The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director is an annual award given by National Society of Film Critics to honor the best film director of the year.
Winners 1960s YearWinnerFilm1966Michelangelo Antonioni Blowup1967Ingmar Bergman Persona1968Ingmar Bergman Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen)Shame (Skammen)1969François Truffaut Stolen Kisses (Baisers volés)
1970s YearWinnerFilm1970Ingmar BergmanThe Passion of Anna (En passion)1971Bernardo BertolucciThe Conformist (Il conformista)1972Luis BuñuelThe Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie)1973François TruffautDay for Night (La nuit américaine)1974Francis Ford CoppolaThe Godfather Part IIThe Conversation1975Robert AltmanNashville1976Martin ScorseseTaxi Driver1977Luis BuñuelThat Obscure Object of Desire (Cet obscur objet du désir)1978Terrence MalickDays of Heaven1979Woody AllenManhattanRobert Benton Kramer vs. Kramer
1980s YearWinnerFilm1980Martin Scorsese Raging Bull1981Louis Malle Atlantic City1982Steven Spielberg E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial1983Paolo and Vittorio Taviani The Night of the Shooting Stars (La notte di San Lorenzo)1984Robert Bresson Money (L'argent)1985John Huston Prizzi's Honor1986David Lynch Blue Velvet1987John Boorman Hope and Glory1988Philip Kaufman The Unbearable Lightness of Being1989Gus Van Sant Drugstore Cowboy
1990s YearWinnerFilm1990Martin Scorsese Goodfellas1991David Cronenberg Naked Lunch1992Clint Eastwood Unforgiven1993Steven Spielberg Schindler's List1994Quentin Tarantino Pulp Fiction1995Mike Figgis Leaving Las Vegas1996Lars von Trier Breaking the Waves1997Curtis Hanson L.A. Confidential1998Steven Soderbergh Out of Sight1999Mike Leigh Topsy-Turvy
2000s YearWinnerFilm2000Steven SoderberghErin BrockovichTraffic2001Robert AltmanGosford Park2002Roman PolanskiThe Pianist2003Clint EastwoodMystic River2004 Zhang YimouHero (Ying xiong)House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)2005David CronenbergA History of Violence2006Paul GreengrassUnited 932007Paul Thomas AndersonThere Will Be Blood2008Mike LeighHappy-Go-Lucky2009Kathryn BigelowThe Hurt Locker
2010s YearWinnerFilm2010David Fincher The Social Network2011Terrence Malick The Tree of Life2012Michael Haneke Amour2013Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Inside Llewyn DavisCoen brothers win US National Society of Film Critics best film - BBC News2014Richard Linklater BoyhoodNational Society of Film Critics Taps 'Goodbye To Language' As Best Film Of 2014 — Deadline2015Todd Haynes CarolNational Society of Film Critics Awards 2015 (FULL LIST) - Variety 2016 Barry Jenkins Moonlight 2017 Greta Gerwig Lady Bird 2018 Alfonso Cuarón Roma 2019 Greta Gerwig Little Women
2020s Year Winner Film 2020Chloé Zhao Nomadland 2021 Ryusuke HamaguchiDrive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (偶然と想像) 2022Charlotte Wells Aftersun 2023 Jonathan Glazer The Zone of Interest 2024 Payal Kapadia All We Imagine as Light 2025 Paul Thomas Anderson One Battle After Another
Multiple winners
3 wins Ingmar Bergman (1967, 1968, 1970) Martin Scorsese (1976, 1980, 1990)
2 wins Robert Altman (1975, 2001) Paul Thomas Anderson (2007, 2025) Luis Buñuel (1972, 1977) David Cronenberg (1991, 2005) Clint Eastwood (1992, 2003) Greta Gerwig (2017, 2019) Mike Leigh (1999, 2008) Terrence Malick (1978, 2011) Steven Soderbergh (1998, 2000) Steven Spielberg (1982, 1993) François Truffaut (1969, 1973)
References