Best Director
This list focuses on French-born directors.
| Year | Winner | Title | Status | Milestone/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Jean Renoir | Southerner, TheThe Southerner | Nominated | |
| 1966 | Claude Lelouch | Man and a Woman, AA Man and a Woman | Nominated | |
| 1974 | Roman Polanski | Chinatown | Nominated | Polanski is a French-born Polish director. |
| François Truffaut | Day for Night | Nominated | ||
| 1979 | Edouard Molinaro | Cage aux Folles, LaLa Cage aux Folles | Nominated | |
| 1980 | Roman Polanski | Tess | Nominated | |
| 1981 | Louis Malle | Atlantic City | Nominated | |
| 1990 | Barbet Schroeder | Reversal of Fortune | Nominated | Schroeder is an Iranian-born French director. |
| 2002 | Roman Polanski | Pianist, TheThe Pianist | Won | |
| 2011 | Michel Hazanavicius | Artist, TheThe Artist | Won |
Read more about this topic: List Of French Academy Award Winners And Nominees