# César Award for Best Director

The César Award for Best Director (French: César de la meilleure réalisation) is an award presented annually by the Académie des Lumières since 1976. It was presented as the César du meilleur réalisateur from 1976 to 2015.

## History
### Superlatives

| Superlative | Men | Men | Women | Women |
| Most awards | Roman Polanski | 5 | Tonie Marshall Justine Triet | 1 |
| Most nominations | Alain Resnais | 8 | Nicole Garcia & Maïwenn | 3 |
| Most nominations without winning | Claude Miller | 7 | Nicole Garcia & Maïwenn | 3 |
| Oldest winner | Roman Polanski | 86 | Tonie Marshall | 48 |
| Oldest nominee | Alain Resnais | 84 | Agnès Varda | 57 |
| Youngest winner | Xavier Dolan | 27 | Justine Triet | 45 |
| Youngest nominee | Luc Besson | 26 | Maïwenn | 35 |

## Winners and nominees
### 1970s

| Year | Winner and nominees | English title | Original title |
| 1976 (1st) | Bertrand Tavernier | Let Joy Reign Supreme | Que la fête commence... |
| 1976 (1st) | Robert Enrico | The Old Gun | Le Vieux Fusil |
| 1976 (1st) | Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Call me Savage | Le Sauvage |
| 1976 (1st) | François Truffaut | The Story of Adele H. | L'Histoire d'Adèle H. |
| 1977 (2nd) | Joseph Losey | Mr. Klein | Monsieur Klein |
| 1977 (2nd) | Claude Miller | The Best Way to Walk | La Meilleure Façon de marcher |
| 1977 (2nd) | Bertrand Tavernier | The Judge and the Assassin | Le Juge et l'assassin |
| 1977 (2nd) | André Téchiné | Barocco | Barocco |
| 1978 (3rd) | Alain Resnais | Providence | Providence |
| 1978 (3rd) | Luis Buñuel | That Obscure Object of Desire | Cet obscur objet du désir |
| 1978 (3rd) | Claude Miller | This Sweet Sickness | Dites-lui que je l'aime |
| 1978 (3rd) | Pierre Schoendoerffer | Drummer-Crab | Le Crabe-Tambour |
| 1979 (4th) | Christian de Chalonge | Other People's Money | L'Argent des autres |
| 1979 (4th) | Michel Deville | Dossier 51 | Le Dossier 51 |
| 1979 (4th) | Ariane Mnouchkine | Molière | Molière |
| 1979 (4th) | Claude Sautet | A Simple Story | Une histoire simple |

### 1980s

| Year | Winners and nominees | English title | Original title |
| 1980 (5th) | Roman Polanski (nominated for the Academy Award) | Tess | Tess |
| 1980 (5th) | Costa Gavras | Womanlight | Clair de femme |
| 1980 (5th) | Joseph Losey | Don Giovanni | Don Giovanni |
| 1980 (5th) | Jacques Doillon | The Hussy | La Drôlesse |
| 1981 (6th) | François Truffaut | The Last Metro | Le dernier métro |
| 1981 (6th) | Jean-Luc Godard | Slow Motion (a.k.a. Every Man for Himself) | Sauve qui peut (la vie) |
| 1981 (6th) | Alain Resnais | My American Uncle | Mon oncle d'Amérique |
| 1981 (6th) | Claude Sautet | A Bad Son | Un mauvais fils |
| 1982 (7th) | Jean-Jacques Annaud | Quest for Fire | La Guerre du feu |
| 1982 (7th) | Pierre Granier-Deferre | Strange Affair | Une étrange affaire |
| 1982 (7th) | Claude Miller | Under Suspicion | Garde à vue |
| 1982 (7th) | Bertrand Tavernier | Clean Up (a.k.a. Clean Slate) | Coup de torchon |
| 1983 (8th) | Andrzej Wajda | Danton | Danton |
| 1983 (8th) | Jacques Demy | A Room in Town | Une chambre en ville |
| 1983 (8th) | Jean-Luc Godard | Passion | Passion |
| 1983 (8th) | Bob Swaim | The Balance | La Balance |
| 1984 (9th) | Ettore Scola | The Ball | Le Bal |
| 1984 (9th) | Claude Berri | So Long, Stooge | Tchao pantin |
| 1984 (9th) | Jean Becker | One Deadly Summer | L'Été meurtrier |
| 1984 (9th) | Maurice Pialat | To Our Loves | À nos amours |
| 1984 (9th) | François Truffaut | Finally, Sunday | Vivement dimanche! |
| 1985 (10th) | Claude Zidi | My New Partner | Les Ripoux |
| 1985 (10th) | Alain Resnais | Love Unto Death | L'Amour à mort |
| 1985 (10th) | Éric Rohmer | Full Moon in Paris | Les Nuits de la pleine lune |
| 1985 (10th) | Francesco Rosi | Carmen | Carmen |
| 1985 (10th) | Bertrand Tavernier | A Sunday in the Country | Un dimanche à la campagne |
| 1986 (11th) | Michel Deville | Death in a French Garden | Péril en la demeure |
| 1986 (11th) | Luc Besson | Subway | Subway |
| 1986 (11th) | Claude Miller | Impudent Girl | L'Effrontée |
| 1986 (11th) | Coline Serreau | Three Men and a Cradle | Trois hommes et un couffin |
| 1986 (11th) | Agnès Varda | Vagabond | Sans toit ni loi |
| 1987 (12th) | Alain Cavalier | Thérèse | Thérèse |
| 1987 (12th) | Jean-Jacques Beineix | Betty Blue | 37°2 le matin |
| 1987 (12th) | Claude Berri | Jean de Florette | Jean de Florette |
| 1987 (12th) | Bertrand Blier | Ménage | Tenue de soirée |
| 1987 (12th) | Alain Resnais | Mélo | Mélo |
| 1988 (13th) | Louis Malle | Goodbye, Children | Au revoir les enfants |
| 1988 (13th) | Jean-Loup Hubert | The Grand Highway | Le Grand Chemin |
| 1988 (13th) | Patrice Leconte | Tandem | Tandem |
| 1988 (13th) | Maurice Pialat | Under the Sun of Satan | Sous le soleil de Satan |
| 1988 (13th) | André Téchiné | The Innocents | Les Innocents |
| 1989 (14th) | Jean-Jacques Annaud | The Bear | L'Ours |
| 1989 (14th) | Luc Besson | The Big Blue | Le Grand Bleu |
| 1989 (14th) | Claude Chabrol | Story of Women | Une affaire de femmes |
| 1989 (14th) | Michel Deville | The Reader | La Lectrice |
| 1989 (14th) | Claude Miller | The Little Thief | La Petite Voleuse |

### 1990s

| Year | Winners and nominees | English title | Original title |
| 1990 (15th) | Bertrand Blier | Too Beautiful for You | Trop belle pour toi |
| 1990 (15th) | Alain Corneau | Indian Nocturne | Nocturne indien |
| 1990 (15th) | Miloš Forman | Valmont | Valmont |
| 1990 (15th) | Patrice Leconte | Mr. Hire | Monsieur Hire |
| 1990 (15th) | Bertrand Tavernier | Life and Nothing But | La Vie et rien d'autre |
| 1991 (16th) | Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Cyrano de Bergerac | Cyrano de Bergerac |
| 1991 (16th) | Claude Berri | Uranus | Uranus |
| 1991 (16th) | Luc Besson | La Femme Nikita | Nikita |
| 1991 (16th) | Jacques Doillon | The Little Gangster | Le Petit Criminel |
| 1991 (16th) | Patrice Leconte | The Hairdresser's Husband | Le Mari de la coiffeuse |
| 1992 (17th) | Alain Corneau | All the Mornings of the World | Tous les matins du monde |
| 1992 (17th) | Bertrand Blier | Thank You Life | Merci la vie |
| 1992 (17th) | Maurice Pialat | Van Gogh | Van Gogh |
| 1992 (17th) | Jacques Rivette | The Beautiful Troublemaker | La Belle Noiseuse |
| 1992 (17th) | André Téchiné | I Don't Kiss | J'embrasse pas |
| 1993 (18th) | Claude Sautet | A Heart in Winter | Un cœur en hiver |
| 1993 (18th) | Cyril Collard | Savage Nights | Les Nuits fauves |
| 1993 (18th) | Christine Pascal | And the Little Prince Said | Le Petit Prince a dit |
| 1993 (18th) | Bertrand Tavernier | L.627 | L.627 |
| 1993 (18th) | Régis Wargnier | Indochine | Indochine |
| 1994 (19th) | Alain Resnais | Smoking/No Smoking | Smoking/No Smoking |
| 1994 (19th) | Claude Berri | Germinal | Germinal |
| 1994 (19th) | Bertrand Blier | 1, 2, 3, Sun | Un, deux, trois, soleil |
| 1994 (19th) | Krzysztof Kieślowski | Three Colours: Blue | Trois couleurs: Bleu |
| 1994 (19th) | Jean-Marie Poiré | The Visitors | Les Visiteurs |
| 1994 (19th) | André Téchiné | My Favourite Season | Ma saison préférée |
| 1995 (20th) | André Téchiné | Wild Reeds | Les Roseaux sauvages |
| 1995 (20th) | Luc Besson | Léon | Léon |
| 1995 (20th) | Patrice Chéreau | Queen Margot | La Reine Margot |
| 1995 (20th) | Nicole Garcia | The Favourite Son | Le Fils préféré |
| 1995 (20th) | Krzysztof Kieślowski (nominated for the Academy Award) | Three Colours: Red | Trois couleurs: Rouge |
| 1996 (21st) | Claude Sautet | Nelly and Mr. Arnaud | Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud |
| 1996 (21st) | Étienne Chatiliez | Happiness Is in the Field | Le Bonheur est dans le pré |
| 1996 (21st) | Claude Chabrol | The Ceremony | La Cérémonie |
| 1996 (21st) | Josiane Balasko | French Twist | Gazon maudit |
| 1996 (21st) | Mathieu Kassovitz | Hate | La Haine |
| 1996 (21st) | Jean-Paul Rappeneau | The Horseman on the Roof | Le Hussard sur le toit |
| 1997 (22nd) | Patrice Leconte | Ridicule | Ridicule |
| 1997 (22nd) | Bertrand Tavernier | Capitaine Conan | Capitaine Conan |
| 1997 (22nd) | Jacques Audiard | A Self Made Hero | Un héros très discret |
| 1997 (22nd) | Cédric Klapisch | Family Resemblances | Un air de famille |
| 1997 (22nd) | André Téchiné | Thieves | Les Voleurs |
| 1998 (23rd) | Luc Besson | The Fifth Element | The Fifth Element |
| 1998 (23rd) | Alain Corneau | The Cousin | Le Cousin |
| 1998 (23rd) | Robert Guédiguian | Marius and Jeannette | Marius et Jeannette |
| 1998 (23rd) | Manuel Poirier | Western | Western |
| 1998 (23rd) | Alain Resnais | Same Old Song | On connaît la chanson |
| 1999 (24th) | Patrice Chéreau | Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train | Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train |
| 1999 (24th) | Nicole Garcia | Place Vendôme |
| 1999 (24th) | Gérard Pirès | Taxi | Taxi |
| 1999 (24th) | Francis Veber | The Dinner Game | Le Dîner de cons |
| 1999 (24th) | Erick Zonca | The Dreamlife of Angels | La Vie rêvée des anges |

### 2000s

| Year | Winner and nominees | English title | Original title |
| 2000 (25th) | Tonie Marshall | Venus Beauty Institute | Vénus Beauté (Institut) |
| 2000 (25th) | Jean Becker | The Children of the Marshland | Les Enfants du marais |
| 2000 (25th) | Luc Besson | The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc | The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc |
| 2000 (25th) | Michel Deville | Sachs' Disease | La Maladie de Sachs |
| 2000 (25th) | Patrice Leconte | Girl on the Bridge | La Fille sur le pont |
| 2000 (25th) | Régis Wargnier | East/West | Est–Ouest |
| 2001 (26th) | Dominik Moll | Harry, He's Here to Help | Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien |
| 2001 (26th) | Jean-Pierre Denis | Murderous Maids | Les Blessures assassines |
| 2001 (26th) | Agnès Jaoui | The Taste of Others | Le Goût des autres |
| 2001 (26th) | Mathieu Kassovitz | The Crimson Rivers | Les Rivières pourpres |
| 2001 (26th) | Patricia Mazuy | Saint-Cyr | Saint-Cyr |
| 2002 (27th) | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Amélie | Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain |
| 2002 (27th) | Jacques Audiard | Read My Lips | Sur mes lèvres |
| 2002 (27th) | François Dupeyron | The Officers' Ward | La Chambre des officiers |
| 2002 (27th) | Patrice Chéreau | Intimacy | Intimacy |
| 2002 (27th) | François Ozon | Under the Sand | Sous le sable |
| 2003 (28th) | Roman Polanski (won the Academy Award) | The Pianist | The Pianist |
| 2003 (28th) | Costa Gavras | Amen. | Amen. |
| 2003 (28th) | Cédric Klapisch | The Spanish Apartement (a.k.a. Pot Luck) | L'Auberge espagnole |
| 2003 (28th) | Nicolas Philibert | To Be and to Have | Être et avoir |
| 2003 (28th) | François Ozon | 8 Women | 8 femmes |
| 2004 (29th) | Denys Arcand | The Barbarian Invasions | Les Invasions barbares |
| 2004 (29th) | Lucas Belvaux | One: On the Run Two: An Amazing Couple Three: After Life | Cavale Un couple épatant Après la vie |
| 2004 (29th) | Claude Miller | Little Lili | La Petite Lili |
| 2004 (29th) | Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Bon voyage | Bon voyage |
| 2004 (29th) | Alain Resnais | Not on the Lips | Pas sur la bouche |
| 2005 (30th) | Abdellatif Kechiche | Games of Love and Chance | L'Esquive |
| 2005 (30th) | Christophe Barratier | The Chorus | Les Choristes |
| 2005 (30th) | Arnaud Desplechin | Kings and Queen | Rois et reine |
| 2005 (30th) | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | A Very Long Engagement | Un long dimanche de fiançailles |
| 2005 (30th) | Olivier Marchal | Département 36 | 36 Quai des Orfèvres |
| 2006 (31st) | Jacques Audiard | The Beat That My Heart Skipped | De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté |
| 2006 (31st) | Xavier Beauvois | The Young Lieutenant | Le Petit Lieutenant |
| 2006 (31st) | Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne | The Child | L'Enfant |
| 2006 (31st) | Michael Haneke | Hidden | Caché |
| 2006 (31st) | Radu Mihaileanu | Live and Become | Va, vis et deviens |
| 2007 (32nd) | Guillaume Canet | Tell No One | Ne le dis à personne |
| 2007 (32nd) | Rachid Bouchareb | Days of Glory | Indigènes |
| 2007 (32nd) | Pascale Ferran | Lady Chatterley | Lady Chatterley |
| 2007 (32nd) | Philippe Lioret | Don't Worry, I'm Fine | Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas |
| 2007 (32nd) | Alain Resnais | Private Fears in Public Places | Cœurs |
| 2008 (33rd) | Abdellatif Kechiche | The Secret of the Grain | La Graine et la mulet |
| 2008 (33rd) | Olivier Dahan | La Vie en Rose | La môme |
| 2008 (33rd) | Claude Miller | A Secret | Un secret |
| 2008 (33rd) | Julian Schnabel (nominated for the Academy Award) | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Le Scaphandre et le papillon |
| 2008 (33rd) | André Téchiné | The Witnesses | Les Témoins |
| 2009 (34th) | Jean-François Richet | Public Enemy Number One: Part 1 and 2 | L'Instinct de mort and L'Ennemi public n°1 |
| 2009 (34th) | Rémi Bezançon | The First Day of the Rest of Your Life | Le Premier Jour du reste de ta vie |
| 2009 (34th) | Laurent Cantet | The Class | Entre les murs |
| 2009 (34th) | Arnaud Desplechin | A Christmas Tale | Un conte de Noël |
| 2009 (34th) | Martin Provost | Séraphine | Séraphine |
| 2010 (35th) | Jacques Audiard | A Prophet | Un prophète |
| 2010 (35th) | Lucas Belvaux | Rapt! | Rapt! |
| 2010 (35th) | Xavier Giannoli | In the Beginning | À l'origine |
| 2010 (35th) | Philippe Lioret | Welcome | Welcome |
| 2010 (35th) | Radu Mihaileanu | The Concert | Le Concert |

### 2010s

| Year | Winner and nominees | English title | Original title |
| 2011 (36th) | Roman Polanski | The Ghost Writer | The Ghost Writer |
| 2011 (36th) | Mathieu Amalric | On Tour | Tournée |
| 2011 (36th) | Olivier Assayas | Carlos | Carlos |
| 2011 (36th) | Xavier Beauvois | Of Gods and Men | Des hommes et des dieux |
| 2011 (36th) | Bertrand Blier | The Clink of Ice | Le Bruit des glaçons |
| 2012 (37th) | Michel Hazanavicius (won the Academy Award) | The Artist | The Artist |
| 2012 (37th) | Valérie Donzelli | Declaration of War | La Guerre est déclarée |
| 2012 (37th) | Aki Kaurismäki | Le Havre | Le Havre |
| 2012 (37th) | Maïwenn | Polisse | Polisse |
| 2012 (37th) | Pierre Scholler | The Minister | L'Exercice de l'État |
| 2012 (37th) | Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache | The Intouchables | Intouchables |
| 2013 (38th) | Michael Haneke (nominated for the Academy Award) | Amour | Amour |
| 2013 (38th) | Jacques Audiard | Rust and Bone | De rouille et d'os |
| 2013 (38th) | Stéphane Brizé | A Few Hours of Spring | Quelques heures de printemps |
| 2013 (38th) | Leos Carax | Holy Motors | Holy Motors |
| 2013 (38th) | Benoît Jacquot | Farewell, My Queen | Les Adieux à la reine |
| 2013 (38th) | Noémie Lvovsky | Camille Rewinds | Camille redouble |
| 2013 (38th) | François Ozon | In the House | Dans la maison |
| 2014 (39th) | Roman Polanski | Venus in Fur | La Vénus à la fourrure |
| 2014 (39th) | Arnaud Desplechin | Jimmy P. | Jimmy P. |
| 2014 (39th) | Albert Dupontel | 9 Month Stretch | Neuf mois ferme |
| 2014 (39th) | Asghar Farhadi | The Past | Le Passé |
| 2014 (39th) | Guillaume Gallienne | Me, Myself and Mum | Les Garçons et Guillaume, à table ! |
| 2014 (39th) | Alain Guiraudie | Stranger by the Lake | L'Inconnu du lac |
| 2014 (39th) | Abdellatif Kechiche | Blue Is the Warmest Colour | La Vie d'Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2 |
| 2015 (40th) | Abderrahmane Sissako | Timbuktu | Timbuktu |
| 2015 (40th) | Céline Sciamma | Girlhood | Bande de filles |
| 2015 (40th) | Thomas Cailley | Love at First Fight | Les Combattants |
| 2015 (40th) | Robin Campillo | Eastern Boys | Eastern Boys |
| 2015 (40th) | Thomas Lilti | Hippocrates | Hippocrate |
| 2015 (40th) | Bertrand Bonello | Saint Laurent | Saint Laurent |
| 2015 (40th) | Olivier Assayas | Clouds of Sils Maria | Sils Maria |
| 2016 (41st) | Arnaud Desplechin | My Golden Days | Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse |
| 2016 (41st) | Jacques Audiard | Dheepan | Dheepan |
| 2016 (41st) | Stéphane Brizé | The Measure of a Man | La Loi du marché |
| 2016 (41st) | Xavier Giannoli | Marguerite | Marguerite |
| 2016 (41st) | Maïwenn | Mon roi | Mon roi |
| 2016 (41st) | Deniz Gamze Ergüven | Mustang | Mustang |
| 2016 (41st) | Emmanuelle Bercot | Standing Tall | La Tête haute |
| 2017 (42nd) | Xavier Dolan | It's Only the End of the World | Juste la fin du monde |
| 2017 (42nd) | Houda Benyamina | Divines | Divines |
| 2017 (42nd) | Paul Verhoeven | Elle | Elle |
| 2017 (42nd) | François Ozon | Frantz | Frantz |
| 2017 (42nd) | Anne Fontaine | The Innocents | Les Innocentes |
| 2017 (42nd) | Bruno Dumont | Slack Bay | La Loute |
| 2017 (42nd) | Nicole Garcia | From the Land of the Moon | Mal de pierres |
| 2018 (43rd) | Albert Dupontel | See You Up There | Au revoir là-haut |
| 2018 (43rd) | Robin Campillo | BPM (Beats per Minute) | 120 Battements par minute |
| 2018 (43rd) | Mathieu Amalric | Barbara | Barbara |
| 2018 (43rd) | Julia Ducournau | Raw | Grave |
| 2018 (43rd) | Hubert Charuel | Bloody Milk | Petit Paysan |
| 2018 (43rd) | Michel Hazanavicius | Redoubtable | Le Redoutable |
| 2018 (43rd) | Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache | C'est la vie! | Le Sens de la fête |
| 2019 (44th) | Jacques Audiard | The Sisters Brothers | Les Frères Sisters |
| 2019 (44th) | Emmanuel Finkiel | Memoir of War | La Douleur |
| 2019 (44th) | Pierre Salvadori | The Trouble with You | En liberté ! |
| 2019 (44th) | Gilles Lellouche | Sink or Swim | Le Grand Bain |
| 2019 (44th) | Alex Lutz | Guy | Guy |
| 2019 (44th) | Xavier Legrand | Custody | Jusqu'à la garde |
| 2019 (44th) | Jeanne Herry | In Safe Hands | Pupille |

### 2020s

| Year | Winner and nominees | English title | Original title |
| 2020 (45th) | Roman Polanski | An Officer and a Spy | J'accuse |
| 2020 (45th) | Nicolas Bedos | La Belle Époque | La Belle Époque |
| 2020 (45th) | François Ozon | By the Grace of God | Grâce à Dieu |
| 2020 (45th) | Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache | The Specials | Hors normes |
| 2020 (45th) | Ladj Ly | Les Misérables | Les Misérables |
| 2020 (45th) | Céline Sciamma | Portrait of a Lady on Fire | Portrait de la jeune fille en feu |
| 2020 (45th) | Arnaud Desplechin | Oh Mercy! | Roubaix, une lumière |
| 2021 (46th) | Albert Dupontel | Bye Bye Morons | Adieu les cons |
| 2021 (46th) | Maïwenn | DNA | ADN |
| 2021 (46th) | Sébastien Lifshitz | Adolescents | Adolescentes |
| 2021 (46th) | Emmanuel Mouret | Love Affair(s) | Les Choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait |
| 2021 (46th) | François Ozon | Summer of 85 | Été 85 |
| 2022 (47th) | Leos Carax | Annette | Annette |
| 2022 (47th) | Audrey Diwan | Happening | L'Événement |
| 2022 (47th) | Julia Ducournau | Titane | Titane |
| 2022 (47th) | Xavier Giannoli | Lost Illusions | Illusions perdues |
| 2022 (47th) | Arthur Harari | Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle | Onoda, 10 000 nuits dans la jungle |
| 2022 (47th) | Cédric Jimenez | The Stronghold | BAC Nord |
| 2022 (47th) | Valérie Lemercier | Aline | Aline |
| 2023 (48th) | Dominik Moll | The Night of the 12th | La Nuit du 12 |
| 2023 (48th) | Louis Garrel | The Innocent | L'Innocent |
| 2023 (48th) | Cédric Jimenez | November | Novembre |
| 2023 (48th) | Cedric Klapisch | Rise | En corps |
| 2023 (48th) | Albert Serra | Pacifiction | Pacifiction: Tourment sur les Îles |
| 2024 (49th) | Justine Triet (nominated for the Academy Award) | Anatomy of a Fall | Anatomie d'une chute |
| 2024 (49th) | Catherine Breillat | Last Summer | L'Été dernier |
| 2024 (49th) | Thomas Cailley | The Animal Kingdom | Le Règne animal |
| 2024 (49th) | Jeanne Herry | All Your Faces | Je verrai toujours vos visages |
| 2024 (49th) | Cédric Kahn | The Goldman Case | Le Procès Goldman |
| 2025 (50th) | Jacques Audiard (nominated for the Academy Award) | Emilia Pérez | Emilia Pérez |
| 2025 (50th) | Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière | The Count of Monte Cristo | Le Comte de Monte-Cristo |
| 2025 (50th) | Alain Guiraudie | Misericordia | Miséricorde |
| 2025 (50th) | Gilles Lellouche | Beating Hearts | L'Amour ouf |
| 2025 (50th) | Boris Lojkine | Souleymane's Story | L'Histoire de Souleymane |

## Multiple wins and nominations

| Wins | Director |
| 5 | Roman Polanski |
| 4 | Jacques Audiard |
| 2 | Jean-Jacques Annaud |
| 2 | Albert Dupontel |
| 2 | Abdellatif Kechiche |
| 2 | Dominik Moll |
| 2 | Alain Resnais |
| 2 | Claude Sautet |
| 2 | Bertrand Tavernier |
| Nominations | Director |
| 8 | Jacques Audiard |
| 8 | Alain Resnais |
| 7 | Claude Miller |
| 7 | Bertrand Tavernier |
| 7 | André Téchiné |
| 6 | Luc Besson |
| 6 | François Ozon |
| 5 | Bertrand Blier |
| 5 | Arnaud Desplechin |
| 5 | Patrice Leconte |
| 5 | Roman Polanski |
| 4 | Claude Berri |
| 4 | Michel Deville |
| 4 | Jean-Paul Rappeneau |
| 4 | Claude Sautet |
| 3 | Patrice Chéreau |
| 3 | Alain Corneau |
| 3 | Albert Dupontel |
| 3 | Nicole Garcia |
| 3 | Xavier Giannoli |
| 3 | Abdellatif Kechiche |
| 3 | Cedric Klapisch |
| 3 | Maïwenn |
| 3 | Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano |
| 3 | Maurice Pialat |
| 3 | François Truffaut |