# Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957.
From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, Best Short Subject, One-reel and Best Short Subject, Two-reel, referring to the running time of eligible short films: a standard reel of 35 mm film is 1000 feet, or about 11 minutes of run time. A third category "Best Short Subject, color" was used only for 1936 and 1937. From the initiation of short subject awards for 1932 until 1935 the terms were "Best Short Subject, comedy" and "Best Short Subject, novelty".
These categories were merged starting with the 1957 awards, under the name "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects", which was used until 1970. For the next three years after that, it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films". The current name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974.
Current Academy rules call for the award to be presented to "the individual person most directly responsible for the concept and the creative execution of the film. In the event that more than one individual has been directly and importantly involved in creative decisions, a second statuette may be awarded". The Academy defines short as being "not more than 40 minutes, including all credits". Fifteen films are shortlisted before nominations are announced.

## List of winners and nominees
### 1930s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 1931–32 (5th) | Comedy | Comedy |
| 1931–32 (5th) | The Music Box | Hal Roach |
| 1931–32 (5th) | The Loud Mouth | Mack Sennett |
| 1931–32 (5th) | Scratch-As-Catch-Can | RKO Radio |
| Novelty ||
| 1931–32 (5th) | Wrestling Swordfish | Mack Sennett |
| 1931–32 (5th) | Screen Souvenirs | Paramount Publix |
| 1931–32 (5th) | Swing High | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1932–33 (6th) |
| Comedy ||
| 1932–33 (6th) | So This Is Harris! | Louis Brock |
| 1932–33 (6th) | Mister Mugg | Warren Doane |
| 1932–33 (6th) | A Preferred List | Louis Brock |
| Novelty ||
| 1932–33 (6th) | Krakatoa | Joe Rock |
| 1932–33 (6th) | Menu | Pete Smith |
| 1932–33 (6th) | The Sea | Educational |
| 1934 (7th) |
| Comedy ||
| 1934 (7th) | La Cucaracha | Kenneth Macgowan |
| 1934 (7th) | Men in Black | Jules White |
| 1934 (7th) | What, No Men! | Warner Bros. |
| Novelty ||
| 1934 (7th) | City of Wax | Stacy Woodard and Horace Woodard |
| 1934 (7th) | Bosom Friends | Skibo Productions |
| 1934 (7th) | Strikes and Spares | Pete Smith |
| 1935 (8th) |
| Comedy ||
| 1935 (8th) | How to Sleep | Jack Chertok |
| 1935 (8th) | Oh, My Nerves | Jules White |
| 1935 (8th) | Tit for Tat | Hal Roach |
| Novelty ||
| 1935 (8th) | Wings Over Everest | Gaumont British and Skibo Productions |
| 1935 (8th) | Audioscopiks | Pete Smith |
| 1935 (8th) | Camera Thrills | Universal |
| 1936 (9th) |
| Color ||
| 1936 (9th) | Give Me Liberty | Warner Bros. |
| 1936 (9th) | La Fiesta de Santa Barbara | Louis Lewyn |
| 1936 (9th) | Popular Science J-6-2 | Paramount |
| One-Reel ||
| 1936 (9th) | Bored of Education | Hal Roach |
| 1936 (9th) | Moscow Moods | Paramount |
| 1936 (9th) | Wanted, a Master | Pete Smith |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1936 (9th) | The Public Pays | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1936 (9th) | Double or Nothing | Warner Bros. |
| 1936 (9th) | Dummy Ache | RKO Radio |
| 1937 (10th) |
| Color ||
| 1937 (10th) | Penny Wisdom | Pete Smith |
| 1937 (10th) | The Man Without a Country | Warner Bros. |
| 1937 (10th) | Popular Science J-7-1 | Paramount |
| One-Reel ||
| 1937 (10th) | The Private Life of the Gannets | Skibo Productions |
| 1937 (10th) | A Night at the Movies | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1937 (10th) | Romance of Radium | Pete Smith |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1937 (10th) | Torture Money | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1937 (10th) | Deep South | RKO Radio |
| 1937 (10th) | Should Wives Work? | RKO Radio |
| 1938 (11th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1938 (11th) | That Mothers Might Live | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1938 (11th) | The Great Heart | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1938 (11th) | Timber Toppers | 20th Century-Fox |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1938 (11th) | Declaration of Independence | Warner Bros. |
| 1938 (11th) | Swingtime in the Movies | Warner Bros. |
| 1938 (11th) | They're Always Caught | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1939 (12th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1939 (12th) | Busy Little Bears | Paramount |
| 1939 (12th) | Information Please | RKO Radio |
| 1939 (12th) | Prophet Without Honor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1939 (12th) | Sword Fishing | Warner Bros. |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1939 (12th) | Sons of Liberty | Warner Bros. |
| 1939 (12th) | Drunk Driving | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1939 (12th) | Five Times Five | RKO Radio |

### 1940s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 1940 (13th) | One-Reel | One-Reel |
| 1940 (13th) | Quicker'n a Wink | Pete Smith |
| 1940 (13th) | London Can Take It! | Warner Bros. |
| 1940 (13th) | More About Nostradamus | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1940 (13th) | Siege | RKO Radio |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1940 (13th) | Teddy, the Rough Rider | Warner Bros. |
| 1940 (13th) | Eyes of the Navy | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1940 (13th) | Service with the Colors | Warner Bros. |
| 1941 (14th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1941 (14th) | Of Pups and Puzzles | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1941 (14th) | Army Champions | Pete Smith |
| 1941 (14th) | Beauty and the Beach | Paramount |
| 1941 (14th) | Down on the Farm | Paramount |
| 1941 (14th) | Forty Boys and a Song | Warner Bros. |
| 1941 (14th) | Kings of the Turf | Warner Bros. |
| 1941 (14th) | Sagebrush and Silver | 20th Century-Fox |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1941 (14th) | Main Street on the March! | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1941 (14th) | Alive in the Deep | Woodward Productions, Inc. |
| 1941 (14th) | Forbidden Passage | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1941 (14th) | The Gay Parisian | Warner Bros. |
| 1941 (14th) | The Tanks Are Coming | United States Army |
| 1942 (15th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1942 (15th) | Speaking of Animals and Their Families | Paramount |
| 1942 (15th) | Desert Wonderland | 20th Century-Fox |
| 1942 (15th) | Marines in the Making | Pete Smith |
| 1942 (15th) | United States Marine Band | Warner Bros. |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1942 (15th) | Beyond the Line of Duty | Warner Bros. |
| 1942 (15th) | Don't Talk | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1942 (15th) | Private Smith of the U.S.A. | RKO Radio |
| 1943 (16th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1943 (16th) | Amphibious Fighters | Grantland Rice |
| 1943 (16th) | Cavalcade of Dance with Veloz and Yolanda | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1943 (16th) | Champions Carry On | Edmund Reek |
| 1943 (16th) | Hollywood in Uniform | Ralph Staub |
| 1943 (16th) | Seeing Hands | Pete Smith |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1943 (16th) | Heavenly Music | Jerry Bresler and Sam Coslow |
| 1943 (16th) | Letter to a Hero | Frederic Ullman Jr. |
| 1943 (16th) | Mardi Gras | Walter MacEwen |
| 1943 (16th) | Women at War | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1944 (17th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1944 (17th) | Who's Who in Animal Land | Jerry Fairbanks |
| 1944 (17th) | Blue Grass Gentlemen | Edmund Reek |
| 1944 (17th) | Jammin' the Blues | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1944 (17th) | Movie Pests | Pete Smith |
| 1944 (17th) | Screen Snapshots' 50th Anniversary of Motion Pictures | Ralph Staub |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1944 (17th) | I Won't Play | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1944 (17th) | Bombalera | Louis Harris |
| 1944 (17th) | Main Street Today | Jerry Bresler |
| 1945 (18th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1945 (18th) | Stairway to Light | Herbert Moulton and Jerry Bresler |
| 1945 (18th) | Along the Rainbow Trail | Edmund Reek |
| 1945 (18th) | Screen Snapshots' 25th Anniversary | Ralph Staub |
| 1945 (18th) | Story of a Dog | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1945 (18th) | White Rhapsody | Grantland Rice |
| 1945 (18th) | Your National Gallery | Joseph O'Brien and Thomas Mead |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1945 (18th) | Star in the Night | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1945 (18th) | A Gun in His Hand | Chester Franklin and Jerry Bresler |
| 1945 (18th) | The Jury Goes Round 'N' Round | Jules White |
| 1945 (18th) | The Little Witch | George Templeton |
| 1946 (19th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1946 (19th) | Facing Your Danger | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1946 (19th) | Dive-Hi Champs | Jack Eaton |
| 1946 (19th) | Golden Horses | Edmund Reek |
| 1946 (19th) | Smart as a Fox | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1946 (19th) | Sure Cures | Pete Smith |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1946 (19th) | A Boy and His Dog | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1946 (19th) | College Queen | George Templeton |
| 1946 (19th) | Hiss and Yell | Jules White |
| 1946 (19th) | The Luckiest Guy in the World | Jerry Bresler |
| 1947 (20th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1947 (20th) | Goodbye, Miss Turlock | Herbert Moulton |
| 1947 (20th) | Brooklyn, U.S.A. | Thomas Mead |
| 1947 (20th) | Moon Rockets | Jerry Fairbanks |
| 1947 (20th) | Now You See It | Pete Smith |
| 1947 (20th) | So You Want to Be in Pictures | Gordon Hollingshead |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1947 (20th) | Climbing the Matterhorn | Irving Allen |
| 1947 (20th) | Champagne for Two | Harry Grey |
| 1947 (20th) | Fight of the Wild Stallions | Thomas Mead |
| 1947 (20th) | Give Us the Earth | Herbert Morgan |
| 1947 (20th) | A Voice Is Born: The Story of Niklos Gafni | Ben Blake |
| 1948 (21st) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1948 (21st) | Symphony of a City | Edmund Reek |
| 1948 (21st) | Annie Was a Wonder | Herbert Moulton |
| 1948 (21st) | Cinderella Horse | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1948 (21st) | So You Want to Be on the Radio | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1948 (21st) | You Can't Win | Pete Smith |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1948 (21st) | Seal Island | Walt Disney |
| 1948 (21st) | Calgary Stampede | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1948 (21st) | Going to Blazes | Herbert Morgan |
| 1948 (21st) | Samba-Mania | Harry Grey |
| 1948 (21st) | Snow Capers | Thomas Mead |
| 1949 (22nd) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1949 (22nd) | Aquatic House Party | Jack Eaton |
| 1949 (22nd) | Roller Derby Girl | Justin Herman |
| 1949 (22nd) | So You Think You're Not Guilty | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1949 (22nd) | Spills and Chills | Walton C. Ament |
| 1949 (22nd) | Water Trix | Pete Smith |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1949 (22nd) | Van Gogh | Gaston Diehl and Robert Haessens |
| 1949 (22nd) | The Boy and the Eagle | William Lasky |
| 1949 (22nd) | Chase of Death | Irving Allen |
| 1949 (22nd) | The Grass Is Always Greener | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1949 (22nd) | Snow Carnival | Gordon Hollingshead |

### 1950s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 1950 (23rd) | One-Reel | One-Reel |
| 1950 (23rd) | Grandad of Races | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1950 (23rd) | Blaze Busters | Robert Youngson |
| 1950 (23rd) | Wrong Way Butch | Pete Smith |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1950 (23rd) | In Beaver Valley | Walt Disney |
| 1950 (23rd) | Grandma Moses | Falcon Films, Inc. |
| 1950 (23rd) | My Country 'Tis of Thee | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1951 (24th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1951 (24th) | World of Kids | Robert Youngson |
| 1951 (24th) | Ridin' the Rails | Jack Eaton |
| 1951 (24th) | The Story of Time | Roger G. Leffingwell |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1951 (24th) | Nature's Half Acre | Walt Disney |
| 1951 (24th) | Balzac | Les Films du Compass |
| 1951 (24th) | Danger Under the Sea | Tom Mead |
| 1952 (25th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1952 (25th) | Light in the Window | Boris Vermont |
| 1952 (25th) | Athletes of the Saddle | Jack Eaton |
| 1952 (25th) | Desert Killer | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1952 (25th) | Neighbours | Norman McLaren |
| 1952 (25th) | Royal Scotland | Crown Film Unit |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1952 (25th) | Water Birds | Walt Disney |
| 1952 (25th) | Bridge of Time | London Film Productions |
| 1952 (25th) | Devil Take Us | Herbert Morgan |
| 1952 (25th) | Thar She Blows! | Gordon Hollingshead |
| 1953 (26th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1953 (26th) | Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor | Johnny Green |
| 1953 (26th) | Christ Among the Primitives | Vincenzo Lucci-Chiarissi |
| 1953 (26th) | Herring Hunt | National Film Board of Canada |
| 1953 (26th) | Joy of Living | Boris Vermont |
| 1953 (26th) | Wee Water Wonders | Jack Eaton |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1953 (26th) | Bear Country | Walt Disney |
| 1953 (26th) | Ben and Me | Walt Disney |
| 1953 (26th) | Return to Glennascaul | Dublin Gate Theatre Productions |
| 1953 (26th) | Vesuvius Express | Otto Lang |
| 1953 (26th) | Winter Paradise | Cedric Francis |
| 1954 (27th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1954 (27th) | This Mechanical Age | Robert Youngson |
| 1954 (27th) | The First Piano Quartette | Otto Lang |
| 1954 (27th) | The Strauss Fantasy | Johnny Green |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1954 (27th) | A Time Out of War | Denis Sanders and Terry Sanders |
| 1954 (27th) | Beauty and the Bull | Cedric Francis |
| 1954 (27th) | Jet Carrier | Otto Lang |
| 1954 (27th) | Siam | Walt Disney |
| 1955 (28th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1955 (28th) | Survival City | Edmund Reek |
| 1955 (28th) | 3rd Ave. El | Carson Davidson |
| 1955 (28th) | Gadgets Galore | Robert Youngson |
| 1955 (28th) | Three Kisses | Justin Herman |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1955 (28th) | The Face of Lincoln | Wilbur T. Blume |
| 1955 (28th) | 24-Hour Alert | Cedric Francis |
| 1955 (28th) | The Battle of Gettysburg | Dore Schary |
| 1955 (28th) | On the Twelfth Day | George K. Arthur |
| 1955 (28th) | Switzerland | Walt Disney |
| 1956 (29th) |
| One-Reel ||
| 1956 (29th) | Crashing the Water Barrier | Konstantin Kalser |
| 1956 (29th) | I Never Forget a Face | Robert Youngson |
| 1956 (29th) | Time Stood Still | Cedric Francis |
| Two-Reel ||
| 1956 (29th) | The Bespoke Overcoat | Romulus Films |
| 1956 (29th) | Cow Dog | Larry Lansburgh |
| 1956 (29th) | The Dark Wave | John Healy |
| 1956 (29th) | Samoa | Walt Disney |
| 1957 (30th) |
| 1957 (30th) | The Wetback Hound | Larry Lansburgh |
| 1957 (30th) | A Chairy Tale | Norman McLaren |
| 1957 (30th) | City of Gold | Tom Daly |
| 1957 (30th) | Foothold on Antarctica | James Carr |
| 1957 (30th) | Portugal | Ben Sharpsteen |
| 1958 (31st) |
| 1958 (31st) | Grand Canyon | Walt Disney |
| 1958 (31st) | Journey Into Spring | Ian Ferguson |
| 1958 (31st) | The Kiss | John Patrick Hayes |
| 1958 (31st) | Snows of Aorangi | New Zealand Screen Board |
| 1958 (31st) | T Is for Tumbleweed | James A. Lebenthal |
| 1959 (32nd) |
| 1959 (32nd) | The Golden Fish | Jacques-Yves Cousteau |
| 1959 (32nd) | Between the Tides | Ian Ferguson |
| 1959 (32nd) | Mysteries of the Deep | Walt Disney |
| 1959 (32nd) | The Running, Jumping and Standing-Still Film | Peter Sellers |
| 1959 (32nd) | Skyscraper | Shirley Clarke, Willard Van Dyke and Irving Jacoby |

### 1960s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 1960 (33rd) | Day of the Painter | Ezra R. Baker |
| 1960 (33rd) | The Creation of Woman | Charles F. Schwep and Ismail Merchant |
| 1960 (33rd) | Islands of the Sea | Walt Disney |
| 1960 (33rd) | A Sport Is Born | Leslie Winik |
| 1961 (34th) |
| 1961 (34th) | Seawards the Great Ships | Templar Film Studios, Hilary Harris |
| 1961 (34th) | Ballon Vole (Play Ball!) | Ciné-Documents |
| 1961 (34th) | The Face of Jesus | Dr. John D. Jennings |
| 1961 (34th) | Rooftops of New York | Robert Gaffney |
| 1961 (34th) | Very Nice, Very Nice | National Film Board of Canada |
| 1962 (35th) |
| 1962 (35th) | Heureux Anniversaire (Happy Anniversary) | Pierre Étaix and Jean-Claude Carrière |
| 1962 (35th) | Big City Blues | Martina Huguenot van der Linden and Charles Huguenot van der Linden |
| 1962 (35th) | The Cadillac | Robert Clouse |
| 1962 (35th) | The Cliff Dwellers | Hayward Anderson |
| 1962 (35th) | Pan | Herman van der Horst |
| 1963 (36th) |
| 1963 (36th) | An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge | Paul de Roubaix and Marcel Ichac |
| 1963 (36th) | The Concert | Ezra Baker |
| 1963 (36th) | Home-Made Car | James Hill |
| 1963 (36th) | Six-Sided Triangle | Christopher Miles |
| 1963 (36th) | That's Me | Walker Stuart |
| 1964 (37th) |
| 1964 (37th) | Casals Conducts: 1964 | Edward Schreiber |
| 1964 (37th) | Help! My Snowman's Burning Down | Carson Davidson |
| 1964 (37th) | The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes | Robert Clouse |
| 1965 (38th) |
| 1965 (38th) | The Chicken (Le Poulet) | Claude Berri |
| 1965 (38th) | Fortress of Peace | Lothar Wolff |
| 1965 (38th) | Skaterdater | Marshal Backlar and Noel Black |
| 1965 (38th) | Snow | Edgar Anstey |
| 1965 (38th) | Time Piece | Jim Henson |
| 1966 (39th) |
| 1966 (39th) | Wild Wings | Edgar Anstey |
| 1966 (39th) | Turkey the Bridge | Marin Karmitz and Vladimir Forgency |
| 1966 (39th) | The Winning Strain | Leslie Winik |
| 1967 (40th) |
| 1967 (40th) | A Place to Stand | Christopher Chapman |
| 1967 (40th) | Paddle to the Sea | Julian Biggs |
| 1967 (40th) | Sky Over Holland | John Ferno |
| 1967 (40th) | Stop, Look and Listen | Len Janson and Chuck Menville |
| 1968 (41st) |
| 1968 (41st) | Robert Kennedy Remembered | Charles Guggenheim |
| 1968 (41st) | The Dove | George Coe, Sidney Davis and Anthony Lover |
| 1968 (41st) | Duo | National Film Board of Canada |
| 1968 (41st) | Prelude | John Astin |
| 1969 (42nd) |
| 1969 (42nd) | The Magic Machines | Joan Keller Stern |
| 1969 (42nd) | Blake | Bill Mason |
| 1969 (42nd) | People Soup | Marc Merson |

### 1970s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 1970 (43rd) | The Resurrection of Broncho Billy | John Longenecker |
| 1970 (43rd) | Shut Up... I'm Crying | Robert Siegler |
| 1970 (43rd) | Sticky My Fingers... Fleet My Feet | John Hancock |
| 1971 (44th) |
| 1971 (44th) | Sentinels of Silence | Manuel Arango and Robert Amram |
| 1971 (44th) | Good Morning | Denny Evans and Ken Greenwald |
| 1971 (44th) | The Rehearsal | Stephen F. Verona |
| 1972 (45th) |
| 1972 (45th) | Norman Rockwell's World... An American Dream | Richard Barclay |
| 1972 (45th) | Frog Story | Ron Satlof and Ray Gideon |
| 1972 (45th) | Solo | David Adams |
| 1973 (46th) |
| 1973 (46th) | The Bolero | Allan Miller and William Fertik |
| 1973 (46th) | Clockmaker | Richard Gayer |
| 1973 (46th) | Life Times Nine | Pen Densham and John Watson |
| 1974 (47th) |
| 1974 (47th) | One-Eyed Men Are Kings | Paul Claudon and Edmond Séchan |
| 1974 (47th) | Climb | Dewitt Jones |
| 1974 (47th) | The Concert | Julian Chagrin and Claude Chagrin |
| 1974 (47th) | Planet Ocean | George V. Casey |
| 1974 (47th) | The Violin | Andrew Welsh and George Pastic |
| 1975 (48th) |
| 1975 (48th) | Angel and Big Joe | Bert Salzman |
| 1975 (48th) | Conquest of Light | Louis Marcus |
| 1975 (48th) | Dawn Flight | Lawrence M. Lansburgh and Brian Lansburgh |
| 1975 (48th) | A Day in the Life of Bonnie Consolo | Barry Spinello |
| 1975 (48th) | Doubletalk | Alan Beattie |
| 1976 (49th) |
| 1976 (49th) | In the Region of Ice | Andre R. Guttfreund and Peter Werner |
| 1976 (49th) | Kudzu | Marjorie Anne Short |
| 1976 (49th) | The Morning Spider | Julian Chagrin and Claude Chagrin |
| 1976 (49th) | Nightlife | Claire Wilbur and Robin Lehman |
| 1976 (49th) | Number One | Dyan Cannon and Vince Cannon |
| 1977 (50th) |
| 1977 (50th) | I'll Find a Way | Beverly Shaffer and Yuki Yoshida |
| 1977 (50th) | The Absent-Minded Waiter | William E. McEuen |
| 1977 (50th) | Floating Free | Jerry Butts |
| 1977 (50th) | Notes on the Popular Arts | Saul Bass |
| 1977 (50th) | Spaceborne | Philip Dauber |
| 1978 (51st) |
| 1978 (51st) | Teenage Father | Taylor Hackford |
| 1978 (51st) | A Different Approach | Jim Belcher and Fern Field |
| 1978 (51st) | Mandy's Grandmother | Andrew Sugerman |
| 1978 (51st) | Strange Fruit | Seth Pinsker |
| 1979 (52nd) |
| 1979 (52nd) | Board and Care | Sarah Pillsbury and Ron Ellis |
| 1979 (52nd) | Bravery in the Field | Roman Kroitor and Stefan Wodoslawsky |
| 1979 (52nd) | Oh Brother, My Brother | Carol Lowell and Ross Lowell |
| 1979 (52nd) | The Solar Film | Saul Bass and Michael Britton |
| 1979 (52nd) | Solly's Diner | Harry Mathias, Jay Zukerman and Larry Hankin |

### 1980s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 1980 (53rd) | The Dollar Bottom | Lloyd Phillips |
| 1980 (53rd) | Fall Line | Bob Carmichael and Greg Lowe |
| 1980 (53rd) | A Jury of Her Peers | Sally Heckel |
| 1981 (54th) |
| 1981 (54th) | Violet | Paul Kemp and Shelley Levinson |
| 1981 (54th) | Couples and Robbers | Christine Oestreicher |
| 1981 (54th) | First Winter | John N. Smith |
| 1982 (55th) |
| 1982 (55th) | A Shocking Accident | Christine Oestreicher |
| 1982 (55th) | Ballet Robotique | Bob Rogers |
| 1982 (55th) | The Silence | Michael Toshiyuki Uno and Joseph Benson |
| 1982 (55th) | Split Cherry Tree | Jan Saunders |
| 1982 (55th) | Sredni Vashtar | Andrew Birkin |
| 1983 (56th) |
| 1983 (56th) | Boys and Girls | Janice L. Platt |
| 1983 (56th) | Goodie-Two-Shoes | Ian Emes |
| 1983 (56th) | Overnight Sensation | Jon N. Bloom |
| 1984 (57th) |
| 1984 (57th) | Up | Mike Hoover |
| 1984 (57th) | The Painted Door | Michael MacMillan and Janice L. Platt |
| 1984 (57th) | Tales of Meeting and Parting | Sharon Oreck and Lesli Linka Glatter |
| 1985 (58th) |
| 1985 (58th) | Molly's Pilgrim | Jeffrey D. Brown and Chris Pelzer |
| 1985 (58th) | Graffiti | Dianna Costello |
| 1985 (58th) | Rainbow War | Bob Rogers |
| 1986 (59th) |
| 1986 (59th) | Precious Images | Chuck Workman |
| 1986 (59th) | Exit | Stefano Reali and Pino Quartullo |
| 1986 (59th) | Love Struck | Fredda Weiss |
| 1987 (60th) |
| 1987 (60th) | Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall | Jonathan Sanger and Jana Sue Memel |
| 1987 (60th) | Making Waves | Ann Wingate |
| 1987 (60th) | Shoeshine | Robert A. Katz |
| 1988 (61st) |
| 1988 (61st) | The Appointments of Dennis Jennings | Dean Parisot and Steven Wright |
| 1988 (61st) | Cadillac Dreams | Matia Karrell and Abbee Goldstein |
| 1988 (61st) | Gullah Tales | George deGolian and Gary Moss |
| 1989 (62nd) |
| 1989 (62nd) | Work Experience | James Hendrie |
| 1989 (62nd) | Amazon Diary | Robert Nixon |
| 1989 (62nd) | The Childeater | Jonathan Tammuz |

### 1990s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 1990 (63rd) | The Lunch Date | Adam Davidson |
| 1990 (63rd) | 12:01 PM | Hillary Ripps and Jonathan Heap |
| 1990 (63rd) | Bronx Cheers | Raymond De Felitta and Matthew Gross |
| 1990 (63rd) | Dear Rosie | Peter Cattaneo and Barnaby Thompson |
| 1990 (63rd) | Senzeni Na? (What Have We Done?) | Bernard Joffa and Anthony E. Nicholas |
| 1991 (64th) |
| 1991 (64th) | Session Man | Seth Winston and Robert N. Fried |
| 1991 (64th) | Birch Street Gym | Stephen Kessler and Thomas R. Conroy |
| 1991 (64th) | Last Breeze of Summer | David M. Massey |
| 1992 (65th) |
| 1992 (65th) | Omnibus | Sam Karmann |
| 1992 (65th) | Contact | Jonathan Darby and Jana Sue Memel |
| 1992 (65th) | Cruise Control | Matt Palmieri |
| 1992 (65th) | The Lady in Waiting | Christian M. Taylor |
| 1992 (65th) | Swan Song | Kenneth Branagh |
| 1993 (66th) |
| 1993 (66th) | Black Rider (Schwarzfahrer) | Pepe Danquart |
| 1993 (66th) | Down on the Waterfront | Stacy Title and Jonathan Penner |
| 1993 (66th) | The Dutch Master | Susan Seidelman and Jonathan Brett |
| 1993 (66th) | Partners | Peter Weller and Jana Sue Memel |
| 1993 (66th) | The Screw (La Vis) | Didier Flamand |
| 1994 (67th) |
| 1994 (67th) | Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life (TIE) | Peter Capaldi and Ruth Kenley-Letts |
| 1994 (67th) | Trevor (TIE) | Peggy Rajski and Randy Stone |
| 1994 (67th) | Kangaroo Court | Sean Astin and Christine Astin |
| 1994 (67th) | On Hope | JoBeth Williams and Michele McGuire |
| 1994 (67th) | Syrup | Paul Unwin and Nick Vivian |
| 1995 (68th) |
| 1995 (68th) | Lieberman in Love | Christine Lahti and Jana Sue Memel |
| 1995 (68th) | Brooms | Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas |
| 1995 (68th) | Duke of Groove | Griffin Dunne and Thom Colwell |
| 1995 (68th) | Little Surprises | Jeff Goldblum and Tikki Goldberg |
| 1995 (68th) | Tuesday Morning Ride | Dianne Houston and Joy Ryan |
| 1996 (69th) |
| 1996 (69th) | Dear Diary | David Frankel and Barry Jossen |
| 1996 (69th) | De Tripas, Corazon | Antonio Urrutia |
| 1996 (69th) | Ernst & Lyset | Kim Magnusson and Anders Thomas Jensen |
| 1996 (69th) | Esposados | Juan Carlos Fresnadillo |
| 1996 (69th) | Wordless | Bernadette Carranza and Antonello De Leo |
| 1997 (70th) |
| 1997 (70th) | Visas and Virtue | Chris Tashima and Chris Donahue |
| 1997 (70th) | Dance Lexie Dance | Pearse Moore and Tim Loane |
| 1997 (70th) | It's Good to Talk | Roger Goldby and Barney Reisz |
| 1997 (70th) | Sweethearts? | Birger Larsen and Thomas Lydholm |
| 1997 (70th) | Wolfgang | Kim Magnusson and Anders Thomas Jensen |
| 1998 (71st) |
| 1998 (71st) | Election Night (Valgaften) | Kim Magnusson and Anders Thomas Jensen |
| 1998 (71st) | Culture | Will Speck and Josh Gordon |
| 1998 (71st) | Holiday Romance | Alexander Jovy and JJ Keith |
| 1998 (71st) | La Carte Postale (The Postcard) | Vivian Goffette |
| 1998 (71st) | Victor | Simon Sandquist and Joel Bergvall |
| 1999 (72nd) |
| 1999 (72nd) | My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York | Barbara Schock and Tamara Tiehel |
| 1999 (72nd) | Bror, Min Bror (Teis and Nico) | Henrik Ruben Genz and Michael W. Horsten |
| 1999 (72nd) | Killing Joe | Mehdi Norowzian and Steve Wax |
| 1999 (72nd) | Kleingeld (Small Change) | Marc-Andreas Bochert and Gabriele Lins |
| 1999 (72nd) | Major and Minor Miracles | Marcus A. Olsson |

### 2000s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 2000 (73rd) | Quiero Ser (I want to be...) | Florian Gallenberger |
| 2000 (73rd) | By Courier | Peter Riegert and Ericka Frederick |
| 2000 (73rd) | One Day Crossing | Joan Stein and Christina Lazaridi |
| 2000 (73rd) | Seraglio | Gail Lerner and Colin Campbell |
| 2000 (73rd) | A Soccer Story (Uma Historia de Futebol) | Paulo Machline |
| 2001 (74th) |
| 2001 (74th) | The Accountant | Ray McKinnon and Lisa Blount |
| 2001 (74th) | Copy Shop | Virgil Widrich |
| 2001 (74th) | Gregor's Greatest Invention | Johannes Kiefer |
| 2001 (74th) | Meska Sprawa (A Man Thing) | Sławomir Fabicki and Bogumil Godfrejow |
| 2001 (74th) | Speed for Thespians | Kalman Apple and Shameela Bakhsh |
| 2002 (75th) |
| 2002 (75th) | This Charming Man (Der Er En Yndig Mand) | Martin Strange-Hansen and Mie Andreasen |
| 2002 (75th) | Fait d'hiver (Gridlock) | Dirk Beliën and Anja Daelemans |
| 2002 (75th) | J'attendrai le suivant... (I'll Wait for the Next One...) | Philippe Orreindy and Thomas Gaudin |
| 2002 (75th) | Inja (Dog) | Steven Pasvolsky and Joe Weatherstone |
| 2002 (75th) | Johnny Flynton | Lexi Alexander and Alexander Buono |
| 2003 (76th) |
| 2003 (76th) | Two Soldiers | Aaron Schneider and Andrew J. Sacks |
| 2003 (76th) | Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket) | Florian Baxmeyer |
| 2003 (76th) | Most (The Bridge) | Bobby Garabedian and William Zabka |
| 2003 (76th) | Squash | Lionel Bailliu |
| 2003 (76th) | (A) Torzija [(A) Torsion] | Stefan Arsenijević |
| 2004 (77th) |
| 2004 (77th) | Wasp | Andrea Arnold |
| 2004 (77th) | 7:35 de la Mañana (7:35 in the Morning) | Nacho Vigalondo |
| 2004 (77th) | Everything in This Country Must | Gary McKendry |
| 2004 (77th) | Little Terrorist | Ashvin Kumar |
| 2004 (77th) | Two Cars, One Night | Taika Waititi and Ainsley Gardiner |
| 2005 (78th) |
| 2005 (78th) | Six Shooter | Martin McDonagh |
| 2005 (78th) | Ausreisser (The Runaway) | Ulrike Grote |
| 2005 (78th) | Cashback | Sean Ellis and Lene Bausager |
| 2005 (78th) | The Last Farm | Rúnar Rúnarsson and Thor S. Sigurjónsson |
| 2005 (78th) | Our Time Is Up | Rob Pearlstein and Pia Clemente |
| 2006 (79th) |
| 2006 (79th) | West Bank Story | Ari Sandel |
| 2006 (79th) | Binta and the Great Idea (Binta y la Gran Idea) | Javier Fesser and Luis Manso |
| 2006 (79th) | Éramos Pocos (One Too Many) | Borja Cobeaga |
| 2006 (79th) | Helmer & Son | Søren Pilmark and Kim Magnusson |
| 2006 (79th) | The Saviour | Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn |
| 2007 (80th) |
| 2007 (80th) | Le Mozart des pickpockets | Philippe Pollet-Villard |
| 2007 (80th) | At Night | Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth |
| 2007 (80th) | Il Supplente (The Substitute) | Andrea Jublin |
| 2007 (80th) | Tanghi Argentini | Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans |
| 2007 (80th) | The Tonto Woman | Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown |
| 2008 (81st) |
| 2008 (81st) | Toyland | Jochen Alexander Freydank |
| 2008 (81st) | Auf der Strecke (On the Line) | Reto Caffi |
| 2008 (81st) | Manon on the Asphalt | Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont |
| 2008 (81st) | New Boy | Steph Green and Tamara Anghie |
| 2008 (81st) | The Pig | Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh |
| 2009 (82nd) |
| 2009 (82nd) | The New Tenants | Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson |
| 2009 (82nd) | The Door | Juanita Wilson and James Flynn |
| 2009 (82nd) | Instead of Abracadabra | Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström |
| 2009 (82nd) | Kavi | Gregg Helvey |
| 2009 (82nd) | Miracle Fish | Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey |

### 2010s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 2010 (83rd) | God of Love | Luke Matheny |
| 2010 (83rd) | The Confession | Tanel Toom |
| 2010 (83rd) | The Crush | Michael Creagh |
| 2010 (83rd) | Na Wewe | Ivan Goldschmidt |
| 2010 (83rd) | Wish 143 | Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite |
| 2011 (84th) |
| 2011 (84th) | The Shore | Terry George and Oorlagh George |
| 2011 (84th) | Pentecost | Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane |
| 2011 (84th) | Raju | Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren |
| 2011 (84th) | Time Freak | Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey |
| 2011 (84th) | Tuba Atlantic | Hallvar Witzø |
| 2012 (85th) |
| 2012 (85th) | Curfew | Shawn Christensen |
| 2012 (85th) | Asad | Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura |
| 2012 (85th) | Buzkashi Boys | Sam French and Ariel Nasr |
| 2012 (85th) | Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw) | Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele |
| 2012 (85th) | Henry | Yan England |
| 2013 (86th) |
| 2013 (86th) | Helium | Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson |
| 2013 (86th) | Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me) | Esteban Crespo |
| 2013 (86th) | Avant Que De Tout Perde (Just Before Losing Everything) | Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras |
| 2013 (86th) | Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?) | Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari |
| 2013 (86th) | The Voorman Problem | Mark Gill and Baldwin Li |
| 2014 (87th) |
| 2014 (87th) | The Phone Call | Mat Kirkby and James Lucas |
| 2014 (87th) | Aya | Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis |
| 2014 (87th) | Boogaloo and Graham | Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney |
| 2014 (87th) | Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak) | Hu Wei and Julien Féret |
| 2014 (87th) | Parvaneh | Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger |
| 2015 (88th) |
| 2015 (88th) | Stutterer | Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage |
| 2015 (88th) | Ave Maria | Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont |
| 2015 (88th) | Day One | Henry Hughes |
| 2015 (88th) | Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut) | Patrick Vollrath |
| 2015 (88th) | Shok | Jamie Donoughue |
| 2016 (89th) |
| 2016 (89th) | Sing | Kristóf Deák and Anna Udvardy |
| 2016 (89th) | Ennemis Intérieurs | Sélim Azzazi |
| 2016 (89th) | La femme et le TGV | Timo von Gunten and Giacun Caduff |
| 2016 (89th) | Silent Nights | Aske Bang and Kim Magnusson |
| 2016 (89th) | Timecode | Juanjo Giménez |
| 2017 (90th) |
| 2017 (90th) | The Silent Child | Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton |
| 2017 (90th) | DeKalb Elementary | Reed Van Dyk |
| 2017 (90th) | The Eleven O'Clock | Derin Seale and Josh Lawson |
| 2017 (90th) | My Nephew Emmett | Kevin Wilson Jr. |
| 2017 (90th) | Watu Wote: All of Us | Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen |
| 2018 (91st) |
| 2018 (91st) | Skin | Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman |
| 2018 (91st) | Detainment | Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon |
| 2018 (91st) | Fauve | Jérémy Comte and Maria Gracia Turgeon |
| 2018 (91st) | Marguerite | Marianne Farley and Marie-Hélène Panisset |
| 2018 (91st) | Mother | Rodrigo Sorogoyen and María del Puy Alvarado |
| 2019 (92nd) |
| 2019 (92nd) | The Neighbors' Window | Marshall Curry |
| 2019 (92nd) | Brotherhood | Meryam Joobeur and Maria Gracia Turgeon |
| 2019 (92nd) | Nefta Football Club | Yves Piat and Damien Megherbi |
| 2019 (92nd) | Saria | Bryan Buckley and Matt Lefebvre |
| 2019 (92nd) | A Sister | Delphine Girard |

### 2020s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| 2020/21 (93rd) | Two Distant Strangers | Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe |
| 2020/21 (93rd) | Feeling Through | Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski |
| 2020/21 (93rd) | The Letter Room | Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan |
| 2020/21 (93rd) | The Present | Farah Nabulsi |
| 2020/21 (93rd) | White Eye | Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman |
| 2021 (94th) |
| 2021 (94th) | The Long Goodbye | Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed |
| 2021 (94th) | Ala Kachuu – Take and Run | Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger |
| 2021 (94th) | The Dress | Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki |
| 2021 (94th) | On My Mind | Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson |
| 2021 (94th) | Please Hold | K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse |
| 2022 (95th) |
| 2022 (95th) | An Irish Goodbye | Tom Berkeley and Ross White |
| 2022 (95th) | Ivalu | Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan |
| 2022 (95th) | Le pupille | Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón |
| 2022 (95th) | Night Ride | Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen |
| 2022 (95th) | The Red Suitcase | Cyrus Neshvad |
| 2023 (96th) |
| 2023 (96th) | The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar | Wes Anderson and Steven Rales |
| 2023 (96th) | The After | Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham |
| 2023 (96th) | Invincible | Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron |
| 2023 (96th) | Knight of Fortune | Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk |
| 2023 (96th) | Red, White and Blue | Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane |
| 2024 (97th) |
| 2024 (97th) | I'm Not a Robot | Victoria Warmerdam and Trent |
| 2024 (97th) | A Lien | Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz |
| 2024 (97th) | Anuja | Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai |
| 2024 (97th) | The Last Ranger | Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw |
| 2024 (97th) | The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent | Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek |