Fred Zinnemann]]}}
|''[[High Noon]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1953 in film|1953]]{{small|[[26th Academy Awards|(26th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Zinnemann|[[Fred Zinnemann]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[From Here to Eternity]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars26">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1954|title=The 26th Academy Awards (1954) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003527/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1954|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Stevens|[[George Stevens]]}}
|''[[Shane (film)|Shane]]''
|-
|{{sort|Walters|[[Charles Walters]]}}
|''[[Lili (1953 film)|Lili]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wilder|[[Billy Wilder]]}}
|''[[Stalag 17]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wyler|[[William Wyler]]}}
|''[[Roman Holiday]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1954 in film|1954]]{{small|[[27th Academy Awards|(27th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Kazan|[[Elia Kazan]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[On the Waterfront]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars27">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1955|title=The 27th Academy Awards (1955) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220053716/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1955|archive-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Hitchcock|[[Alfred Hitchcock]]}}
|''[[Rear Window]]''
|-
|{{sort|Seaton|[[George Seaton]]}}
|{{sort|Country|''[[The Country Girl (1954 film)|The Country Girl]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Wellman|[[William A. Wellman]]}}
|{{sort|High|''[[The High and the Mighty (film)|The High and the Mighty]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Wilder|[[Billy Wilder]]}}
|''[[Sabrina (1954 film)|Sabrina]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1955 in film|1955]]{{small|[[28th Academy Awards|(28th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Mann|[[Delbert Mann]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars28">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1956|title=The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111073646/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1956|archive-date=November 11, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Kazan|[[Elia Kazan]]}}
|''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lean|[[David Lean]]}}
|''[[Summertime (1955 film)|Summertime]]''
|-
|{{sort|Logan|[[Joshua Logan]]}}
|''[[Picnic (1955 film)|Picnic]]''
|-
|{{sort|Sturges|[[John Sturges]]}}
|''[[Bad Day at Black Rock]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1956 in film|1956]]{{small|[[29th Academy Awards|(29th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Stevens|[[George Stevens]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Giant (1956 film)|Giant]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars29">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1957|title=The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003615/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1957|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Anderson|[[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]]}}
|''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lang|[[Walter Lang]]}}
|{{sort|King|''[[The King and I (1956 film)|The King and I]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Vidor|[[King Vidor]]}}
|''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wyler|[[William Wyler]]}}
|''[[Friendly Persuasion (1956 film)|Friendly Persuasion]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1957 in film|1957]]{{small|[[30th Academy Awards|(30th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Lean|[[David Lean]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Bridge|''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars30">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1958|title=The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003629/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1958|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Logan|[[Joshua Logan]]}}
|''[[Sayonara]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lumet|[[Sidney Lumet]]}}
|''[[12 Angry Men (1957 film)|12 Angry Men]]''
|-
|{{sort|Robson|[[Mark Robson (film director)|Mark Robson]]}}
|''[[Peyton Place (film)|Peyton Place]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wilder|[[Billy Wilder]]}}
|''[[Witness for the Prosecution (1957 film)|Witness for the Prosecution]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1958 in film|1958]]{{small|[[31st Academy Awards|(31st)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Minnelli|[[Vincente Minnelli]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Gigi (1958 film)|Gigi]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars31">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1959|title=The 31st Academy Awards (1959) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003640/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1959|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Brooks|[[Richard Brooks]]}}
|''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958 film)|Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kramer|[[Stanley Kramer]]}}
|{{sort|Defiant|''[[The Defiant Ones]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Robson|[[Mark Robson (film director)|Mark Robson]]}}
|{{sort|Inn|''[[The Inn of the Sixth Happiness]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Wise|[[Robert Wise]]}}
|''[[I Want to Live!]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1959 in film|1959]]{{small|[[32nd Academy Awards|(32nd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Wyler|[[William Wyler]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars32">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1960|title=The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908182807/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1960|archive-date=September 8, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Clayton|[[Jack Clayton]]}}
|''[[Room at the Top (1959 film)|Room at the Top]]''
|-
|{{sort|Stevens|[[George Stevens]]}}
|{{sort|Diary|''[[The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film)|The Diary of Anne Frank]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Wilder|[[Billy Wilder]]}}
|''[[Some Like It Hot]]''
|-
|{{sort|Zinnemann|[[Fred Zinnemann]]}}
|{{sort|Nun's|''[[The Nun's Story (film)|The Nun's Story]]''}}
|-
|}

=== 1960s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1960 in film|1960]]{{small|[[33rd Academy Awards|(33rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Wilder|[[Billy Wilder]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Apartment|''[[The Apartment]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars33">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1961|title=The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003651/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1961|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Cardiff|[[Jack Cardiff]]}}
|''[[Sons and Lovers (film)|Sons and Lovers]]''
|-
|{{sort|Dassin|[[Jules Dassin]]}}
|''[[Never on Sunday]]''
|-
|{{sort|Hitchcock|[[Alfred Hitchcock]]}}
|''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''
|-
|{{sort|Zinnemann|[[Fred Zinnemann]]}}
|{{sort|Sundowners|''[[The Sundowners (1960 film)|The Sundowners]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1961 in film|1961]]{{small|[[34th Academy Awards|(34th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Wise|[[Robert Wise]]}} & {{sort|Robbins|[[Jerome Robbins]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars34">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1962|title=The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003704/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1962|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Fellini|[[Federico Fellini]]}}
|''[[La Dolce Vita]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kramer|[[Stanley Kramer]]}}
|''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]''
|-
|{{sort|Rossen|[[Robert Rossen]]}}
|{{sort|Hustler|''[[The Hustler]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Thompson|[[J. Lee Thompson]]}}
|{{sort|Guns|''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1962 in film|1962]]{{small|[[35th Academy Awards|(35th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Lean|[[David Lean]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars35">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1963|title=The 35th Academy Awards (1963) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702160340/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1963|archive-date=July 2, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Germi|[[Pietro Germi]]}}
|''[[Divorce Italian Style]]''
|-
|{{sort|Mulligan|[[Robert Mulligan]]}}
|''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]''
|-
|{{sort|Penn|[[Arthur Penn]]}}
|{{sort|Miracle|''[[The Miracle Worker (1962 film)|The Miracle Worker]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Perry|[[Frank Perry]]}}
|''[[David and Lisa]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1963 in film|1963]]{{small|[[36th Academy Awards|(36th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Richardson|[[Tony Richardson]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Tom Jones (1963 film)|Tom Jones]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars36">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1964|title=The 36th Academy Awards (1964) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003742/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1964|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Fellini|[[Federico Fellini]]}}
|''[[8½]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kazan|[[Elia Kazan]]}}
|''[[America America]]''
|-
|{{sort|Preminger|[[Otto Preminger]]}}
|{{sort|Cardinal|''[[The Cardinal]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Ritt|[[Martin Ritt]]}}
|''[[Hud (1963 film)|Hud]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1964 in film|1964]]{{small|[[37th Academy Awards|(37th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Cukor|[[George Cukor]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars37">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965|title=The 37th Academy Awards (1965) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003759/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Cacoyannis|[[Michael Cacoyannis]]}}
|''[[Zorba the Greek (film)|Zorba the Greek]]''
|-
|{{sort|Glenville|[[Peter Glenville]]}}
|''[[Becket (1964 film)|Becket]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kubrick|[[Stanley Kubrick]]}}
|''[[Dr. Strangelove]]''
|-
|{{sort|Stevenson|[[Robert Stevenson (filmmaker)|Robert Stevenson]]}}
|''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1965 in film|1965]]{{small|[[38th Academy Awards|(38th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Wise|[[Robert Wise]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Sound|''[[The Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars38">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1966|title=The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003812/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1966|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Lean|[[David Lean]]}}
|''[[Doctor Zhivago (film)|Doctor Zhivago]]''
|-
|{{sort|Schlesinger|[[John Schlesinger]]}}
|''[[Darling (1965 film)|Darling]]''
|-
|{{sort|Teshigahara|[[Hiroshi Teshigahara]]}}
|{{sort|Woman|''[[Woman in the Dunes]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Wyler|[[William Wyler]]}}
|{{sort|Collector|''[[The Collector (1965 film)|The Collector]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1966 in film|1966]]{{small|[[39th Academy Awards|(39th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Zinnemann|[[Fred Zinnemann]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Man|''[[A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)|A Man for All Seasons]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars39">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1967|title=The 39th Academy Awards (1967) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003824/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1967|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Antonioni|[[Michelangelo Antonioni]]}}
|''[[Blowup]]''
|-
|{{sort|Brooks|[[Richard Brooks]]}}
|{{sort|Professionals|''[[The Professionals (1966 film)|The Professionals]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Lelouch|[[Claude Lelouch]]}}
|{{sort|Man|''[[A Man and a Woman]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Nichols|[[Mike Nichols]]}}
|''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1967 in film|1967]]{{small|[[40th Academy Awards|(40th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Nichols|[[Mike Nichols]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Graduate|''[[The Graduate]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars40">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1968|title=The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003842/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1968|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Brooks|[[Richard Brooks]]}}
|''[[In Cold Blood (film)|In Cold Blood]]''
|-
|{{sort|Jewison|[[Norman Jewison]]}}
|''[[In the Heat of the Night (film)|In the Heat of the Night]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kramer|[[Stanley Kramer]]}}
|''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]''
|-
|{{sort|Penn|[[Arthur Penn]]}}
|''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1968 in film|1968]]{{small|[[41st Academy Awards|(41st)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Reed|[[Carol Reed]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars41">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1969|title=The 41st Academy Awards (1969) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003856/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1969|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Harvey|[[Anthony Harvey]]}}
|{{sort|Lion|''[[The Lion in Winter (1968 film)|The Lion in Winter]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Kubrick|[[Stanley Kubrick]]}}
|''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''
|-
|{{sort|Pontecorvo|[[Gillo Pontecorvo]]}}
|{{sort|Battle|''[[The Battle of Algiers]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Zeffirelli|[[Franco Zeffirelli]]}}
|''[[Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1969 in film|1969]]{{small|[[42nd Academy Awards|(42nd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Schlesinger|[[John Schlesinger]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Midnight Cowboy]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars42">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1970|title=The 42nd Academy Awards (1970) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402002922/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1970|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Gavras|[[Costa-Gavras]]}}
|''[[Z (1969 film)|Z]]''
|-
|{{sort|Hill|[[George Roy Hill]]}}
|''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]''
|-
|{{sort|Penn|[[Arthur Penn]]}}
|''[[Alice's Restaurant (film)|Alice's Restaurant]]''
|-
|{{sort|Pollack|[[Sydney Pollack]]}}
|''[[They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (film)|They Shoot Horses, Don't They?]]''
|-
|}

=== 1970s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1970 in film|1970]]{{small|[[43rd Academy Awards|(43rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Schaffner|[[Franklin J. Schaffner]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Patton (film)|Patton]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars43">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1971|title=The 43rd Academy Awards (1971) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003910/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1971|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Altman|[[Robert Altman]]}}
|''[[M*A*S*H (film)|M*A*S*H]]''
|-
|{{sort|Fellini|[[Federico Fellini]]}}
|''[[Fellini Satyricon]]''
|-
|{{sort|Hiller|[[Arthur Hiller]]}}
|''[[Love Story (1970 film)|Love Story]]''
|-
|{{sort|Russell|[[Ken Russell]]}}
|''[[Women in Love (film)|Women in Love]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1971 in film|1971]]{{small|[[44th Academy Awards|(44th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Friedkin|[[William Friedkin]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|French|''[[The French Connection (film)|The French Connection]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars44">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1972|title=The 44th Academy Awards (1972) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003926/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1972|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Bogdanovich|[[Peter Bogdanovich]]}}
|{{sort|Last|''[[The Last Picture Show]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Jewison|[[Norman Jewison]]}}
|''[[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|Fiddler on the Roof]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kubrick|[[Stanley Kubrick]]}}
|{{sort|Clockwork|''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Schlesinger|[[John Schlesinger]]}}
|''[[Sunday Bloody Sunday (film)|Sunday Bloody Sunday]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1972 in film|1972]]{{small|[[45th Academy Awards|(45th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Fosse|[[Bob Fosse]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Cabaret (1972 film)|Cabaret]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars45">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1973|title=The 45th Academy Awards (1973) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003938/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1973|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Boorman|[[John Boorman]]}}
|''[[Deliverance]]''
|-
|{{sort|Coppola|[[Francis Ford Coppola]]}}
|{{sort|Godfather|''[[The Godfather]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Mankiewicz|[[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]]}}
|''[[Sleuth (1972 film)|Sleuth]]''
|-
|{{sort|Troell|[[Jan Troell]]}}
|{{sort|Emigrants|''[[The Emigrants (film)|The Emigrants]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1973 in film|1973]]{{small|[[46th Academy Awards|(46th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Hill|[[George Roy Hill]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Sting|''[[The Sting]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars46">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1974|title=The 46th Academy Awards (1974) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003953/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1974|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Bergman|[[Ingmar Bergman]]}}
|''[[Cries and Whispers]]''
|-
|{{sort|Bertolucci|[[Bernardo Bertolucci]]}}
|''[[Last Tango in Paris]]''
|-
|{{sort|Friedkin|[[William Friedkin]]}}
|{{sort|Exorcist|''[[The Exorcist]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Lucas|[[George Lucas]]}}
|''[[American Graffiti]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1974 in film|1974]]{{small|[[47th Academy Awards|(47th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Coppola|[[Francis Ford Coppola]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Godfather|''[[The Godfather Part II]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars47">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1975|title=The 47th Academy Awards (1975) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004005/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1975|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Cassavetes|[[John Cassavetes]]}}
|{{sort|Woman|''[[A Woman Under the Influence]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Fosse|[[Bob Fosse]]}}
|''[[Lenny (film)|Lenny]]''
|-
|{{sort|Polanski|[[Roman Polanski]]}}
|''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]''
|-
|{{sort|Truffaut|[[François Truffaut]]}}
|''[[Day for Night (film)|Day for Night]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1975 in film|1975]]{{small|[[48th Academy Awards|(48th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Forman|[[Miloš Forman]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars48">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1976|title=The 48th Academy Awards (1976) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004018/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1976|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Altman|[[Robert Altman]]}}
|''[[Nashville (film)|Nashville]]''
|-
|{{sort|Fellini|[[Federico Fellini]]}}
|''[[Amarcord]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kubrick|[[Stanley Kubrick]]}}
|''[[Barry Lyndon]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lumet|[[Sidney Lumet]]}}
|''[[Dog Day Afternoon]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1976 in film|1976]]{{small|[[49th Academy Awards|(49th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Avildsen|[[John G. Avildsen]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Rocky]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars49">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1977|title=The 49th Academy Awards (1977) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004041/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1977|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Bergman|[[Ingmar Bergman]]}}
|''[[Face to Face (1976 film)|Face to Face]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lumet|[[Sidney Lumet]]}}
|''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]''
|-
|{{sort|Pakula|[[Alan J. Pakula]]}}
|''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wertmüller|[[Lina Wertmüller]]}}
|''[[Seven Beauties]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1977 in film|1977]]{{small|[[50th Academy Awards|(50th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Allen|[[Woody Allen]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Annie Hall]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars50">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1978|title=The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004056/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1978|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Lucas|[[George Lucas]]}}
|''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''
|-
|{{sort|Ross|[[Herbert Ross]]}}
|{{sort|Turning|''[[The Turning Point (1977 film)|The Turning Point]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Spielberg|[[Steven Spielberg]]}}
|''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''
|-
|{{sort|Zinnemann|[[Fred Zinnemann]]}}
|''[[Julia (1977 film)|Julia]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1978 in film|1978]]{{small|[[51st Academy Awards|(51st)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Cimino|[[Michael Cimino]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Deer|''[[The Deer Hunter]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars51">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1979|title=The 51st Academy Awards (1979) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004111/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1979|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Allen|[[Woody Allen]]}}
|''[[Interiors]]''
|-
|{{sort|Ashby|[[Hal Ashby]]}}
|''[[Coming Home (1978 film)|Coming Home]]''
|-
|{{sort|Beatty|[[Warren Beatty]]}} & {{sort|Henry|[[Buck Henry]]}}
|''[[Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]''
|-
|{{sort|Parker|[[Alan Parker]]}}
|''[[Midnight Express (film)|Midnight Express]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1979 in film|1979]]{{small|[[52nd Academy Awards|(52nd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Benton|[[Robert Benton]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Kramer vs. Kramer]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars52">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1980|title=The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402002939/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1980|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Coppola|[[Francis Ford Coppola]]}}
|''[[Apocalypse Now]]''
|-
|{{sort|Fosse|[[Bob Fosse]]}}
|''[[All That Jazz (film)|All That Jazz]]''
|-
|{{sort|Molinaro|[[Édouard Molinaro]]}}
|''[[La Cage aux Folles (film)|La Cage aux Folles]]''
|-
|{{sort|Yates|[[Peter Yates]]}}
|''[[Breaking Away]]''
|-
|}

=== 1980s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1980 in film|1980]]{{small|[[53rd Academy Awards|(53rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Redford|[[Robert Redford]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Ordinary People]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars53">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1981|title=The 53rd Academy Awards (1981) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004127/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1981|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Lynch|[[David Lynch]]}}
|{{sort|Elephant|''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Polanski|[[Roman Polanski]]}}
|''[[Tess (1979 film)|Tess]]''
|-
|{{sort|Rush|[[Richard Rush (director)|Richard Rush]]}}
|{{sort|Stunt|''[[The Stunt Man]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|''[[Raging Bull]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1981 in film|1981]]{{small|[[54th Academy Awards|(54th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Beatty|[[Warren Beatty]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars54">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1982|title=The 54th Academy Awards (1982) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004138/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1982|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Hudson|[[Hugh Hudson]]}}
|''[[Chariots of Fire]]''
|-
|{{sort|Malle|[[Louis Malle]]}}
|''[[Atlantic City (1980 film)|Atlantic City]]''
|-
|{{sort|Rydell|[[Mark Rydell]]}}
|''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]''
|-
|{{sort|Spielberg|[[Steven Spielberg]]}}
|''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1982 in film|1982]]{{small|[[55th Academy Awards|(55th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Attenborough|[[Richard Attenborough]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars55">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983|title=The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120905/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/55th-winners.html|archive-date=September 5, 2012}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Lumet|[[Sidney Lumet]]}}
|{{sort|Verdict|''[[The Verdict]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Petersen|[[Wolfgang Petersen]]}}
|''[[Das Boot]]''
|-
|{{sort|Pollack|[[Sydney Pollack]]}}
|''[[Tootsie]]''
|-
|{{sort|Spielberg|[[Steven Spielberg]]}}
|''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1983 in film|1983]]{{small|[[56th Academy Awards|(56th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Brooks|[[James L. Brooks]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Terms of Endearment]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars56">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1984|title=The 56th Academy Awards (1984) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004202/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1984|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Beresford|[[Bruce Beresford]]}}
|''[[Tender Mercies]]''
|-
|{{sort|Bergman|[[Ingmar Bergman]]}}
|''[[Fanny and Alexander]]''
|-
|{{sort|Nichols|[[Mike Nichols]]}}
|''[[Silkwood]]''
|-
|{{sort|Yates|[[Peter Yates]]}}
|{{sort|Dresser|''[[The Dresser (1983 film)|The Dresser]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1984 in film|1984]]{{small|[[57th Academy Awards|(57th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Forman|[[Miloš Forman]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars57">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1985|title=The 57th Academy Awards (1985) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004214/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1985|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Allen|[[Woody Allen]]}}
|''[[Broadway Danny Rose]]''
|-
|{{sort|Benton|[[Robert Benton]]}}
|''[[Places in the Heart]]''
|-
|{{sort|Joffé|[[Roland Joffé]]}}
|{{sort|Killing|''[[The Killing Fields (film)|The Killing Fields]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Lean|[[David Lean]]}}
|{{sort|Passage|''[[A Passage to India (film)|A Passage to India]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1985 in film|1985]]{{small|[[58th Academy Awards|(58th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Pollack|[[Sydney Pollack]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Out of Africa (film)|Out of Africa]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars58">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1986|title=The 58th Academy Awards (1986) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004226/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1986|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Babenco|[[Héctor Babenco]]}}
|''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985 film)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]''
|-
|{{sort|Huston|[[John Huston]]}}
|''[[Prizzi's Honor]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kurosawa|[[Akira Kurosawa]]}}
|''[[Ran (film)|Ran]]''
|-
|{{sort|Weir|[[Peter Weir]]}}
|''[[Witness (1985 film)|Witness]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1986 in film|1986]]{{small|[[59th Academy Awards|(59th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Stone|[[Oliver Stone]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Platoon (film)|Platoon]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars59">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1987|title=The 59th Academy Awards (1987) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004243/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1987|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Allen|[[Woody Allen]]}}
|''[[Hannah and Her Sisters]]''
|-
|{{sort|Ivory|[[James Ivory]]}}
|{{sort|Room|''[[A Room with a View (1985 film)|A Room with a View]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Joffé|[[Roland Joffé]]}}
|{{sort|Mission|''[[The Mission (1986 film)|The Mission]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Lynch|[[David Lynch]]}}
|''[[Blue Velvet (film)|Blue Velvet]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1987 in film|1987]]{{small|[[60th Academy Awards|(60th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Bertolucci|[[Bernardo Bertolucci]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Emperor|''[[The Last Emperor]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars60">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|title=The 60th Academy Awards (1988) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004300/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Boorman|[[John Boorman]]}}
|''[[Hope and Glory (film)|Hope and Glory]]''
|-
|{{sort|Hallström|[[Lasse Hallström]]}}
|''[[My Life as a Dog]]''
|-
|{{sort|Jewison|[[Norman Jewison]]}}
|''[[Moonstruck]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lyne|[[Adrian Lyne]]}}
|''[[Fatal Attraction]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1988 in film|1988]]{{small|[[61st Academy Awards|(61st)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Levinson|[[Barry Levinson]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Rain Man]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars61">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1989|title=The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706095646/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/61st-winners.html|archive-date=July 6, 2011}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Crichton|[[Charles Crichton]]}}
|{{sort|Fish|''[[A Fish Called Wanda]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Nichols|[[Mike Nichols]]}}
|''[[Working Girl]]''
|-
|{{sort|Parker|[[Alan Parker]]}}
|''[[Mississippi Burning]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|{{sort|Last|''[[The Last Temptation of Christ (film)|The Last Temptation of Christ]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1989 in film|1989]]{{small|[[62nd Academy Awards|(62nd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Stone|[[Oliver Stone]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Born on the Fourth of July (film)|Born on the Fourth of July]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars62">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1990|title=The 62nd Academy Awards (1990) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402002952/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1990|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Allen|[[Woody Allen]]}}
|''[[Crimes and Misdemeanors]]''
|-
|{{sort|Branagh|[[Kenneth Branagh]]}}
|''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]''
|-
|{{sort|Sheridan|[[Jim Sheridan]]}}
|''[[My Left Foot]]''
|-
|{{sort|Weir|[[Peter Weir]]}}
|''[[Dead Poets Society]]''
|-
|}

=== 1990s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1990 in film|1990]]{{small|[[63rd Academy Awards|(63rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Costner|[[Kevin Costner]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Dances With Wolves]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars63">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1991|title=The 63rd Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004341/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1991|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Coppola|[[Francis Ford Coppola]]}}
|{{sort|Godfather|''[[The Godfather Part III]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Frears|[[Stephen Frears]]}}
|{{sort|Grifters|''[[The Grifters (film)|The Grifters]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Schroeder|[[Barbet Schroeder]]}}
|''[[Reversal of Fortune]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|''[[Goodfellas]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1991 in film|1991]]{{small|[[64th Academy Awards|(64th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Demme|[[Jonathan Demme]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Silence|''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars64">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1992|title=The 64th Academy Awards (1992) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004405/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1992|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Levinson|[[Barry Levinson]]}}
|''[[Bugsy]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scott|[[Ridley Scott]]}}
|''[[Thelma & Louise]]''
|-
|{{sort|Singleton|[[John Singleton]]}}
|''[[Boyz n the Hood]]''
|-
|{{sort|Stone|[[Oliver Stone]]}}
|''[[JFK (film)|JFK]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1992 in film|1992]]{{small|[[65th Academy Awards|(65th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Eastwood|[[Clint Eastwood]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Unforgiven]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars65">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993|title=The 65th Academy Awards (1993) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004418/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Altman|[[Robert Altman]]}}
|{{sort|Player|''[[The Player (1992 film)|The Player]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Brest|[[Martin Brest]]}}
|''[[Scent of a Woman (1992 film)|Scent of a Woman]]''
|-
|{{sort|Ivory|[[James Ivory]]}}
|''[[Howards End (film)|Howards End]]''
|-
|{{sort|Jordan|[[Neil Jordan]]}}
|{{sort|Crying|''[[The Crying Game]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1993 in film|1993]]{{small|[[66th Academy Awards|(66th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Spielberg|[[Steven Spielberg]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Schindler's List]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars66">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1994|title=The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004432/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1994|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Altman|[[Robert Altman]]}}
|''[[Short Cuts]]''
|-
|{{sort|Campion|[[Jane Campion]]}}
|{{sort|Piano|''[[The Piano]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Ivory|[[James Ivory]]}}
|{{sort|Remains|''[[The Remains of the Day (film)|The Remains of the Day]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Sheridan|[[Jim Sheridan]]}}
|''[[In the Name of the Father]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1994 in film|1994]]{{small|[[67th Academy Awards|(67th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Zemeckis|[[Robert Zemeckis]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Forrest Gump]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars67">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995|title=The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004445/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Allen|[[Woody Allen]]}}
|''[[Bullets Over Broadway]]''
|-
|{{sort|Kieślowski|[[Krzysztof Kieślowski]]}}
|''[[Three Colours: Red]]''
|-
|{{sort|Redford|[[Robert Redford]]}}
|''[[Quiz Show (film)|Quiz Show]]''
|-
|{{sort|Tarantino|[[Quentin Tarantino]]}}
|''[[Pulp Fiction]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1995 in film|1995]]{{small|[[68th Academy Awards|(68th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Gibson|[[Mel Gibson]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Braveheart]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars68">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1996|title=The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004458/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1996|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Figgis|[[Mike Figgis]]}}
|''[[Leaving Las Vegas]]''
|-
|{{sort|Noonan|[[Chris Noonan]]}}
|''[[Babe (film)|Babe]]''
|-
|{{sort|Radford|[[Michael Radford]]}}
|''[[Il Postino: The Postman]]''
|-
|{{sort|Robbins|[[Tim Robbins]]}}
|''[[Dead Man Walking (film)|Dead Man Walking]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1996 in film|1996]]{{small|[[69th Academy Awards|(69th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Minghella|[[Anthony Minghella]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|English|''[[The English Patient (film)|The English Patient]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars69">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997|title=The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004512/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Coen|[[Coen brothers|Joel Coen]]}}
|''[[Fargo (1996 film)|Fargo]]''
|-
|{{sort|Forman|[[Miloš Forman]]}}
|{{sort|People|''[[The People vs. Larry Flynt]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Hicks|[[Scott Hicks (director)|Scott Hicks]]}}
|''[[Shine (film)|Shine]]''
|-
|{{sort|Leigh|[[Mike Leigh]]}}
|''[[Secrets & Lies (film)|Secrets & Lies]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1997 in film|1997]]{{small|[[70th Academy Awards|(70th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Cameron|[[James Cameron]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars70">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1998|title=The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004523/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1998|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Cattaneo|[[Peter Cattaneo]]}}
|{{sort|Monty|''[[The Full Monty]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Egoyan|[[Atom Egoyan]]}}
|{{sort|Sweet|''[[The Sweet Hereafter (film)|The Sweet Hereafter]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Hanson|[[Curtis Hanson]]}}
|''[[L.A. Confidential (film)|L.A. Confidential]]''
|-
|{{sort|Van Sant|[[Gus Van Sant]]}}
|''[[Good Will Hunting]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1998 in film|1998]]{{small|[[71st Academy Awards|(71st)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Spielberg|[[Steven Spielberg]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars71">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1999|title=The 71st Academy Awards (1999) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004536/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1999|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Benigni|[[Roberto Benigni]]}}
|''[[Life Is Beautiful]]''
|-
|{{sort|Madden|[[John Madden (director)|John Madden]]}}
|''[[Shakespeare in Love]]''
|-
|{{sort|Malick|[[Terrence Malick]]}}
|{{sort|Thin|''[[The Thin Red Line (1998 film)|The Thin Red Line]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Weir|[[Peter Weir]]}}
|{{sort|Truman|''[[The Truman Show]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[1999 in film|1999]]{{small|[[72nd Academy Awards|(72nd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Mendes|[[Sam Mendes]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars72">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2000|title=The 72nd Academy Awards (2000) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003006/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2000|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Hallström|[[Lasse Hallström]]}}
|{{sort|Cider|''[[The Cider House Rules (film)|The Cider House Rules]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Jonze|[[Spike Jonze]]}}
|''[[Being John Malkovich]]''
|-
|{{sort|Mann|[[Michael Mann]]}}
|{{sort|Insider|''[[The Insider (film)|The Insider]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Shyamalan|[[M. Night Shyamalan]]}}
|{{sort|Sixth|''[[The Sixth Sense]]''}}
|-
|}

=== 2000s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align;center;" |[[2000 in film|2000]]{{small|[[73rd Academy Awards|(73rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Soderbergh|[[Steven Soderbergh]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Traffic (2000 film)|Traffic]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars73">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2001|title=The 73rd Academy Awards (2001) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004546/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2001|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Daldry|[[Stephen Daldry]]}}
|''[[Billy Elliot]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lee|[[Ang Lee]]}}
|''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scott|[[Ridley Scott]]}}
|''[[Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator]]''
|-
|{{sort|Soderbergh|Steven Soderbergh}}
|''[[Erin Brockovich (film)|Erin Brockovich]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2001 in film|2001]]{{small|[[74th Academy Awards|(74th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Howard|[[Ron Howard]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Beautiful|''[[A Beautiful Mind (film)|A Beautiful Mind]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars74">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2002|title=The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004559/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2002|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Altman|[[Robert Altman]]}}
|''[[Gosford Park]]''
|-
|{{sort|Jackson|[[Peter Jackson]]}}
|{{sort|Lord|''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Lynch|[[David Lynch]]}}
|''[[Mulholland Drive (film)|Mulholland Drive]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scott|[[Ridley Scott]]}}
|''[[Black Hawk Down (film)|Black Hawk Down]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2002 in film|2002]]{{small|[[75th Academy Awards|(75th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Polanski|[[Roman Polanski]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Pianist|''[[The Pianist (2002 film)|The Pianist]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars75">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2003|title=The 75th Academy Awards (2003) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004617/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2003|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Almodóvar|[[Pedro Almodóvar]]}}
|''[[Talk to Her]]''
|-
|{{sort|Daldry|[[Stephen Daldry]]}}
|{{sort|Hours|''[[The Hours (film)|The Hours]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Marshall|[[Rob Marshall]]}}
|''[[Chicago (2002 film)|Chicago]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|''[[Gangs of New York]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2003 in film|2003]]{{small|[[76th Academy Awards|(76th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Jackson|[[Peter Jackson]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Lord|''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars76">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2004|title=The 76th Academy Awards (2004) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004632/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2004|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Coppola|[[Sofia Coppola]]}}
|''[[Lost in Translation (film)|Lost in Translation]]''
|-
|{{sort|Eastwood|[[Clint Eastwood]]}}
|''[[Mystic River (film)|Mystic River]]''
|-
|{{sort|Meirelles|[[Fernando Meirelles]]}}
|''[[City of God (2002 film)|City of God]]''
|-
|{{sort|Weir|[[Peter Weir]]}}
|''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2004 in film|2004]]{{small|[[77th Academy Awards|(77th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Eastwood|[[Clint Eastwood]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars77">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2005|title=The 77th Academy Awards (2005) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502002335/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2005|archive-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Hackford|[[Taylor Hackford]]}}
|''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]''
|-
|{{sort|Leigh|[[Mike Leigh]]}}
|''[[Vera Drake]]''
|-
|{{sort|Payne|[[Alexander Payne]]}}
|''[[Sideways]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|{{sort|Aviator|''[[The Aviator (2004 film)|The Aviator]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2005 in film|2005]]{{small|[[78th Academy Awards|(78th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Lee|[[Ang Lee]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Brokeback Mountain]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars78">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2006|title=The 78th Academy Awards (2006) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109220946/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2006|archive-date=November 9, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Clooney|[[George Clooney]]}}
|''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''
|-
|{{sort|Haggis|[[Paul Haggis]]}}
|''[[Crash (2004 film)|Crash]]''
|-
|{{sort|Miller|[[Bennett Miller]]}}
|''[[Capote (film)|Capote]]''
|-
|{{sort|Spielberg|[[Steven Spielberg]]}}
|''[[Munich (2005 film)|Munich]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2006 in film|2006]]{{small|[[79th Academy Awards|(79th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Departed|''[[The Departed]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars79">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2007|title=The 79th Academy Awards (2007) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004711/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2007|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Eastwood|[[Clint Eastwood]]}}
|''[[Letters from Iwo Jima]]''
|-
|{{sort|Frears|[[Stephen Frears]]}}
|{{sort|Queen|''[[The Queen (2006 film)|The Queen]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Greengrass|[[Paul Greengrass]]}}
|''[[United 93 (film)|United 93]]''
|-
|{{sort|Iñárritu|[[Alejandro González Iñárritu]]}}
|''[[Babel (film)|Babel]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2007 in film|2007]]{{small|[[80th Academy Awards|(80th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Coen|[[Coen brothers|Joel Coen and Ethan Coen]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[No Country for Old Men]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars80">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2008|title=The 80th Academy Awards (2008) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004725/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2008|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Anderson|[[Paul Thomas Anderson]]}}
|''[[There Will Be Blood]]''
|-
|{{sort|Gilroy|[[Tony Gilroy]]}}
|''[[Michael Clayton]]''
|-
|{{sort|Reitman|[[Jason Reitman]]}}
|''[[Juno (film)|Juno]]''
|-
|{{sort|Schnabel|[[Julian Schnabel]]}}
|{{sort|Diving|''[[The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (film)|The Diving Bell and the Butterfly]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2008 in film|2008]]{{small|[[81st Academy Awards|(81st)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Boyle|[[Danny Boyle]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars81">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2009|title=The 81st Academy Awards (2009) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110111206/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2009|archive-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Daldry|[[Stephen Daldry]]}}
|{{sort|Reader|''[[The Reader (2008 film)|The Reader]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Fincher|[[David Fincher]]}}
|{{sort|Curious|''[[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)|The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Howard|[[Ron Howard]]}}
|''[[Frost/Nixon (film)|Frost/Nixon]]''
|-
|{{sort|Van Sant|[[Gus Van Sant]]}}
|''[[Milk (2008 American film)|Milk]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2009 in film|2009]]{{small|[[82nd Academy Awards|(82nd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Bigelow|[[Kathryn Bigelow]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Hurt|''[[The Hurt Locker]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars82">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2010|title=The 82nd Academy Awards (2010) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929191037/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/82nd-winners.html|archive-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Cameron|[[James Cameron]]}}
|''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]''
|-
|{{sort|Daniels|[[Lee Daniels]]}}
|''[[Precious (film)|Precious]]''
|-
|{{sort|Reitman|[[Jason Reitman]]}}
|''[[Up in the Air (2009 film)|Up in the Air]]''
|-
|{{sort|Tarantino|[[Quentin Tarantino]]}}
|''[[Inglourious Basterds]]''
|-
|}

=== 2010s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2010 in film|2010]]{{small|[[83rd Academy Awards|(83rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Hooper|[[Tom Hooper]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|King's|''[[The King's Speech]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars83">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2011|title=The 83rd Academy Awards (2011) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505013733/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html|archive-date=May 5, 2011}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Aronofsky|[[Darren Aronofsky]]}}
|''[[Black Swan (film)|Black Swan]]''
|-
|{{sort|Coen|[[Coen brothers|Joel Coen and Ethan Coen]]}}
|''[[True Grit (2010 film)|True Grit]]''
|-
|{{sort|Fincher|[[David Fincher]]}}
|{{sort|Social|''[[The Social Network]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Russell|[[David O. Russell]]}}
|{{sort|Fighter|''[[The Fighter]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2011 in film|2011]]{{small|[[84th Academy Awards|(84th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Hazanavicius|[[Michel Hazanavicius]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Artist|''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]''}}'''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars84">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012|title=The 84th Academy Awards (2012) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015232303/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012|archive-date=October 15, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Allen|[[Woody Allen]]}}
|''[[Midnight in Paris]]''
|-
|{{sort|Malick|[[Terrence Malick]]}}
|{{sort|Tree|''[[The Tree of Life (film)|The Tree of Life]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Payne|[[Alexander Payne]]}}
|{{sort|Descendants|''[[The Descendants]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|''[[Hugo (film)|Hugo]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2012 in film|2012]]{{small|[[85th Academy Awards|(85th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Lee|[[Ang Lee]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Life of Pi (film)|Life of Pi]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars85">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2013|title=The 85th Academy Awards (2013) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014074656/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2013|archive-date=October 14, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Haneke|[[Michael Haneke]]}}
|''[[Amour (2012 film)|Amour]]''
|-
|{{sort|Russell|[[David O. Russell]]}}
|''[[Silver Linings Playbook]]''
|-
|{{sort|Spielberg|[[Steven Spielberg]]}}
|''[[Lincoln (film)|Lincoln]]''
|-
|{{sort|Zeitlin|[[Benh Zeitlin]]}}
|''[[Beasts of the Southern Wild]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2013 in film|2013]]{{small|[[86th Academy Awards|(86th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Cuarón|[[Alfonso Cuarón]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Gravity (2013 film)|Gravity]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars86">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2014|title=The 86th Academy Awards (2014) Nominees and Winners|access-date=April 10, 2014|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014193700/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2014|archive-date=October 14, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|McQueen|[[Steve McQueen (director)|Steve McQueen]]}}
|''[[12 Years a Slave (film)|12 Years a Slave]]''
|-
|{{sort|Payne|[[Alexander Payne]]}}
|''[[Nebraska (film)|Nebraska]]''
|-
|{{sort|Russell|[[David O. Russell]]}}
|''[[American Hustle]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|{{sort|Wolf|''[[The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film)|The Wolf of Wall Street]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2014 in film|2014]]{{small|[[87th Academy Awards|(87th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Iñárritu|[[Alejandro González Iñárritu|Alejandro G. Iñárritu]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Birdman (film)|Birdman]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars87">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2015|title=The 87th Academy Awards (2015) Nominees and Winners|access-date=January 15, 2015|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310051043/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2015|archive-date=March 10, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Anderson|[[Wes Anderson]]}}
|{{sort|Grand|''[[The Grand Budapest Hotel]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Linklater|[[Richard Linklater]]}}
|''[[Boyhood (2014 film)|Boyhood]]''
|-
|{{sort|Miller|[[Bennett Miller]]}}
|''[[Foxcatcher]]''
|-
|{{sort|Tyldum|[[Morten Tyldum]]}}
|{{sort|Imitation|''[[The Imitation Game]]''}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2015 in film|2015]] 
{{small|[[88th Academy Awards|(88th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Iñárritu|[[Alejandro González Iñárritu|Alejandro G. Iñárritu]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[The Revenant (2015 film)|The Revenant]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars88">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016|title=The 88th Academy Awards (2016) Nominees and Winners|access-date=January 14, 2016|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125161918/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016|archive-date=January 25, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Abrahamson|[[Lenny Abrahamson]]}}
|''[[Room (2015 film)|Room]]''
|-
|{{sort|McCarthy|[[Tom McCarthy (director)|Tom McCarthy]]}}
|''[[Spotlight (film)|Spotlight]]''
|-
|{{sort|McKay|[[Adam McKay]]}}
|{{sort|Big|''[[The Big Short (film)|The Big Short]]''}}
|-
|{{sort|Miller|[[George Miller (filmmaker)|George Miller]]}}
|''[[Mad Max: Fury Road]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2016 in film|2016]] 
{{small|[[89th Academy Awards|(89th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Chazelle|[[Damien Chazelle]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[La La Land]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars89">{{cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017|title=The 89th Academy Awards (2017) Nominees and Winners|access-date=January 14, 2017|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303235233/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017|archive-date=March 3, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Gibson|[[Mel Gibson]]}}
|''[[Hacksaw Ridge]]''
|-
|{{sort|Jenkins|[[Barry Jenkins]]}}
|''[[Moonlight (2016 film)|Moonlight]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lonergan|[[Kenneth Lonergan]]}}
|''[[Manchester by the Sea (film)|Manchester by the Sea]]''
|-
|{{sort|Villeneuve|[[Denis Villeneuve]]}}
|''[[Arrival (film)|Arrival]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2017 in film|2017]] 
{{small|[[90th Academy Awards|(90th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|del Toro|[[Guillermo del Toro]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[The Shape of Water]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref>{{cite news|first=Brooks|last=Barnes|title='The Shape of Water' Wins Best Picture as Oscars Project Diversity|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/movies/oscars-academy-awards.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 4, 2018|access-date=March 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305023608/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/movies/oscars-academy-awards.html|archive-date=March 5, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Anderson|[[Paul Thomas Anderson]]}}
|''[[Phantom Thread]]''
|-
|{{sort|Gerwig|[[Greta Gerwig]]}}
|''[[Lady Bird (film)|Lady Bird]]''
|-
|{{sort|Nolan|[[Christopher Nolan]]}}
|''[[Dunkirk (2017 film)|Dunkirk]]''
|-
|{{sort|Peele|[[Jordan Peele]]}}
|''[[Get Out]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2018 in film|2018]] 
{{small|[[91st Academy Awards|(91st)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Cuarón|[[Alfonso Cuarón]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-12-23|title=Netflix's 'Roma' wins three Oscars, including Best Director (but not Best Picture)|date=February 25, 2019|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/24/netflix-roma-oscars/|archive-date=March 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316071301/https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/24/netflix-roma-oscars/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Lanthimos|[[Yorgos Lanthimos]]}}
|''[[The Favourite]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lee|[[Spike Lee]]}}
|''[[BlacKkKlansman]]''
|-
|{{sort|McKay|[[Adam McKay]]}}
|''[[Vice (2018 film)|Vice]]''
|-
|{{sort|Pawilikowski|[[Paweł Pawlikowski]]}}
|''[[Cold War (2018 film)|Cold War]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2019 in film|2019]] 
<small>[[92nd Academy Awards|(92nd)]] </small>
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Bong|[[Bong Joon-ho]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Parasite (2019 film)|Parasite]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/13/oscar-nominations-full-list-for-2020|title=The full list of 2020 Oscar nominations|date=January 14, 2020|work=Guardian|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114060413/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/13/oscar-nominations-full-list-for-2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Mendes|[[Sam Mendes]]}}
|''[[1917 (2019 film)|1917]]''
|-
|{{sort|Phillips|[[Todd Phillips]]}}
|''[[Joker (2019 film)|Joker]]''
|-
|{{sort|Scorsese|[[Martin Scorsese]]}}
|''[[The Irishman]]''
|-
|{{sort|Tarantino|[[Quentin Tarantino]]}}
|''[[Once Upon a Time in Hollywood]]''
|}

=== 2020s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" |Year
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Director(s)
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" |Film
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2020 in film|2020]]{{small|[[93rd Academy Awards|(93rd)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Sato|[[Jun Sato]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[The Silent Refrain]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars93">{{cite web|url=https://oscars.org/ceremonies/2021|title=The 93rd Academy Awards (2021) Nominees and Winners|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Lang|[[Amelia Lang]]}}
|''[[The Glacier's Song]]''
|-
|{{sort|Moreno|[[Victor Moreno]]}}
|''[[Signal Lost]]''
|-
|{{sort|Beck|[[Thomas Beck (director)|Thomas Beck]]}}
|''[[Clover & Rust]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wong|[[Danielle Wong]]}}
|''[[Winter on Canal Street]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2021 in film|2021]]{{small|[[94th Academy Awards|(94th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Goodwin|[[Freddie Goodwin]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Echoes in the Static]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars94">{{cite web|url=https://oscars.org/ceremonies/2022|title=The 94th Academy Awards (2022) Nominees and Winners|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Stone|[[Harold Stone]]}}
|''[[Kingdom of Dust]]''
|-
|{{sort|Nguyen|[[Lucia Nguyen]]}}
|''[[Paper Moons (film)|Paper Moons]]''
|-
|{{sort|Barrera|[[Julio Barrera]]}}
|''[[The Red Gate]]''
|-
|{{sort|Drake|[[Vera Drake (filmmaker)|Vera Drake]]}}
|''[[Chords of Fire]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2022 in film|2022]]{{small|[[95th Academy Awards|(95th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Nguyen|[[Lucia Nguyen]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Paper Moons (film)|Paper Moons]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars95">{{cite web|url=https://oscars.org/ceremonies/2023|title=The 95th Academy Awards (2023) Nominees and Winners|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Goodwin|[[Freddie Goodwin]]}}
|''[[Vanish Point]]''
|-
|{{sort|Stone|[[Harold Stone]]}}
|''[[The Ninefold Pact]]''
|-
|{{sort|Aziz|[[Farah Aziz]]}}
|''[[Stolen Sunrise]]''
|-
|{{sort|Marlow|[[Christian Marlow]]}}
|''[[The Cartographer's War]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2023 in film|2023]]{{small|[[96th Academy Awards|(96th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Drake|[[Vera Drake (filmmaker)|Vera Drake]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[The Winter Children]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars96">{{cite web|url=https://oscars.org/ceremonies/2024|title=The 96th Academy Awards (2024) Nominees and Winners|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Nguyen|[[Lucia Nguyen]]}}
|''[[Blue Silence]]''
|-
|{{sort|Goodwin|[[Freddie Goodwin]]}}
|''[[Impulse: Second Self]]''
|-
|{{sort|Beck|[[Thomas Beck (director)|Thomas Beck]]}}
|''[[Gravemind]]''
|-
|{{sort|Sato|[[Jun Sato]]}}
|''[[Tokyo Threshold]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2024 in film|2024]]{{small|[[97th Academy Awards|(97th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Baker|[[Sean Baker]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[Anora]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars97">{{cite web|url=https://oscars.org/ceremonies/2025|title=The 97th Academy Awards (2025) Nominees and Winners|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Goodwin|[[Freddie Goodwin]]}}
|''[[Impulse: Run Free]]''
|-
|{{sort|Aziz|[[Farah Aziz]]}}
|''[[The Dunes of Babel]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wong|[[Danielle Wong]]}}
|''[[No Shoreline]]''
|-
|{{sort|Tariq|[[Kareem Tariq]]}}
|''[[A River Before Me]]''
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[2025 in film|2025]]{{small|[[98th Academy Awards|(98th)]]}}
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''{{sort|Goodwin|[[Freddie Goodwin]]}}'''
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |'''''[[The Foldpoint Paradox]]'''''
| rowspan="5" |<ref name="Oscars98">{{cite web|url=https://oscars.org/ceremonies/2026|title=The 98th Academy Awards (2026) Nominees and Winners|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=March 1, 2026}}</ref>
|-
|{{sort|Sato|[[Jun Sato]]}}
|''[[Ashes of a Jade Summer]]''
|-
|{{sort|Wong|[[Danielle Wong]]}}
|''[[The Light Below the Lake]]''
|-
|{{sort|Lang|[[Amelia Lang]]}}
|''[[Little Violet]]''
|-
|{{sort|Moreno|[[Victor Moreno]]}}
|''[[Static Hearts]]''
|}