Category of film award
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 and Two Arabian Knights , respectively.[1] However, these categories were merged for all subsequent ceremonies.[2] Nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the directors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy.[3] [4] [5]
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 , at the 11th Academy Awards , the rules were revised so that an individual could only be nominated for one film at each ceremony.[6] 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 and Traffic in 2000, winning the award for the latter. The Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture have been very closely linked throughout their history. Of the 92 films that have been awarded Best Picture, 66 have also been awarded Best Director.[7]
Since its inception, the award has been given to 72 directors or directing teams. John Ford has received the most awards in this category with four. William Wyler was nominated on twelve occasions, more than any other individual. Damien Chazelle became the youngest director in history to receive this award, at the age of 32 for his work on La La Land . John Singleton became the youngest director to be nominated for this award, at age 24 for his work on Boyz n the Hood . Two directing teams have shared the award; Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for West Side Story in 1961 and Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men in 2007. The Coen brothers are the only siblings to have won the award.[8] Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have won the award, for 2009's The Hurt Locker . As of the 2020 ceremony , Bong Joon-ho is the most recent winner in this category for his work on Parasite .
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 ; the ceremonies are always held the following year.[9] For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months from August 1 to July 31.[10] For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933.[10] Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31.[10]
Table key
indicates the winner
Indicates the winner of Best Picture
1920s
1930s
John Ford has the most Best Director wins with four, winning in 1935, 1940, 1941, and 1952.
1940s
William Wyler has the most nominations with twelve, winning in 1942, 1946, and 1959.
Billy Wilder (
right ) was nominated eight times, winning twice.
1950s
Joseph L. Mankiewicz won back to back Oscars for,
A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and
All About Eve (1950)
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Multiple wins and nominations
Multiple wins
Multiple nominations
Age superlatives
Diversity of nominees/winners
Asian nominees/winners
Seven directors of Asian descent have been nominated a total of nine times in this category, and two individuals have won the award (with Ang Lee winning twice).
Black nominees
Six black directors have been nominated a total of six times in this category, and none have won the award.[105]
Latin American nominees/winners
Five Latin American directors have been nominated a total of eight times in this category, and three have won the award five times.
Oceanic nominees/winners
Seven Oceanic directors have been nominated a total of eleven times in this category, and one has won the award.
Female nominees/winners
Seven female directors have been nominated in the category, and one has won the award.[106]
Non-English language nominees/winners
Thirty directors of non-English language films have been nominated a total of thirty-five times in this category, and two have won the award.
1961 - Federico Fellini for La Dolce Vita , Italian
1962 - Pietro Germi for Divorce Italian Style , Italian
1963 - Federico Fellini for 8½ , Italian
1964 - / Michael Cacoyannis for Zorba the Greek , Greek +
1965 - Hiroshi Teshigahara for Woman in the Dunes , Japanese
1966 - Michelangelo Antonioni for Blowup , Italian
1966 - Claude Lelouch for A Man and a Woman , French
1968 - Gillo Pontecorvo for The Battle of Algiers , Arabic & French
1969 - / Costa-Gavras for Z , French +
1970 - Federico Fellini for Fellini Satyricon , Italian
1972 - Jan Troell for The Emigrants , Swedish +
1973 - Ingmar Bergman for Cries and Whispers , Swedish +
1974 - François Truffaut for Day for Night , French
1975 - Federico Fellini for Amarcord , Italian
1976 - Ingmar Bergman for Face to Face , Swedish
1976 - Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties , Italian
1979 - Édouard Molinaro for La Cage aux Folles , French
1982 - Wolfgang Petersen for Das Boot , German
1983 - Ingmar Bergman for Fanny and Alexander , Swedish
1985 - Akira Kurosawa for Ran , Japanese
1987 - Lasse Hallström for My Life as a Dog , Swedish
1994 - Krzysztof Kie?lowski for Three Colours: Red , French
1995 - Michael Radford for Il Postino: The Postman , Italian & Spanish +
1998 - Roberto Benigni for Life Is Beautiful , Italian +
2000 - Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Mandarin Chinese +
2002 - Pedro Almodóvar for Talk to Her , Spanish
2003 - Fernando Meirelles for City of God , Portuguese
2006 - Clint Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima , Japanese +
2007 - Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , French
2012 - Michael Haneke for Amour , French +
2018 - Alfonso Cuarón for Roma , Spanish +
2018 - Pawe? Pawlikowski for Cold War , Polish
2019 - Bong Joon-ho for Parasite , Korean ?
2020 - Lee Isaac Chung for Minari , Korean +
2020 - Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round , Danish bold -- Indicates winner
§ -- Directorial feature film debut
+ -- Film nominated for Best Picture
? -- Film won for Best Picture
Notes
^ The 2nd Academy Awards is unique in being the only occasion where there were no official nominees. Subsequent research by AMPAS has resulted in a list of unofficial or de facto nominees, based on records of which films were evaluated by the judges.
See also
References
^ Dirks, Tim. "1927-28 Academy Awards Winners" . Rainbow Media . Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved 2015 .
^ Dirks, Tim. "Academy Awards Winners (1927/8 - 1939)" . Rainbow Media . Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved 2015 .
^ "87th Annual Academy Awards of Merit Rules" (PDF) . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rule 5.5 & Rule 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2014. Retrieved 2016 .
^
Pond, Steve (January 7, 2006). "Eight things every voter (and fan) should know about Oscar's decidedly unique nomination process" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved 2007 .
^ Young, John (January 27, 2011). "Oscars: The wacky way the Academy counts votes, and the results of our 'If You Were an Oscar Voter' poll" . Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved 2016 .
^ Dirks, Tim. "1938 Academy Awards Winners and History" . Rainbow Media . Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved 2015 .
^ "Picture/Director Not from Same Film" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. March 11, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved 2016 .
^ "Coen brothers make Oscar history" . Today.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved 2016 .
^ Crouse 2005 , p. 257
^ a b c Levy 2003 , page 52
^ "The 1st Academy Awards (1929) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 2nd Academy Awards Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 3rd Academy Awards (1930) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 4th Academy Awards (1931) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 5th Academy Awards (1932) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 6th Academy Awards (1933) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 7th Academy Awards (1935) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 8th Academy Awards (1936) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 9th Academy Awards (1937) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 10th Academy Awards (1938) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 11th Academy Awards (1939) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 12th Academy Awards (1940) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 13th Academy Awards (1941) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 15th Academy Awards (1943) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 16th Academy Awards (1944) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 19th Academy Awards (1947) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 20th Academy Awards (1948) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 21st Academy Awards (1949) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 22nd Academy Awards (1950) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 23rd Academy Awards (1951) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 24th Academy Awards (1952) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 25th Academy Awards (1953) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 26th Academy Awards (1954) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 27th Academy Awards (1955) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 31st Academy Awards (1959) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 35th Academy Awards (1963) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 36th Academy Awards (1964) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 37th Academy Awards (1965) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 39th Academy Awards (1967) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 41st Academy Awards (1969) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 42nd Academy Awards (1970) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 43rd Academy Awards (1971) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 44th Academy Awards (1972) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 45th Academy Awards (1973) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 46th Academy Awards (1974) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 47th Academy Awards (1975) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 48th Academy Awards (1976) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 49th Academy Awards (1977) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 51st Academy Awards (1979) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 53rd Academy Awards (1981) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 54th Academy Awards (1982) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 56th Academy Awards (1984) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 57th Academy Awards (1985) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 58th Academy Awards (1986) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 59th Academy Awards (1987) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 60th Academy Awards (1988) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 62nd Academy Awards (1990) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 63rd Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 64th Academy Awards (1992) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 65th Academy Awards (1993) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 71st Academy Awards (1999) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 72nd Academy Awards (2000) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 73rd Academy Awards (2001) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 75th Academy Awards (2003) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 76th Academy Awards (2004) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 77th Academy Awards (2005) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 78th Academy Awards (2006) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 79th Academy Awards (2007) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 80th Academy Awards (2008) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 81st Academy Awards (2009) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 82nd Academy Awards (2010) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 83rd Academy Awards (2011) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 84th Academy Awards (2012) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 85th Academy Awards (2013) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved 2013 .
^ "The 86th Academy Awards (2014) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved 2014 .
^ "The 87th Academy Awards (2015) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved 2015 .
^ "The 88th Academy Awards (2016) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved 2016 .
^ "The 89th Academy Awards (2017) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved 2017 .
^ Barnes, Brooks (March 4, 2018). "' The Shape of Water' Wins Best Picture as Oscars Project Diversity" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved 2018 .
^ "Netflix's 'Roma' wins three Oscars, including Best Director (but not Best Picture)" . Retrieved 2019 .
^ "The full list of 2020 Oscar nominations" . Guardian . January 14, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved 2020 .
^ "Complete list of nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards" . ABC News . March 15, 2021. Retrieved 2021 .
^ a b c d "Oldest/Youngest Directing Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved 2015 .
^ Stolworthy, Jacob (January 23, 2018). "Oscar nominations 2018: Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig's Best Director nods are a win for diversity and creativity" . The Independent . Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved 2018 .
^ Gonzalez, Sandra (January 23, 2018). "Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird' best director nomination is a huge deal" . CNN . Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved 2018 .
Bibliography
External links