| 2026 | One Battle After Another Paul Thomas Anderson | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2025 | Anora Sean Baker | Sean Baker |
| 2024 | Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan | Christopher Nolan |
| 2023 | Everything Everywhere All at Once Dan Kwan | Dan Kwan |
| 2022 | CODA Siân Héder | Siân Héder |
| 2021 | Nomadland Chloé Zhao | Chloé Zhao |
| 2020 | Parasite Bong Joon-ho | Bong Joon-ho |
| 2019 | Green Book Peter Farrelly | Peter Farrelly |
| 2018 | The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro | Guillermo del Toro |
| 2017 | Moonlight Barry Jenkins | Barry Jenkins |
| 2016 | Spotlight Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| 2015 | Birdman Alejandro González Iñárritu | Alejandro González Iñárritu |
| 2014 | 12 Years a Slave Steve McQueen | Steve McQueen |
| 2013 | Argo Ben Affleck | Ben Affleck |
| 2012 | The Artist Michel Hazanavicius | Michel Hazanavicius |
| 2011 | The King's Speech Tom Hooper | Tom Hooper |
| 2010 | The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow | Kathryn Bigelow |
| 2009 | Slumdog Millionaire Loveleen Tandan | Loveleen Tandan |
| 2008 | No Country for Old Men Joel Coen | Joel Coen |
| 2007 | The Departed Martin Scorsese | Martin Scorsese |
| 2006 | Crash Paul Haggis | Paul Haggis |
| 2005 | Million Dollar Baby Clint Eastwood | Clint Eastwood |
| 2004 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Peter Jackson | Peter Jackson |
| 2003 | Chicago Rob Marshall | Rob Marshall |
| 2002 | A Beautiful Mind Ron Howard | Ron Howard |
| 2001 | Gladiator Ridley Scott | Ridley Scott |
| 2000 | American Beauty Sam Mendes | Sam Mendes |
| 1999 | Shakespeare in Love John Madden | John Madden |
| 1998 | Titanic James Cameron | James Cameron |
| 1997 | The English Patient Anthony Minghella | Anthony Minghella |
| 1996 | Braveheart Mel Gibson | Mel Gibson |
| 1994 | Schindler's List Steven Spielberg | Steven Spielberg |
| 1993 | Unforgiven Clint Eastwood | Clint Eastwood |
| 1992 | The Silence of the Lambs Jonathan Demme | Jonathan Demme |
| 1991 | Dances with Wolves Kevin Costner | Kevin Costner |
| 1990 | Driving Miss Daisy Bruce Beresford | Bruce Beresford |
| 1989 | Rain Man Barry Levinson | Barry Levinson |
| 1988 | The Last Emperor Bernardo Bertolucci | Bernardo Bertolucci |
| 1987 | Platoon Oliver Stone | Oliver Stone |
| 1986 | Out of Africa Sydney Pollack | Sydney Pollack |
| 1985 | Amadeus Miloš Forman | Miloš Forman |
| 1984 | Terms of Endearment James L. Brooks | James L. Brooks |
| 1983 | Gandhi Richard Attenborough | Richard Attenborough |
| 1982 | Chariots of Fire Hugh Hudson | Hugh Hudson |
| 1981 | Ordinary People Robert Redford | Robert Redford |
| 1980 | Kramer vs. Kramer Robert Benton | Robert Benton |
| 1979 | The Deer Hunter Michael Cimino | Michael Cimino |
| 1978 | Annie Hall Woody Allen | Woody Allen |
| 1977 | Rocky John G. Avildsen | John G. Avildsen |
| 1976 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Miloš Forman | Miloš Forman |
| 1975 | The Godfather Part II Francis Ford Coppola | Francis Ford Coppola |
| 1974 | The Sting George Roy Hill | George Roy Hill |
| 1973 | The Godfather Francis Ford Coppola | Francis Ford Coppola |
| 1972 | The French Connection William Friedkin | William Friedkin |
| 1971 | Patton Franklin J. Schaffner | Franklin J. Schaffner |
| 1970 | Midnight Cowboy John Schlesinger | John Schlesinger |
| 1969 | Oliver! Carol Reed | Carol Reed |
| 1968 | In the Heat of the Night Norman Jewison | Norman Jewison |
| 1967 | A Man for All Seasons Fred Zinnemann | Fred Zinnemann |
| 1966 | The Sound of Music Robert Wise | Robert Wise |
| 1965 | My Fair Lady George Cukor | George Cukor |
| 1964 | Tom Jones Tony Richardson | Tony Richardson |
| 1963 | Lawrence of Arabia David Lean | David Lean |
| 1962 | West Side Story Robert Wise | Robert Wise |
| 1961 | The Apartment Billy Wilder | Billy Wilder |
| 1960 | Ben-Hur William Wyler | William Wyler |
| 1959 | Gigi Vincente Minnelli | Vincente Minnelli |
| 1958 | The Bridge on the River Kwai David Lean | David Lean |
| 1957 | Around the World in 80 Days Michael Anderson | Michael Anderson |
| 1956 | Marty Delbert Mann | Delbert Mann |
| 1955 | On the Waterfront Elia Kazan | Elia Kazan |
| 1954 | From Here to Eternity Fred Zinnemann | Fred Zinnemann |
| 1953 | The Greatest Show on Earth Cecil B. DeMille | Cecil B. DeMille |
| 1952 | An American in Paris Vincente Minnelli | Vincente Minnelli |
| 1951 | All About Eve Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| 1950 | All the King's Men Robert Rossen | Robert Rossen |
| 1949 | Hamlet Laurence Olivier | Laurence Olivier |
| 1948 | Gentleman's Agreement Elia Kazan | Elia Kazan |
| 1947 | The Best Years of Our Lives William Wyler | William Wyler |
| 1946 | The Lost Weekend Billy Wilder | Billy Wilder |
| 1945 | Going My Way Leo McCarey | Leo McCarey |
| 1944 | Casablanca Michael Curtiz | Michael Curtiz |
| 1943 | Mrs. Miniver William Wyler | William Wyler |
| 1942 | How Green Was My Valley John Ford | John Ford |
| 1941 | Rebecca Alfred Hitchcock | Alfred Hitchcock |
| 1940 | Gone with the Wind Victor Fleming | Victor Fleming |
| 1939 | You Can't Take It With You Frank Capra | Frank Capra |
| 1938 | The Life of Emile Zola William Dieterle | William Dieterle |
| 1937 | The Great Ziegfeld Robert Z. Leonard | Robert Z. Leonard |
| 1936 | Mutiny on the Bounty Frank Lloyd | Frank Lloyd |
| 1935 | It Happened One Night Frank Capra | Frank Capra |
| 1934 | Cavalcade Frank Lloyd | Frank Lloyd |
| 1932 | Grand Hotel Edmund Goulding | Edmund Goulding |
| 1931 | Cimarron Wesley Ruggles | Wesley Ruggles |
| 1930 | All Quiet on the Western Front Lewis Milestone | Lewis Milestone |
| 1930 | The Broadway Melody Harry Beaumont | Harry Beaumont |
| 1929 | Wings Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast | Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast |