# Nika Award for Best Director

The Nika Award for Best Director (Russian: Ника за лучшую режиссёрскую работу) is given annually by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science and presented at the Nika Awards.
In the following lists, the titles and names in bold with a light blue background are the winners and recipients respectively; those not in bold are the nominees.

## Winners and nominees
### 1980s

| Year | Director(s) | International title | Original title | Transliterated title (per BGN/PCGN standard) |
| 1988 | Tengiz Abuladze | Repentance | Покаяние | Pokayaniye |
| 1988 | Kira Muratova | The Long Farewell | Долгие проводы | Dolgie provody |
| 1988 | Alexander Sokurov | The Lonely Voice of Man | Одинокий голос человека | Odinokiy golos cheloveka |
| 1989 | Andrei Konchalovsky | The Story of Asya Klyachina | История Аси Клячиной, которая любила, да не вышла замуж | Istoriya Asi Klyachinoy, kotoraya lyubila, da ne vyshla zamuzh |
| 1989 | Aleksandr Askoldov | Commissar | Комиссар | Komissar |
| 1989 | Vasili Pichul | Little Vera | Маленькая Вера | Malenkaya Vera |

### 1990s

| Year | Director(s) | International title | Original title | Transliterated title (per BGN/PCGN standard) |
| 1990 | Dodo Abashidze, Sergei Parajanov | Ashik Kerib | აშიკ-ქერიბი | Strange Ashik |
| 1990 | Vadim Abdrashitov | The Servant | Слуга | Sluga |
| 1990 | Marina Goldovskaya | Solovky Power | Власть Соловецкая | Vlast Solovetskaya |
| 1991 | Stanislav Govorukhin | You Can't Live Like That | Так жить нельзя | Tak zhit nelzya |
| 1991 | Kira Muratova | The Asthenic Syndrome | Астенический синдром | Astenicheskiy sindrom |
| 1991 | Vitali Kanevsky | Freeze Die Come to Life | Замри, умри, воскресни! | Zamri, umri, voskresni! |
| 1992 | Eldar Ryazanov | Promised Heaven | Небеса обетованные | Nebesa obetovannye |
| 1992 | Vyacheslav Krishtofovich | Adam's Rib | Ребро Адама | Rebro Adama |
| 1992 | Karen Gevorkian | Spotted Dog Running at the Edge of the Sea | Пегий пёс, бегущий краем моря | Pegiy pyos, Begushchiy kraem morya |
| 1993 | Nikita Mikhalkov | Close to Eden | Урга — территория любви | Urga — territoriya lyobvi |
| 1993 | Temur Babluani | The Sun of the Sleepless | Солнце неспящих | Solntse nespyachshikh |
| 1993 | Ivan Dykhovichny | Moscow Parade | Прорва | Prorva |
| 1994 | Vladimir Khotinenko | Makarov | Макаров | Makarov |
| 1994 | Yuri Mamin | Window to Paris | Окно в Париж | Okno v Parizh |
| 1994 | Tamás Tóth | Children of Iron Gods | Дети чугунных богов | Deti chugunnykh bogov |
| 1995 | Kira Muratova | Passions | Увлеченья | Uvlechenya |
| 1995 | Valery Todorovsky | Katya Ismailova | Подмосковные вечера | Podmoskovnye vechera |
| 1995 | Denis Evstigneev | Limita | Лимита | Limita |
| 1996 | Aleksandr Rogozhkin | Peculiarities of the National Hunt | Особенности национальной охоты | Osobennosti natsionalnoy okhoty |
| 1996 | Vadim Abdrashitov | A Play for a Passenger | Пьеса для пассажира | Pyesa dlya passazhira |
| 1996 | Aleksey Sakharov | The Aristocratic Peasant Girl | Барышня-крестьянка | Baryshnya-krestyanka |
| 1996 | Vladimir Khotinenko | A Moslem | Мусульманин | Musulmanin |
| 1997 | Sergei Bodrov | Prisoner of the Mountains | Кавказский пленник | Kavkazskiy plennik |
| 1997 | Aleksei Balabanov | The Arrival of a Train | Прибытие поезда | Pribytie poezda |
| 1997 | Dmitry Meskhiev | The Arrival of a Train | Прибытие поезда | Pribytie poezda |
| 1998 | Pavel Chukhray | The Thief | Вор | Vor |
| 1998 | Vadim Abdrashitov | Time of a Dancer | Время танцора | Vremya tantsora |
| 1998 | Lidia Bobrova | In That Land... | В той стране | V toy strane |
| 1999 | Aleksei Balabanov | Of Freaks and Men | Про уродов и людей | Pro urodov i lyudey |
| 1999 | Otar Iosseliani | Brigands | Разбойники. Глава VII | Razboyniki. Glava VII |
| 1999 | Valery Todorovsky | Country of the Deaf | Страна глухих | Strana glukhikh |
| 1999 | Karen Shakhnazarov | Day of the Full Moon | День полнолуния | Den polnoluniya |
| 1999 | Aleksey Sakharov | Na boykom meste | На бойком месте | Na boykom meste |

### 2000s

| Year | Director(s) | International title | Original title | Transliterated title (per BGN/PCGN standard) |
| 2000 | Aleksei German | Khrustalyov, My Car! | Хрусталёв, машину! | Khrustalyov, mashinu! |
| 2000 | Valeriy Ogorodnikov | The Barracks | Барак | Barak |
| 2000 | Valeriy Priyomykhov | Who If Not Us | Кто, если не мы | Kto, esli ne my |
| 2001 | Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov | Luna Papa | Лунный папа | Lunnyy papa |
| 2001 | Alexei Uchitel | His Wife's Diary | Дневник его жены | Dnevnik ego zheny |
| 2001 | Sergei Solovyov | Tender Age | Нежный возраст | Nezhniy vozrast |
| 2002 | Alexander Sokurov | Taurus | Телец | Telets |
| 2002 | Leonid Maryagin | 101st Kilometer | 101-й километр | 101-y kilometr |
| 2002 | Alexander Mitta | The Border. Taiga Romance | Граница. Таёжный роман | Granitsa. Taoezhnyy roman |
| 2002 | Dmitry Meskhiev | Mechanical Suite | Механическая сюита | Mekhanicheskaya syuita |
| 2002 | Denis Evstigneev | Let’s Make Love | Займёмся любовью | Zaymyomsya lyubovyu |
| 2003 | Aleksandr Rogozhkin | The Cuckoo | Кукушка | Kukushka |
| 2003 | Aleksei Balabanov | Wat | Война | Voyba |
| 2003 | Valery Todorovsky | The Lover | Любовник | Lyubovnik |
| 2004 | Vadim Abdrashitov | Magnetic Storms | Магнитные бури | Magnitnye buri |
| 2004 | Andrey Zvyagintsev | The Return | Возвращение | Vozvrashcheniye |
| 2004 | Peter Buslov | Bimmer | Бумер | Bumer |
| 2004 | Gennady Sidorov | Old Women | Старухи | Starukhi |
| 2005 | Kira Muratova | The Tuner | Настройщик | Nastroyshchik |
| 2005 | Pavel Chukhray | A Driver for Vera | Водитель для Веры | Voditel dlya Very |
| 2005 | Dmitry Meskhiev | Our Own | Свои | Svoi |
| 2006 | Aleksei German Jr. | Garpastum | Гарпастум | Garpastum |
| 2006 | Fyodor Bondarchuk | The 9th Company | 9 рота | 9 rota |
| 2006 | Andrei Kravchuk | The Italian | Итальянец | Italyanets |
| 2007 | Pavel Lungin | The Island | Остров | Ostrov |
| 2007 | Boris Khlebnikov | Free Floating | Свободное плавание | Svobodnoe plavanie |
| 2007 | Alexander Veledinsky | Alive | Живой | Zhivoy |
| 2008 | Sergei Bodrov | Mongol | Монгол | Mongol |
| 2008 | Aleksei Balabanov | Cargo 200 | Груз 200 | Gruz 200 |
| 2008 | Alexei Popogrebski | Simple Things | Простые вещи | Prosty'e veshchi |
| 2009 | Aleksei German Jr. | Paper Soldier | Бумажный солдат | Bumazhnyy soldat |
| 2009 | Mikheil Kalatozishvili | Wild Field | Дикое поле | Dikoe pole |
| 2009 | Valery Todorovsky | Hipsters | Стиляги | Stilyagi |

### 2010s

| Year | Director(s) | International title | Original title | Transliterated title (per BGN/PCGN standard) |
| 2010 | Andrei Khrzhanovsky | Room and a Half | Полторы комнаты, или сентиментальное путешествие на родину | Poltory komnaty, ili sentimentalnoe puteshestvie na rodinu |
| 2010 | Nikolai Dostal | Pete on the Way to Heaven | Петя по дороге в Царствие Небесное | Petia po doroge v tsarstvie nebesnoye |
| 2010 | Karen Shakhnazarov | Ward No. 6 | Палата № 6 | Palata № 6 |
| 2010 | Aleksey Mizgiryov | Tambourine, Drum | Бубен, барабан | Buben, baraban |
| 2011 | Alexei Popogrebski | How I Ended This Summer | Как я провёл этим летом | Kak ya provyol etim letom |
| 2011 | Aleksei Balabanov | A Stoker | Кочегар | Kochegar |
| 2011 | Alexander Kott | Fortress of War | Брестская крепость | Brestskaia krepost |
| 2011 | Alexei Uchitel | The Edge | Край | Kray |
| 2012 | Andrey Zvyagintsev | Elena | Елена | Elena |
| 2012 | Andrei Smirnov | Once Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman | Жила-была одна баба | Zhila-byla odna baba |
| 2012 | Sergey Loban | Chapiteau-show | Шапито-шоу | Shapito-shou |
| 2013 | Alexander Sokurov | Faust | Фауст | Faust |
| 2013 | Aleksei Balabanov | Me Too | Я тоже хочу | Ya tozhe khochu |
| 2013 | Andrei Proshkin | The Horde | Орда | Orda |
| 2014 | Alexander Veledinsky | The Geographer Drank His Globe Away | Географ глобус пропил | Geograf Globus Propil |
| 2014 | Fyodor Bondarchuk | Stalingrad | Сталинград | Stalingrad |
| 2014 | Yuri Bykov | The Major | Майор | Mayor |
| 2014 | Boris Khlebnikov | A Long and Happy Life | Долгая счастливая жизнь | Dolgaya chastlivaya zhizn |
| 2015 | Aleksei German | Hard to Be a God | Трудно быть богом | Trudno byt' bogom |
| 2015 | Andrey Zvyagintsev | Leviathan | Левиафан | Leviafan |
| 2015 | Andrei Konchalovsky | The Postman's White Nights | Белые ночи почтальона Алексея Тряпицына | Belye nochi pochtalona Alekseya Tryapitsyna |
| 2016 | Stanislav Govorukhin | The End of Beautiful Era | Конец прекрасной эпохи | Konets prekrasnoy epokhi |
| 2016 | Aleksei German Jr. | Under Electric Clouds | Под электрическими облаками | Pod electricheskimi oblakami |
| 2016 | Anna Melikian | About Love | Про любовь | Pro lyubov |
| 2016 | Vasily Sigarev | The Land of Oz | Страна ОЗ | Strana OZ |
| 2017 | Andrei Konchalovsky | Paradise | Рай | Ray |
| 2017 | Nikolay Dostal | The Monk and the Demon | Монах и бес | Monakh i bes |
| 2017 | Kirill Serebrennikov | The Student | Ученик | Uchenik |
| 2018 | Boris Khlebnikov | Arrhythmia | Аритмия | Aritmiya |
| 2018 | Kantemir Balagov | Closeness | Теснота | Tesnota |
| 2018 | Andrey Zvyagintsev | Loveless | Нелюбовь | Nelyubov |
| 2019 | Kirill Serebrennikov | Leto | Лето | Leto |
| 2019 | Aleksei German Jr. | Dovlatov | Довлатов | Dovlatov |
| 2019 | Natalya Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov | The Man Who Surprised Everyone | Человек, который удивил всех | Chelovek, kotoryj udivil vsekh |
| 2019 | Aleksey Fedorchenko | Anna's War | Война Анны | Voyna Anny |

### 2020s

| Year | Director(s) | International title | Original title | Transliterated title (per BGN/PCGN standard) |
| 2020 | Andrei Smirnov | A Frenchman | Француз | Frantsuz |
| 2020 | Kantemir Balagov | Beanpole | Дылда | Dylda |
| 2020 | Sergey Dvortsevoy | Ayka | Айка | Ayka |
| 2021 | Andrei Konchalovsky | Dear Comrades! | Дорогие товарищи! | Dorogie tomarishchi! |
| 2021 | Dmitry Davydov | Scarecrow | Пугало | Pugalo |
| 2021 | Andrey Zaytsev | A Siege Diary | Блокадный дневник | Blokadnyy dnevnik |
| 2022 | Alexander Zeldovich | Medea | Медея | Medeya |
| 2022 | Kira Kovalenko | Unclenching the Fists | Разжимая кулаки | Razzhimaya kulaki |
| 2022 | Natalya Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov | Captain Volkonogov Escaped | Капитан Волконогов бежал | Kapitan Volkonogov bezhal |
| 2022 | Vadim Perelman | Persian Lessons | Уроки фарси | Uroki farsi |