The BAFTA Award for Best Film is a film award given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until 1969 it was called the BAFTA Award for Best Film From Any Source. It is possible for films from any country to be nominated, although British films are also recognised in the category BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film and (since 1983) foreign-language films in BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. As such, there have been multiple occasions of a film being nominated in two of these categories (and even winning both, for example Conclave).
There has been one tie for the Best Film Award when, in 1962, Ballad of a Soldier tied with The Hustler for Best Film From Any Source. Throughout the history of the category, the award has been given to the director(s), the producer(s) or both. Between 1949 and 1959, 1962–1965, 1970–1976, and in 1979; Only the film itself and not producers or directors received the award and nomination. Between 1960 and 1961, 1966–1969, and in 1980; Only directors received the award and nomination. Between 1988 and 1997; Both producers and directors received the award and nomination. Between 1977 and 1978, 1981–1987, and since 1998; Only producers counted as winners and nominees in this category.
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 nominees. The years given are those in which the films under consideration were released, not the year of the ceremony, which always takes place the following year.
Winners and nominees
1940s Year Film Director(s) Producer(s) Country Best Film from Any Source The Best Years of Our Lives † William Wyler Samuel Goldwyn United States Hamlet † Laurence Olivier Laurence Olivier United Kingdom Crossfire Edward Dmytryk Adrian Scott United States The Fallen Idol Carol Reed Carol Reed United Kingdom Monsieur Vincent Maurice Cloche Viscount George de la Grandiere France The Naked City Jules Dassin Mark Hellinger United States Paisan (Paisà) Roberto Rossellini Rod E. Geiger, Roberto Rossellini Italy Four Steps in the Clouds (Quattro passi fra le nuvole) Alessandro Blasetti Giuseppe Amato Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette) Vittorio De Sica Giuseppe Amato Italy The Berliner (Berliner Ballade) R. A. Stemmle Alf Teichs Germany The Last Stage (Ostatni etap) Wanda Jakubowska Wanda Jakubowska, Gerda Schneider Poland The Set-Up Robert Wise Richard Goldstone United States The Third Man Carol Reed Carol Reed United Kingdom The Treasure of the Sierra Madre John Huston Henry Blanke United States The Window Ted Tetzlaff Frederic Ullman Jr.
1950s