1980 - Pedro Almodóvar† – Pepi, Luci, Bom[5][9]
- Chuck Barris – The Gong Show Movie
- Tony Bill – My Bodyguard
- James Caan – Hide in Plain Sight
- Bill Forsyth – That Sinking Feeling
- Peter Greenaway† – The Falls
- Robert Greenwald – Xanadu
- Hou Hsaio-hsien – Cute Girl
- Jim Jarmusch – Permanent Vacation
- Art Linson – Where the Buffalo Roam
- Adrian Lyne† – Foxes
- Mike Newell¦ – The Awakening
- Harold Ramis – Caddyshack
- Robert Redford – Ordinary People
- John Sayles – Return of the Secaucus Seven
- Roger Spottiswoode – Terror Train
- Fernando Trueba† – Opera Prima
- Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams & David Zucker – Airplane![7]
1981 1982 - Jahnu Barua† – Aparoopa
- Richard Benjamin – My Favorite Year
- Khairy Beshara¦ – Bloody Destinies
- Kathryn Bigelow† and Monty Montgomery – The Loveless
- Patricia Birch¦ – Grease 2
- Nick Castle – Tag: The Assassination Game
- Roger Christian – The Sender
- Graeme Clifford†¦ – Frances
- Caleb Deschanel† – The Escape Artist
- Richard Elfman – Forbidden Zone
- Stuart Gillard – Paradise
- Amy Heckerling† – Fast Times at Ridgemont High[8]
- Tim Hunter – Tex
- Neil Jordan – Angel[9]
- John Laing – Beyond Reasonable Doubt
- Barry Levinson – Diner[5][9]
- Aaron Lipstadt – Android
- Garry Marshall¦ – Young Doctors in Love
- Albert Pyun – The Sword and the Sorcerer
- Susan Seidelman† – Smithereens
- Robert Towne – Personal Best
- Edward Yang – Guang yin de gu shi
- Corey Yuen – Ninja in the Dragon's Den
- Ronny Yu – The Postman Strikes Back
1983 1984 | 1985 - Tim Burton†¦ – Pee-wee's Big Adventure[2]
- Joyce Chopra† – Smooth Talk
- Rod Daniel¦ – Teen Wolf
- Stephen Gyllenhaal – Certain Fury
- Stuart Gordon¦ – Re-Animator
- Savage Steve Holland – Better Off Dead
- Dwight H. Little – KGB: The Secret War
- Gus Van Sant†¦ – Mala Noche
- Terry Zwigoff – Louie Bluie
1986 1987 1988 - Greg Beeman¦ – License to Drive
- John Cornell – "Crocodile" Dundee II
- Claire Denis – Chocolat
- Reha Erdem – Oh, Moon!
- Robert Englund – 976-EVIL
- Mike Figgis¦ – Stormy Monday[9]
- Andrew Fleming – Bad Dreams
- Mick Garris¦ – Critters 2: The Main Course
- Keith Gordon – The Chocolate War (film)
- Bob Hoskins – The Raggedy Rawney
- Annabel Jankel†¦ and Rocky Morton†¦ – D.O.A.
- Shaji N. Karun – Piravi
- Guy Maddin† – Tales from the Gimli Hospital
- Ramón Menéndez – Stand and Deliver
- Chris Menges – A World Apart
- Mira Nair†¦ – Salaam Bombay![9]
- Yousry Nasrallah – Summer Thefts
- Donald Petrie¦ – Mystic Pizza
- Tina Rathborne¦ – Zelly and Me
- Bernard Rose – Paperhouse
- Gary Sinise – Miles from Home
- Jan Švankmajer† – Alice[1]
- Ernest Thompson – 1969
- Keenen Ivory Wayans – I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
- Henry Winkler¦ – Memories of Me
- Wong Kar-wai – Wong Gok Ka Moon
1989 |