BAFTA Award for Best Direction

British film industry award From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The BAFTA Award for Best Direction, formerly known as David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction, is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to a film director for a specific feature film.

Awarded forExcellence in film directing
LocationLondon
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
Quick facts Awarded for, Location ...
BAFTA Award for Best Direction
The 2025 recipient: Paul Thomas Anderson
Awarded forExcellence in film directing
LocationLondon
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
First award1968
Currently held byPaul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another (2025)
Websitehttp://www.bafta.org/
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BAFTA is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, and video games (and formerly also for children's film and television). Since 1968, selected films have been awarded with the BAFTA award for Best Direction at an annual ceremony.

In the following lists, the titles and names in bold with a gold background are the winners and recipients respectively; those not in bold are the remaining nominees. The winner is also the first name listed in each category.

History

The award was originally known as David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction,[when?] in honour of British director David Lean.[citation needed]

There are no records showing any nominations, or a winner, for this award at the 39th British Academy Film Awards, presented in 1986 for films released in 1985.[1]

Winners and nominees

Mike Nichols won for The Graduate (1967)
  indicates the winner


Bob Fosse won for Cabaret (1972)
François Truffaut won for Day for Night (1973)
Roman Polanski won twice for Chinatown (1974) and The Pianist (2002)
Woody Allen won twice for Annie Hall (1977) & Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Francis Ford Coppola won for Apocalypse Now (1979)
Akira Kurosawa won for Kagemusha (1980)
Kenneth Branagh won for Henry V (1989)
Martin Scorsese won for Goodfellas (1990)
Robert Altman won for The Player (1992)
Steven Spielberg won for Schindler's List (1993)
Joel Coen won for Fargo (1996) and No Country for Old Men (2007)
Peter Weir won twice for The Truman Show (1998) and Master and Commander (2003)
Pedro Almodóvar won for All About My Mother (1999)
Ang Lee won twice for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) & Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Peter Jackson won for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Mike Leigh won for Vera Drake (2004)
Danny Boyle won for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker (2009)
David Fincher won for The Social Network (2010)
Alfonso Cuarón won twice for Gravity (2013) and Roma (2018)
Richard Linklater won for Boyhood (2014)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu won for The Revenant (2015)
Damien Chazelle won for La La Land (2016)
Guillermo del Toro won for The Shape of Water (2017)
Sam Mendes won for 1917 (2019)
Chloe Zhao won for Nomadland (2020)
Jane Campion won for The Power of the Dog (2021)
Edward Berger won for All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Christopher Nolan won for Oppenheimer (2023)
Brady Corbet won for The Brutalist (2024)

1960s

More information Year, Director(s) ...
Year Director(s) Film Ref.
1968
(22nd)
 Mike Nichols † The Graduate
Lindsay Anderson if....
Carol Reed † Oliver!
Franco Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet
1969
(23rd)
 John Schlesinger † Midnight Cowboy
Richard Attenborough Oh! What a Lovely War
Ken Russell Women in Love
Peter Yates Bullitt
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1970s

More information Year, Director(s) ...
Year Director(s) Film Ref.
1970
(24th)
 George Roy Hill Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Robert Altman M*A*S*H
David Lean Ryan's Daughter
Ken Loach Kes
1971
(25th)
 John Schlesinger Sunday Bloody Sunday
Miloš Forman Taking Off
Joseph Losey The Go-Between
Luchino Visconti Death in Venice
1972
(26th)
 Bob Fosse † Cabaret
Peter Bogdanovich The Last Picture Show
William Friedkin † The French Connection
Stanley Kubrick A Clockwork Orange
1973
(27th)
 François Truffaut Day for Night
Luis Buñuel The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Nicolas Roeg Don't Look Now
Fred Zinnemann The Day of the Jackal
1974
(28th)
 Roman Polanski Chinatown
Francis Ford Coppola The Conversation
Sidney Lumet [A] Murder on the Orient Express / Serpico
Louis Malle Lacombe Lucien
1975
(29th)
 Stanley Kubrick Barry Lyndon
Sidney Lumet Dog Day Afternoon
Martin Scorsese Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Steven Spielberg Jaws
1976
(30th)
 Miloš Forman † One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Alan J. Pakula All the President's Men
Alan Parker Bugsy Malone
Martin Scorsese Taxi Driver
1977
(31st)
 Woody Allen † Annie Hall
Richard Attenborough A Bridge Too Far
John G. Avildsen † Rocky
Sidney Lumet Network
1978
(32nd)
 Alan Parker Midnight Express
Robert Altman A Wedding
Steven Spielberg Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Fred Zinnemann Julia
1979
(33rd)
 Francis Ford Coppola Apocalypse Now
Woody Allen Manhattan
Michael Cimino † The Deer Hunter
John Schlesinger Yanks
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1980s

More information Year, Director(s) ...
Year Director(s) Film Ref.
1980
(34th)
 Akira Kurosawa Kagemusha
Robert Benton † Kramer vs. Kramer
David Lynch The Elephant Man
Alan Parker Fame
1981
(35th)
 Louis Malle Atlantic City
Bill Forsyth Gregory's Girl
Hugh Hudson Chariots of Fire
Karel Reisz The French Lieutenant's Woman
1982
(36th)
 Richard Attenborough † Gandhi
Costa-Gavras Missing
Mark Rydell On Golden Pond
Steven Spielberg E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1983
(37th)
 Bill Forsyth Local Hero
James Ivory Heat and Dust
Sydney Pollack Tootsie
Martin Scorsese The King of Comedy
1984
(38th)
 Wim Wenders Paris, Texas
Roland Joffé The Killing Fields
Sergio Leone Once Upon a Time in America
Peter Yates The Dresser
1985
(39th)
 Not awarded
1986
(40th)
 Woody Allen Hannah and Her Sisters
Roland Joffé The Mission
Neil Jordan Mona Lisa
James Ivory A Room with a View
1987
(41st)
 Oliver Stone † Platoon
Richard Attenborough Cry Freedom
Claude Berri Jean de Florette
John Boorman Hope and Glory
1988
(42nd)
 Louis Malle Au revoir les enfants
Gabriel Axel Babette's Feast
Bernardo Bertolucci † The Last Emperor
Charles Crichton A Fish Called Wanda
1989
(43rd)
 Kenneth Branagh Henry V
Stephen Frears Dangerous Liaisons
Alan Parker Mississippi Burning
Peter Weir Dead Poets Society
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1990s

More information Year, Director(s) ...
Year Director(s) Film Ref.
1990
(44th)
 Martin Scorsese Goodfellas
Woody Allen Crimes and Misdemeanors
Bruce Beresford Driving Miss Daisy
Giuseppe Tornatore Cinema Paradiso
1991
(45th)
 Alan Parker The Commitments
Kevin Costner † Dances with Wolves
Jonathan Demme † The Silence of the Lambs
Ridley Scott Thelma & Louise
1992
(46th)
 Robert Altman The Player
Clint Eastwood † Unforgiven
James Ivory Howards End
Neil Jordan The Crying Game
1993
(47th)
 Steven Spielberg † Schindler's List
Richard Attenborough Shadowlands
Jane Campion The Piano
James Ivory The Remains of the Day
1994
(48th)
 Mike Newell Four Weddings and a Funeral
Krzysztof Kieślowski Three Colours: Red
Quentin Tarantino Pulp Fiction
Robert Zemeckis † Forrest Gump
1995
(49th)
 Michael Radford Il Postino: The Postman
Mel Gibson † Braveheart
Nicholas Hytner The Madness of King George
Ang Lee Sense and Sensibility
1996
(50th)
 Joel Coen Fargo
Scott Hicks Shine
Mike Leigh Secrets & Lies
Anthony Minghella † The English Patient
1997
(51st)
 Baz Luhrmann Romeo + Juliet
James Cameron † Titanic
Peter Cattaneo The Full Monty
Curtis Hanson L.A. Confidential
1998
(52nd)
 Peter Weir The Truman Show
Shekhar Kapur Elizabeth
John Madden Shakespeare in Love
Steven Spielberg † Saving Private Ryan
1999
(53rd)		 Pedro Almodóvar All About My Mother [2]
Neil Jordan The End of the Affair
Sam Mendes † American Beauty
Anthony Minghella The Talented Mr. Ripley
M. Night Shyamalan The Sixth Sense
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2000s

More information Year, Director(s) ...
Year Director(s) Film Ref.
2000
(54th)		 Ang Lee Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [3][4]
Stephen Daldry Billy Elliot
Ridley Scott Gladiator
Steven Soderbergh † Erin Brockovich
Traffic †
2001
(55th)		 Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [5]
Robert Altman Gosford Park
Ron Howard † A Beautiful Mind
Jean-Pierre Jeunet Amélie
Baz Luhrmann Moulin Rouge!
2002
(56th)		 Roman Polanski † The Pianist [6]
Stephen Daldry The Hours
Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Rob Marshall Chicago
Martin Scorsese Gangs of New York
2003
(57th)		 Peter Weir Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [7]
Tim Burton Big Fish
Sofia Coppola Lost in Translation
Peter Jackson † The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Anthony Minghella Cold Mountain
2004
(58th)		 Mike Leigh Vera Drake [8]
Marc Forster Finding Neverland
Michel Gondry Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Michael Mann Collateral
Martin Scorsese The Aviator
2005
(59th)		 Ang Lee † Brokeback Mountain [9]
George Clooney Good Night, and Good Luck
Paul Haggis Crash
Fernando Meirelles The Constant Gardener
Bennett Miller Capote
2006
(60th)		 Paul Greengrass United 93 [10]
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Little Miss Sunshine
Stephen Frears The Queen
Alejandro González Iñárritu Babel
Martin Scorsese † The Departed
2007
(61st)		 Joel Coen and Ethan Coen † No Country for Old Men [11]
Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood
Paul Greengrass The Bourne Ultimatum
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck The Lives of Others
Joe Wright Atonement
2008
(62nd)		 Danny Boyle † Slumdog Millionaire [12]
Stephen Daldry The Reader
Clint Eastwood Changeling
David Fincher The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard Frost/Nixon
2009
(63rd)		 Kathryn Bigelow † The Hurt Locker [13]
Neill Blomkamp District 9
James Cameron Avatar
Lone Scherfig An Education
Quentin Tarantino Inglourious Basterds
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2010s

More information Year, Director(s) ...
Year Director(s) Film Ref.
2010
(64th)		 David Fincher The Social Network [14]
Darren Aronofsky Black Swan
Danny Boyle 127 Hours
Tom Hooper † The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan Inception
2011
(65th)		 Michel Hazanavicius † The Artist [15]
Tomas Alfredson Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Lynne Ramsay We Need to Talk About Kevin
Nicolas Winding Refn Drive
Martin Scorsese Hugo
2012
(66th)		 Ben Affleck Argo [16]
Kathryn Bigelow Zero Dark Thirty
Michael Haneke Amour
Ang Lee † Life of Pi
Quentin Tarantino Django Unchained
2013
(67th)		 Alfonso Cuarón † Gravity [17]
Paul Greengrass Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell American Hustle
Martin Scorsese The Wolf of Wall Street
2014
(68th)		 Richard Linklater Boyhood [18]
[19]
Wes Anderson The Grand Budapest Hotel
Damien Chazelle Whiplash
Alejandro G. Iñárritu † Birdman
James Marsh The Theory of Everything
2015
(69th)		 Alejandro G. Iñárritu † The Revenant [20]
[21]
Todd Haynes Carol
Adam McKay The Big Short
Ridley Scott The Martian
Steven Spielberg Bridge of Spies
2016
(70th)		 Damien Chazelle † La La Land [22]
[23]
Tom Ford Nocturnal Animals
Ken Loach I, Daniel Blake
Kenneth Lonergan Manchester by the Sea
Denis Villeneuve Arrival
2017
(71st)		 Guillermo del Toro † The Shape of Water
Luca Guadagnino Call Me by Your Name
Martin McDonagh Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Christopher Nolan Dunkirk
Denis Villeneuve Blade Runner 2049
2018
(72nd)		 Alfonso Cuarón † Roma [25]
[26]
Bradley Cooper A Star Is Born
Yorgos Lanthimos The Favourite
Spike Lee BlacKkKlansman
Paweł Pawlikowski Cold War
2019
(73rd)		 Sam Mendes 1917 [27]
[28]
Bong Joon-ho † Parasite
Todd Phillips Joker
Martin Scorsese The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
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2020s

More information Year, Director(s) ...
Year Director(s) Film Ref.
2020
(74th)		 Chloé Zhao † Nomadland [29]
Lee Isaac Chung Minari
Sarah Gavron Rocks
Shannon Murphy Babyteeth
Thomas Vinterberg Another Round
Jasmila Žbanić Quo Vadis, Aida?
2021
(75th)		 Jane Campion † The Power of the Dog [30]
Paul Thomas Anderson Licorice Pizza
Audrey Diwan Happening
Julia Ducournau Titane
Ryusuke Hamaguchi Drive My Car
Aleem Khan After Love
2022
(76th)		 Edward Berger All Quiet on the Western Front [31]
Park Chan-wook Decision to Leave
Todd Field Tár
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert † Everything Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh The Banshees of Inisherin
Gina Prince-Bythewood The Woman King
2023
(77th)		 Christopher Nolan † Oppenheimer [32]
Bradley Cooper Maestro
Jonathan Glazer The Zone of Interest
Andrew Haigh All of Us Strangers
Alexander Payne The Holdovers
Justine Triet Anatomy of a Fall
2024
(78th)		 Brady Corbet The Brutalist [33]
Jacques Audiard Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker † Anora
Edward Berger Conclave
Coralie Fargeat The Substance
Denis Villeneuve Dune: Part Two
2025
(78th)		 Paul Thomas Anderson † One Battle After Another [34]
Ryan Coogler Sinners
Yorgos Lanthimos Bugonia
Josh Safdie Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier Sentimental Value
Chloé Zhao Hamnet
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Multiple wins and nominations

Multiple nominations

Multiple wins

See also

Notes

A1 : According to the BAFTAs database, Sidney Lumet received a single joint nomination for two different films.[35]

References

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