The San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Director is an award given by the San Diego Film Critics Society to honor the finest directing achievements in filmmaking.
Winners
1990s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Joel Coen | Fargo |
| 1997 | James Cameron | Titanic |
| 1998 | John Madden | Shakespeare in Love |
| 1999 | David Lynch | The Straight Story |
2000s
2010s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Darren Aronofsky | Black Swan |
| 2011 | Nicolas Winding Refn | Drive |
| 2012 | Ben Affleck | Argo |
| 2013 | Alfonso Cuarón | Gravity |
| 2014 | Dan Gilroy | Nightcrawler |
| 2015 | George Miller | Mad Max: Fury Road |
| 2016 | David Mackenzie | Hell or High Water |
| 2017 | Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird |
| 2018 | Debra Granik | Leave No Trace |
| 2019 | Benny and Josh Safdie | Uncut Gems |
2020s
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chloé Zhao | Nomadland |
| 2021 | Jane Campion | The Power of The Dog |
| 2022 | Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert | Everything Everywhere All at Once |
| 2023 | Martin Scorsese | Killers of the Flower Moon |
| 2024 | Denis Villeneuve | Dune: Part Two |
| 2025 | Ryan Coogler | Sinners |