| National Board of Review Award for Best Director | |
|---|---|
 Current recipient: Jon M. Chu | |
| Awarded for | Best Director |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | National Board of Review |
| First awarded | Jean Renoir The Southerner (1945) |
| Currently held by | Jon M. Chu Wicked (2024) |
| Website | nationalboardofreview |
The National Board of Review Award for Best Director is one of the annual film awards given (since 1945) by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.
Winners
1940s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Jean Renoir | The Southerner |
| 1946 | William Wyler | The Best Years of Our Lives |
| 1947 | Elia Kazan | Boomerang! |
| Gentleman's Agreement | ||
| 1948 | Roberto Rossellini | Paisan (Paisà) |
| 1949 | Vittorio De Sica | Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette) |
1950s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | John Huston | The Asphalt Jungle |
| 1951 | Akira Kurosawa | Rashōmon |
| 1952 | David Lean | The Sound Barrier |
| 1953 | George Stevens | Shane |
| 1954 | Renato Castellani | Romeo and Juliet |
| 1955 | William Wyler | The Desperate Hours |
| 1956 | John Huston | Moby Dick |
| 1957 | David Lean | The Bridge on the River Kwai |
| 1958 | John Ford | The Last Hurrah |
| 1959 | Fred Zinnemann | The Nun's Story |
1960s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Jack Cardiff | Sons and Lovers |
| 1961 | Jack Clayton | The Innocents |
| 1962 | David Lean | Lawrence of Arabia |
| 1963 | Tony Richardson | Tom Jones |
| 1964 | Desmond Davis | Girl with Green Eyes |
| 1965 | John Schlesinger | Darling |
| 1966 | Fred Zinnemann | A Man for All Seasons |
| 1967 | Richard Brooks | In Cold Blood |
| 1968 | Franco Zeffirelli | Romeo and Juliet |
| 1969 | Alfred Hitchcock | Topaz |
1970s
1980s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Robert Redford | Ordinary People |
| 1981 | Warren Beatty | Reds |
| 1982 | Sidney Lumet | The Verdict |
| 1983 | James L. Brooks | Terms of Endearment |
| 1984 | David Lean | A Passage to India |
| 1985 | Akira Kurosawa | Ran |
| 1986 | Woody Allen | Hannah and Her Sisters |
| 1987 | Steven Spielberg | Empire of the Sun |
| 1988 | Alan Parker | Mississippi Burning |
| 1989 | Kenneth Branagh | Henry V |
1990s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Kevin Costner | Dances with Wolves |
| 1991 | Jonathan Demme | The Silence of the Lambs |
| 1992 | James Ivory | Howards End |
| 1993 | Martin Scorsese | The Age of Innocence |
| 1994 | Quentin Tarantino | Pulp Fiction |
| 1995 | Ang Lee | Sense and Sensibility |
| 1996 | Joel Coen | Fargo |
| 1997 | Curtis Hanson | L.A. Confidential |
| 1998 | Shekhar Kapur | Elizabeth |
| 1999 | Anthony Minghella | The Talented Mr. Ripley |
2000s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Steven Soderbergh | Erin Brockovich |
| Traffic | ||
| 2001 | Todd Field | In the Bedroom |
| 2002 | Phillip Noyce | The Quiet American |
| Rabbit-Proof Fence | ||
| 2003 | Edward Zwick | The Last Samurai |
| 2004 | Michael Mann | Collateral |
| 2005 | Ang Lee | Brokeback Mountain |
| 2006 | Martin Scorsese | The Departed |
| 2007 | Tim Burton | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street |
| 2008 | David Fincher | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button |
| 2009 | Clint Eastwood | Invictus |
2010s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | David Fincher | The Social Network |
| 2011 | Martin Scorsese | Hugo |
| 2012 | Kathryn Bigelow | Zero Dark Thirty |
| 2013 | Spike Jonze | Her |
| 2014 | Clint Eastwood | American Sniper |
| 2015 | Ridley Scott | The Martian |
| 2016 | Barry Jenkins | Moonlight |
| 2017 | Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird |
| 2018 | Bradley Cooper | A Star Is Born |
| 2019 | Quentin Tarantino | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood |
2020s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Spike Lee | Da 5 Bloods |
| 2021 | Paul Thomas Anderson | Licorice Pizza |
| 2022 | Steven Spielberg | The Fabelmans |
| 2023 | Martin Scorsese | Killers of the Flower Moon |
| 2024 | Jon M. Chu | Wicked |
Multiple winners
- David Lean - 4
- Martin Scorsese - 4
- Ingmar Bergman - 2
- Clint Eastwood - 2
- David Fincher - 2
- John Huston - 2
- Akira Kurosawa - 2
- Ang Lee - 2
- John Schlesinger - 2
- Steven Spielberg - 2
- Quentin Tarantino - 2
- William Wyler - 2
- Fred Zinnemann - 2
References
- "Best Director Archives – National Board of Review". National Board of Review. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- The Selected Letters of Elia Kazan - Elia Kazan - Google Books (pg.622)
- AFI|Catalog - The Devils
- Acclaimed Director, Writer, and Producer Phillip Noyce Joins New York Film Academy (NYFA) Faculty as Master Class Instructor
- Moonlight's Barry Jenkins Makes History As First Black Director To Win National Board Of Review Directing Award - Essence
- 'Licorice Pizza' Wins Best Pictures At National Board Of Review — Deadline
- Top Gun: Maverick Named Best Movie of 2022 by National Board of Review - The Hollywood Reporter
- National Board of Review Names ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Best Film of 2023
- ‘Wicked’ Named Best Picture by National Board of Review, Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman Among Acting Winners