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 achievementes in filmmaking.
| Year | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Joel Coen | Fargo |
| 1997 | James Cameron | Titanic |
| 1998 | John Madden | Shakespeare in Love |
| 1999 | David Lynch | The Straight Story |
| 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 |
| 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 |