Every Best Director Oscar Winner of the 2020s So Far, Ranked

Published Aug 26, 2026, 5:51 PM EDT Marcel is a writer who is passionate about most movies and series. He will watch anything that's good. He is a content manager by day and a videographer when needed. Marcel used to work at a major streaming service based in Asia Pacific as a Content Specialist and was the Distribution Manager for a local movie distribution company. The 2020s have already produced one of the most fascinating runs of Best Director winners in recent Oscar history. The recipients are a collection of talented and diverse group of undeniably talented directors. From Chloé Zhao's quiet, observational Nomadland to The Daniels' chaotic Everything Everywhere All at Once, the Academy has rewarded filmmakers with remarkably different styles and sensibilities, while also nominating exciting filmmakers like Coralie Fargeat, Ryan Coogler, Yorgos Lanthimos and Ryusuke Hamaguchi, to name a few. Here, we take a look at the best director winners of the 2020s and try to rank them. This ranking considers their filmography, quality and consistency of their movies, and of course, their work post-Oscars. It is an impossible feat, but one thing for sure, this bunch are distinctive auteurs with distinct voices and ambition, who craft impressive movies that should not be missed. 6 Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert Image via A24/Allyson Riggs Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, also known as the Daniels, had perhaps the most fascinating route to Oscar glory on this list. The duo first met while working in the New York creative scene and built their reputation directing wildly inventive music videos, with their most recognizable work being the music video for DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What". Then they made their feature debut with Swiss Army Man starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, which is a bizarre but surprisingly heartfelt film. Their Oscar win came with Everything Everywhere All at Once, a multiverse film that's objectively better than most of its blockbuster counterparts. The film took seven Oscar wins, including Best Picture and a historic Best Actress win for Michelle Yeoh. It was an extraordinary achievement for filmmakers who had only made two features, and it marked the rare occasion where the Academy embraces an eccentric genre film rather than a conventional prestige drama. They are still working on their post-Oscar follow-up, reportedly a sci-fi film. 5 Sean Baker Image via Photagonist After years of making movies in the independent filmmaking scene, Sean Baker finally won his Oscar with Anora. Prior to the film starring Mikey Madison, Baker had spent years making fiercely independent films about people living on the margins of American society, often working with non-professional performers and working with small budgets. His first feature, Tangerine is famously shot largely on iPhones, while The Florida Project and Red Rocket show his interest in sex workers, struggling families and marginalized communities. Anora brings all his interests together and that made him win Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing, while also sharing Best Picture as a producer. His four Oscar wins for a single film match a record previously achieved by Walt Disney. After Anora, Baker worked on Left-Handed Girl, a Taiwanese film directed by Shih Ching-Shou. Baker co-produced, co-wrote and edited the acclaimed film, proving that he's still a prolific filmmaker after his Oscar win. His next project is titled Ti Amo!, which once again, he will be pulling multiple duties as director, writer, producer and editor. The film will be released by Warner Bros' new specialty movies arm, Clockwork. 4 Jane Campion Jane Campion on set of The Power of the Dog Jane Campion had already established herself as one of the defining filmmakers of her generation long before her Oscar win in 2021. Campion is already an acclaimed filmmaker in New Zealand, but she broke through with the beautiful and moving The Piano, starring Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin. That film put her on the map internationally, winning the Palme d'Or and receiving eight Oscar nominations. She became only the second woman ever nominated for Best Director with that film, but she also brought back an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Focusing on stories about female power and sexuality, she continued making thoughtful films such as In the Cut and Bright Star as well as the show Top of the Lake. After a brief hiatus, she returned with The Power of the Dog, which earned a staggering 12 nominations and won her the long-overdue Best Director trophy. She has not made a film since the Western starring Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch but recently she revealed she is working on her next film, which is rumored to be a musical. 3 Chloé Zhao Image via Searchlight Pictures Chloé Zhao started with independent productions like Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider. Just with a handful of films, Zhao has developed a recognizable filmmaking style with naturalistic camerawork, real locations and even employing non-professional performers. Her 2020 film Nomadland was a major success in festivals and the awards circuit. It won the Golden Lion in Venice, the People's Choice Award in Toronto and was nominated for six Oscars. The film eventually won three: Best Picture, Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Director for Zhao. After her Oscar win, Zhao has the most fun directing gig: Helming a Marvel film. In post-Endgame MCU, Eternals is arguably Marvel's biggest swing to date. It's a sweeping, large ensemble tale that is both action-packed and still unmistakably Zhao's. The divisive reception of the film did not hinder Zhao, as she returned with Hamnet. The film, which stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, earned her another Best Director nomination at the Oscars, showing that she can handle both commercial and arthouse films. Zhao recently directed the pilot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, but it was not picked up for a season. Nevertheless, her diverse filmography is the reason she's at number three. 2 Christopher Nolan Image via Universal Pictures Christopher Nolan's Oscar victory in 2024 felt like the Academy finally acknowledging a filmmaker who had spent more than two decades redefining Hollywood films and the Oscars itself. Nolan first broke through with the mindboggling Memento and made his mark in large-scale filmmaking with his beloved The Dark Knight trilogy. He followed that with a run of successful movies like Interstellar and Inception, while still constantly experimenting with his movies like Tenet. He has been nominated for a few times before, but finally, with Oppenheimer he won Best Director. The film won a total of seven Oscars and earned over $900 million at the worldwide box office, a staggering number for a biopic. After his win, Nolan did not wait around too much as he began his work on The Odyssey almost immediately. The Homer adaptation was released this summer, and we've all know how it fares. The film is an immediate success at the box office, earning over a billion dollars. It is the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, the highest-grossing film in IMAX, and Nolan's highest grossing film, beating The Dark Knight Rises. The film is already being touted for Oscar glory, and every cinephile is waiting to see Nolan's next move. 1 Paul Thomas Anderson Image via Jennifer Bloc/Future Image/Cover Images Paul Thomas Anderson had quietly built a consistent filmography before his win earlier this year for One Battle After Another. Starting with Hard Eight and Boogie Nights, Anderson directed the sprawling Magnolia before he even turned 30, a feat all aspiring filmmakers could only dream of. His first Best Director nomination came from There Will Be Blood, a film often dubbed as one of the masterpieces of the 21st century. He was nominated again twice for Phantom Thread and Licorice Pizza before winning the trophy. At the 2026 Oscars, Anderson won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, while the film won Best Picture, giving him his first two personal Oscars after more than three decades of filmmaking. He is the only director to win an Oscar for Best Director, and won directorial trophies from three of the most prestigious festivals in Europe, Cannes, Venice and Berlin. While he is yet to announce his next feature film, he is booked and busy. Anderson is reportedly making uncredited writing and assuming the role of stand-by director in Martin Scorsese's next film, What Happens At Night. He is also releasing a concert film for Cameron Winter, Live at Carnegie Hall this fall, which also has Benny Safdie as co-producer and camera operator.