Best Director - Motion Picture

Paul Thomas Anderson won for One Battle After Another, an early sign of the awards run that ended with his first Oscars.

1. PT
   Paul Thomas Anderson
   Winner
2. CZ
   Chloé Zhao
3. Gd
   Guillermo del Toro
4. JP
   Jafar Panahi
5. JT
   Joachim Trier
6. RC
   Ryan Coogler