# Golden Arena for Best Director

The Golden Arena for Best Director (Croatian: Zlatna arena za režiju) is an award given for best director at the Pula Film Festival, which was until 1992 the Yugoslav equivalent of the Academy Awards. Since 1992 and the breakup of Yugoslavia the competition narrowed to Croatian films only. The first festival was held in 1954, but the award was introduced in 1955.

## List of winners
### Yugoslav competition (1955–90)

| Year | Director | International title | Original title |
| 001954 (1st) | No jury prizes awarded in 1954. | No jury prizes awarded in 1954. | No jury prizes awarded in 1954. |
| 001955 (2nd) | František Čáp | Moments of Decision | Trenutki odločitve |
| 001956 (3rd) | Branko Bauer | Don't Look Back, My Son | Ne okreći se sine |
| 001957 (4th) | Soja Jovanović | Priests Ćira and Spira | Pop Ćira i pop Spira |
| 001958 (5th) | Nikola Tanhofer | H-8 | H-8 |
| 001959 (6th) | Jože Babič | Three Quarters of a Sun | Tri četrtine sonca |
| 001960 (7th) | Veljko Bulajić | Atomic War Bride | Rat |
| 001961 (8th) | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1961 and 1962. | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1961 and 1962. | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1961 and 1962. |
| 001962 (9th) | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1961 and 1962. | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1961 and 1962. | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1961 and 1962. |
| 001963 (10th) | Branko Bauer (shared) (2) | Face to Face | Licem u lice |
| 001963 (10th) | Igor Pretnar (shared) | Wild Growth | Samorastniki |
| 001964 (11th) | Žika Mitrović (shared) | March on the Drina | Marš na Drinu |
| 001964 (11th) | France Štiglic (shared) | Don't Cry, Peter | Ne joči, Peter |
| 001965 (12th) | Aleksandar Petrović | Three | Tri |
| 001966 (13th) | Vatroslav Mimica | Monday or Tuesday | Ponedjeljak ili utorak |
| 001967 (14th) | Puriša Đorđević (shared) | The Morning | Jutro |
| 001967 (14th) | Aleksandar Petrović (shared) (2) | I Even Met Happy Gypsies | Skupljači perja |
| 001968 (15th) | Živojin Pavlović | When I Am Dead and Gone | Kad budem mrtav i beo |
| 001969 (16th) | Fedor Škubonja | Downstream from the Sun | Nizvodno od sunca |
| 001970 (17th) | Krsto Papić | Handcuffs | Lisice |
| 001971 (18th) | Kiril Cenevski | Black Seed | Crno seme |
| 001972 (19th) | Aleksandar Petrović (3) | The Master and Margaret | Maestro i Margarita |
| 001973 (20th) | Matjaž Klopčič | Blossoms in Autumn | Cvetje v jesen |
| 001974 (21st) | Zdravko Velimirović | Death and the Dervish | Derviš i smrt |
| 001975 (22nd) | Matjaž Klopčič (2) | Fear | Strah |
| 001976 (23rd) | Goran Paskaljević | Beach Guard in Winter | Čuvar plaže u zimskom periodu |
| 001977 (24th) | Živojin Pavlović (2) | Manhunt | Hajka |
| 001978 (25th) | Srđan Karanović | Fragrance of Wild Flowers | Miris poljskog cveća |
| 001979 (26th) | Fadil Hadžić | Journalist | Novinar |
| 001980 (27th) | Goran Paskaljević (2) | Special Treatment | Poseban tretman |
| 001981 (28th) | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1981. | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1981. | Golden Arena for Best Director not awarded in 1981. |
| 001982 (29th) | Miloš Radivojević | Living Like the Rest of Us | Živeti kao sav normalan svet |
| 001983 (30th) | Srđan Karanović (2) | Something in Between | Nešto između |
| 001984 (31st) | Rajko Grlić | In the Jaws of Life | U raljama života |
| 001985 (32nd) | Emir Kusturica | When Father Was Away on Business | Otac na službenom putu |
| 001986 (33rd) | Lordan Zafranović | Evening Bells | Večernja zvona |
| 001987 (34th) | Vladimir Blaževski | Hi-Fi | Haj-faj |
| 001988 (35th) | Žarko Dragojević | The House by the Railway Tracks | Kuće pored pruge |
| 001989 (36th) | Jože Pogačnik | Cafe Astoria | Kavana Astoria |
| 001990 (37th) | Filip Robar Dorin | The Windhunter | Veter v mreži |

### Croatian competition (1992–present)

| Year | Director | International title | Original title |
| 001991 (38th) | Festival cancelled. | Festival cancelled. | Festival cancelled. |
| 001992 (39th) | Krsto Papić (2) | Story from Croatia | Priča iz Hrvatske |
| 001993 (40th) | Davor Žmegač | The Golden Years | Zlatne godine |
| 001994 (41st) | National film programme cancelled, no prizes awarded. | National film programme cancelled, no prizes awarded. | National film programme cancelled, no prizes awarded. |
| 001995 (42nd) | Zrinko Ogresta | Washed Out | Isprani |
| 001996 (43rd) | Vinko Brešan | How the War Started on My Island | Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku |
| 001997 (44th) | Goran Rušinović | Mondo Bobo | Mondo Bobo |
| 001998 (45th) | Krsto Papić (3) | When the Dead Start Singing | Kad mrtvi zapjevaju |
| 001999 (46th) | Zrinko Ogresta (2) | Red Dust | Crvena prašina |
| 002000 (47th) | Lukas Nola | Celestial Body | Nebo, sateliti |
| 002001 (48th) | Bruno Gamulin | Slow Surrender | Polagana predaja |
| 002002 (49th) | Dalibor Matanić | Fine Dead Girls | Fine mrtve djevojke |
| 002003 (50th) | Vinko Brešan (2) | Witnesses | Svjedoci |
| 002004 (51st) | Antun Vrdoljak | Long Dark Night | Duga mračna noć |
| 002005 (52nd) | Tomislav Radić | What Iva Recorded | Što je Iva snimila 21. listopada 2003. |
| 002006 (53rd) | Antonio Nuić | All for Free | Sve džaba |
| 002007 (54th) | Kristijan Milić | The Living and the Dead | Živi i mrtvi |
| 002008 (55th) | Arsen Anton Ostojić | No One's Son | Ničiji sin |
| 002009 (56th) | Goran Dević (co-director) | The Blacks | Crnci |
| 002009 (56th) | Zvonimir Jurić (co-director) | The Blacks | Crnci |
| 002010 (57th) | Rajko Grlić (2) | Just Between Us | Neka ostane među nama |
| 002011 (58th) | Dalibor Matanić (2) | Daddy | Ćaća |
| 002012 (59th) | Branko Schmidt | Vegetarian Cannibal | Ljudožder vegetarijanac |
| 002013 (60th) | Bobo Jelčić | A Stranger | Obrana i zaštita |
| 002014 (61st) | Kristijan Milić (2) | Number 55 | Broj 55 |
| 002015 (62nd) | Dalibor Matanić (3) | The High Sun | Zvizdan |
| 002016 (63rd) | Zrinko Ogresta (3) | On the Other Side | S one strane |
| 002017 (64th) | Hana Jušić | Quit Staring at My Plate | Ne gledaj mi u pijat |
| 002018 (65th) | Nevio Marasović | Comic Sans | Comic Sans |
| 002019 (66th) | Dana Budisavljević | The Diary of Diana B | Dnevnik Diane Budisavljević |
| 002020 (67th) | Danilo Šerbedžija | Tereza37 | Tereza37 |
| 002021 (68th) | Zrinko Ogresta (4) | A Blue Flower | Plavi cvijet |
| 002022 (69th) | Sonja Tarokić | The Staffroom | Zbornica |
| 002023 (70th) | Juraj Lerotić | Safe Place | Sigurno mjesto |
| 002024 (71st) | Silvestar Kolbas | Our Children | Naša djeca |

## Multiple winners

The following directors have received multiple awards. The list is sorted by the number of total awards. Years in bold indicate wins in Yugoslav competition (1955–1990). Shared wins are indicated with an asterisk (*).