| National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director | |
| Awarded For: | Best Director |
| Image Upright: | 0.7 |
| Presenter: | National Society of Film Critics |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | Michelangelo Antonioni Blowup (1966) |
| Holder: | Jonathan Glazer The Zone of Interest (2023) |
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.
| Year | Winner | Film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Michelangelo Antonioni | Blowup | |
| 1967 | Ingmar Bergman | Persona | |
| 1968 | Ingmar Bergman | Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen) | |
| Shame (Skammen) | |||
| 1969 | François Truffaut | Stolen Kisses (Baisers volés) |
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Ingmar Bergman | The Passion of Anna (En passion) |
| 1971 | Bernardo Bertolucci | The Conformist (Il conformista) |
| 1972 | Luis Buñuel | The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie) |
| 1973 | François Truffaut | Day for Night (La nuit américaine) |
| 1974 | Francis Ford Coppola | The Godfather Part II |
| The Conversation | ||
| 1975 | Robert Altman | Nashville |
| 1976 | Martin Scorsese | Taxi Driver |
| 1977 | Luis Buñuel | That Obscure Object of Desire (Cet obscur objet du désir) |
| 1978 | Terrence Malick | Days of Heaven |
| 1979 | Woody Allen | Manhattan |
| Robert Benton | Kramer vs. Kramer |
| Year | Winner | Film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Martin Scorsese | Raging Bull | |
| 1981 | Louis Malle | Atlantic City | |
| 1982 | Steven Spielberg | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | |
| 1983 | Paolo and Vittorio Taviani | The Night of the Shooting Stars (La notte di San Lorenzo) | |
| 1984 | Robert Bresson | Money (L'argent) | |
| 1985 | John Huston | Prizzi's Honor | |
| 1986 | David Lynch | Blue Velvet | |
| 1987 | John Boorman | Hope and Glory | |
| 1988 | Philip Kaufman | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | |
| 1989 | Gus Van Sant | Drugstore Cowboy |
| Year | Winner | Film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Martin Scorsese | Goodfellas | |
| 1991 | David Cronenberg | Naked Lunch | |
| 1992 | Clint Eastwood | Unforgiven | |
| 1993 | Steven Spielberg | Schindler's List | |
| 1994 | Quentin Tarantino | Pulp Fiction | |
| 1995 | Mike Figgis | Leaving Las Vegas | |
| 1996 | Lars von Trier | Breaking the Waves | |
| 1997 | Curtis Hanson | L.A. Confidential | |
| 1998 | Steven Soderbergh | Out of Sight | |
| 1999 | Mike Leigh | Topsy-Turvy |
| Year | Winner | Film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Steven Soderbergh | Erin Brockovich | |
| Traffic | |||
| 2001 | Robert Altman | Gosford Park | |
| 2002 | Roman Polanski | The Pianist | |
| 2003 | Clint Eastwood | Mystic River | |
| 2004 | Zhang Yimou | Hero (Ying xiong) | |
| House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu) | |||
| 2005 | David Cronenberg | A History of Violence | |
| 2006 | Paul Greengrass | United 93 | |
| 2007 | Paul Thomas Anderson | There Will Be Blood | |
| 2008 | Mike Leigh | Happy-Go-Lucky | |
| 2009 | Kathryn Bigelow | The Hurt Locker |
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | David Fincher | The Social Network |
| 2011 | Terrence Malick | The Tree of Life |
| 2012 | Michael Haneke | Amour |
| 2013 | Joel Coen and Ethan Coen | Inside Llewyn Davis[1] |
| 2014 | Richard Linklater | Boyhood[2] |
| 2015 | Todd Haynes | Carol[3] |
| 2016 | Barry Jenkins | Moonlight[4] |
| 2017 | Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird[5] |
| 2018 | Alfonso Cuarón | Roma[6] |
| 2019 | Greta Gerwig | Little Women[7] |