| Jahr | Preisträger/-in | Filmtitel | Deutscher Titel |
|---|
| 1945 | Jean Renoir | The Southerner | Der Mann aus dem Süden |
| 1946 | William Wyler ¹ | The Best Years of Our Lives | Die besten Jahre unseres Lebens |
| 1947 | Elia Kazan ¹ | Boomerang!
Gentleman’s Agreement | Bumerang
Tabu der Gerechten |
| 1948 | Roberto Rossellini | Paisà | Paisà |
| 1949 | Vittorio De Sica | Ladri di biciclette | Fahrraddiebe |
| 1950 | John Huston | The Asphalt Jungle | Asphalt Dschungel |
| 1951 | Akira Kurosawa | 羅生門 (Rashōmon) | Rashomon – Das Lustwäldchen |
| 1952 | David Lean | The Sound Barrier | Der unbekannte Feind |
| 1953 | George Stevens | Shane | Mein großer Freund Shane |
| 1954 | Renato Castellani | Romeo and Juliet | Romeo und Julia |
| 1955 | William Wyler | The Desperate Hours | An einem Tag wie jeder andere |
| 1956 | John Huston | Moby Dick | Moby Dick |
| 1957 | David Lean ¹ | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Die Brücke am Kwai |
| 1958 | John Ford | The Last Hurrah | Das letzte Hurra |
| 1959 | Fred Zinnemann | The Nun's Story | Geschichte einer Nonne |
| 1960 | Jack Cardiff | Sons and Lovers | Söhne und Liebhaber |
| 1961 | Jack Clayton | The Innocents | Schloß des Schreckens |
| 1962 | David Lean | Lawrence of Arabia | Lawrence von Arabien |
| 1963 | Tony Richardson ¹ | Tom Jones | Tom Jones – Zwischen Bett und Galgen |
| 1964 | Desmond Davis | The Girl with Green Eyes | Die erste Nacht |
| 1965 | John Schlesinger | Darling | Darling |
| 1966 | Fred Zinnemann ¹ | A Man for All Seasons | Ein Mann zu jeder Jahreszeit |
| 1967 | Richard Brooks | In Cold Blood | Kaltblütig |
| 1968 | Franco Zeffirelli | Romeo and Juliet | Romeo und Julia |
| 1969 | Alfred Hitchcock | Topaz | Topas |
| 1970 | François Truffaut | L’enfant sauvage | Der Wolfsjunge |
| 1971 | Ken Russell | The Devils
The Boy Friend | Die Teufel
Boyfriend |
| 1972 | Bob Fosse | Cabaret | Cabaret |
| 1973 | Ingmar Bergman | Viskningar och rop | Schreie und Flüstern |
| 1974 | Francis Ford Coppola | The Conversation | Der Dialog |
| 1975 | Stanley Kubrick | Barry Lyndon | Barry Lyndon |
| 1976 | Alan J. Pakula | All the President's Men | Die Unbestechlichen |
| 1977 | Luis Buñuel | Cet obscur objet du désir | Dieses obskure Objekt der Begierde |
| 1978 | Ingmar Bergman | Höstsonaten | Herbstsonate |
| 1979 | John Schlesinger | Yanks | Yanks – Gestern waren wir noch Fremde |
| 1980 | Robert Redford ¹ | Ordinary People | Eine ganz normale Familie |
| 1981 | Warren Beatty ¹ | Reds | Reds |
| 1982 | Sidney Lumet | The Verdict | The Verdict – Die Wahrheit und nichts als die Wahrheit |
| 1983 | James L. Brooks ¹ | Terms of Endearment | Zeit der Zärtlichkeit |
| 1984 | David Lean | A Passage to India | Reise nach Indien |
| 1985 | Akira Kurosawa | 乱 (Ran) | Ran |
| 1986 | Woody Allen | Hannah and Her Sisters | Hannah und ihre Schwestern |
| 1987 | Steven Spielberg | Empire of the Sun | Das Reich der Sonne |
| 1988 | Alan Parker | Mississippi Burning | Mississippi Burning – Die Wurzel des Hasses |
| 1989 | Kenneth Branagh | Henry V | Henry V. |
| 1990 | Kevin Costner ¹ | Dances With Wolves | Der mit dem Wolf tanzt |
| 1991 | Jonathan Demme ¹ | The Silence of the Lambs | Das Schweigen der Lämmer |
| 1992 | James Ivory | Howards End | Wiedersehen in Howards End |
| 1993 | Martin Scorsese | The Age of Innocence | Zeit der Unschuld |
| 1994 | Quentin Tarantino | Pulp Fiction | Pulp Fiction |
| 1995 | Ang Lee | Sense & Sensibility | Sinn und Sinnlichkeit |
| 1996 | Joel Coen | Fargo | Fargo |
| 1997 | Curtis Hanson | L.A. Confidential | L.A. Confidential |
| 1998 | Shekhar Kapur | Elizabeth | Elizabeth |
| 1999 | Anthony Minghella | The Talented Mr. Ripley | Der talentierte Mr. Ripley |
| 2000 | Steven Soderbergh ¹ | Traffic
Erin Brockovich | Traffic – Macht des Kartells
Erin Brockovich |
| 2001 | Todd Field | In the Bedroom | In the Bedroom |
| 2002 | Phillip Noyce | The Quiet American
Rabbit-Proof Fence | Der stille Amerikaner
Long Walk Home |
| 2003 | Edward Zwick | The Last Samurai | Last Samurai |
| 2004 | Michael Mann | Collateral | Collateral |
| 2005 | Ang Lee ¹ | Brokeback Mountain | Brokeback Mountain |
| 2006 | Martin Scorsese ¹ | The Departed | Departed – Unter Feinden |
| 2007 | Tim Burton | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd – Der teuflische Barbier aus der Fleet Street |
| 2008 | David Fincher | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Der seltsame Fall des Benjamin Button |
| 2009 | Clint Eastwood | Invictus | Invictus – Unbezwungen |
| 2010 | David Fincher | The Social Network | The Social Network |
| 2011 | Martin Scorsese | Hugo | Hugo Cabret |
| 2012 | Kathryn Bigelow | Zero Dark Thirty | Zero Dark Thirty |
| 2013 | Spike Jonze | Her | Her |
| 2014 | Clint Eastwood | American Sniper | American Sniper |
| 2015 | Ridley Scott | The Martian | Der Marsianer – Rettet Mark Watney |
| 2016 | Barry Jenkins | Moonlight | Moonlight |
| 2017 | Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird | Lady Bird |
| 2018 | Bradley Cooper | A Star Is Born | A Star Is Born |
| 2019 | Quentin Tarantino | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood |
| 2020 | Spike Lee | Da 5 Bloods | Da 5 Bloods |
| 2021 | Paul Thomas Anderson | Licorice Pizza | Licorice Pizza |