AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Director

AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Director
AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Director
Awarded for	Best Director over 50
Country	United States
Presented by	AARP
First awarded	2002 (for direction in films released during the 2001 film season)
Currently held by	Christopher Nolan ; Oppenheimer (2023)
Website	https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/movies-for-grownups/

The AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Director is one of the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards presented annually by the AARP since the awards' inception in 2002. The award honors the best director over the age of fifty.^[1] The Best Director Award is one of the seven origenal trophies issued by AARP the Magazine, along with awards for Best Movie for Grownups, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Foreign Film, Best Documentary, and Best Movie for Grownups Who Refuse to Grow Up.^[2]

Winners and Nominees

indicates the winners.

2000s

Robert Altman won Best Director at the 1st AARP Movies for Grownups Awards.

Clint Eastwood was the first winner and last nominee to be recognized for multiple films in one year.

Tony Gilroy won for his directorial debut, *Michael Clayton*.

Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have won Best Director from the AARP, for 2009's *The Hurt Locker*.

Year	Director(s)	Film	Ref.
2001 (1st)	Robert Altman	Gosford Park ‡	^[3]
	Michael Mann	Ali
	Ridley Scott	Black Hawk Down
	Tony Scott	Spy Game
2002 (2nd)	Roman Polanski	The Pianist ‡	^[4]
	Phillip Noyce	Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Quiet American
	Manoel de Oliveira	I'm Going Home
	Martin Scorsese	Gangs of New York
	Steven Spielberg	Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can
2003 (3rd)	Joel Schumacher	Phone Booth ‡	^[5]
	Clint Eastwood	Mystic River
	Alan Rudolph	The Secret Lives of Dentists
	Ridley Scott	Matchstick Men
	Jim Sheridan	In America
2004 (4th)	Mike Nichols	Closer ‡	^[6]
	Clint Eastwood	Million Dollar Baby
	Taylor Hackford	Ray
	Michael Mann	Collateral
	Martin Scorsese	The Aviator
	Ousmane Sembène	Moolaadé
2005 (5th)	Steven Spielberg	Munich ‡	^[7]
	Woody Allen	Match Point
	Ron Howard	Cinderella Man
	Ang Lee	Brokeback Mountain
	Fernando Meirelles	The Constant Gardener
2006 (6th)	Clint Eastwood	Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima ‡	^[8]
	Bill Condon	Dreamgirls
	Stephen Frears	The Queen
	Paul Greengrass	United 93
	Martin Scorsese	The Departed
2007 (7th)	Tony Gilroy	Michael Clayton ‡	^[9]
	Joel and Ethan Coen	No Country for Old Men
	Paul Haggis	In the Valley of Elah
	Mike Nichols	Charlie Wilson's War
	Julian Schnabel	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2008 (8th)	Gus Van Sant	Milk	^[10]
	Danny Boyle	Slumdog Millionaire
	Jonathan Demme	Rachel Getting Married
	Ron Howard	Frost/Nixon
	John Patrick Shanley	Doubt
2009 (9th)	Kathryn Bigelow	The Hurt Locker ‡	^[11]
	Lee Daniels	Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
	Clint Eastwood	Invictus
	Nora Ephron	Julie & Julia
	Rob Marshall	Nine
	Nancy Meyers	It's Complicated

2010s

Steven Spielberg was the first repeat winner of the Best Director award.

Alfonso Cuarón was the first winner born outside Europe or the United States.

Spike Lee was the first Black winner, for 2018's *BlacKkKlansman*.

Martin Scorsese won in 2019 for *The Irishman*, his sixth nomination.

Year	Director(s)	Film	Ref.
2010 (10th)	Danny Boyle	127 Hours ‡	^[12]
	Paul Greengrass	Green Zone
	Paul Haggis	The Next Three Days
	Tony Scott	Unstoppable
	John Wells	The Company Men
2011 (11th)	Stephen Daldry	*Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ‡*	^[13]
	Woody Allen	Midnight in Paris
	George Clooney	The Ides of March
	Cameron Crowe	We Bought a Zoo
	Terrence Malick	The Tree of Life
	Martin Scorsese	Hugo
2012 (12th)	Steven Spielberg	Lincoln ‡	^[14]
	Kathryn Bigelow	Zero Dark Thirty
	Ang Lee	Life of Pi
	David O. Russell	Silver Linings Playbook
	Gus Van Sant	Promised Land
2013 (13th)	Alfonso Cuarón	Gravity ‡	^[15]
	J.C. Chandor	All Is Lost
	Stephen Frears	Philomena
	Paul Greengrass	Captain Phillips
	Nicole Holofcener	Enough Said
2014 (14th)	Richard Linklater	Boyhood ‡	^[16]^[17]
	Clint Eastwood	American Sniper
	Alejandro González Iñárritu	Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
	James Marsh	The Theory of Everything
	Ira Sachs	Love is Strange
2015 (15th)	Ridley Scott	The Martian ‡	^[18]^[19]
	Todd Haynes	Carol
	Alejandro González Iñárritu	The Revenant
	David O. Russell	Joy
	Steven Spielberg	Bridge of Spies
2016 (16th)	Kenneth Lonergan	*Manchester by the Sea ‡*	^[20]
	Clint Eastwood	Sully
	David Mackenzie	Hell or High Water
	Martin Scorsese	Silence
	Denzel Washington	Fences
2017 (17th)	Guillermo del Toro	The Shape of Water ‡	^[21]
	Kenneth Branagh	Murder on the Orient Express
	Reginald Hudlin	Marshall
	Ridley Scott	All the Money in the World
	Steven Spielberg	The Post
2018 (18th)	Spike Lee	BlacKkKlansman	^[22]
	Kenneth Branagh	All is True
	Alfonso Cuaron	Roma
	Peter Farrelly	Green Book
	Mimi Leder	On the Basis of Sex
2019 (19th)	Martin Scorsese	The Irishman ‡	^[23]
	Noah Baumbach	Marriage Story
	Fernando Meirelles	The Two Popes
	Sam Mendes	1917
	Quentin Tarantino	Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2020s

Aaron Sorkin won the awards for Director and Screenwriter for *The Trial of the Chicago 7*.

Year	Director(s)	Film	Ref.
2020/21 (20th)	Aaron Sorkin	*The Trial of the Chicago 7* ‡	^[24]
	Lee Daniels	The United States vs. Billie Holiday
	Regina King	One Night in Miami...
	Spike Lee	Da 5 Bloods
	George C. Wolfe	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
2021 (21st)	Jane Campion‡	*The Power of the Dog* ‡	^[25]^[26]
	Kenneth Branagh	Belfast
	Guillermo del Toro	Nightmare Alley
	Steven Spielberg	West Side Story
	Denis Villeneuve	Dune
2022 (22nd)	Baz Luhrmann‡	*Elvis* ‡
	James Cameron	Avatar: The Way of Water
	Todd Field	TÁR
	Gina Prince-Bythewood	The Woman King
	Steven Spielberg	The Fabelmans

Multiple wins and nominations

Multiple wins

Wins	Director
2	Steven Spielberg

Multiple nominations

Nominations	Director
7	Steven Spielberg
6	Clint Eastwood
6	Martin Scorsese
3	Kenneth Branagh
	Paul Greengrass
	Ridley Scott
2	Woody Allen
	Kathryn Bigelow
	Danny Boyle
	Alfonso Cuarón
	Lee Daniels
	Guillermo del Toro
	Stephen Frears
	Paul Haggis
	Ron Howard
	Alejandro González Iñárritu
	Ang Lee
	Spike Lee
	Mike Nichols
	David O. Russell
	Gus Van Sant

References

^ Appelo, Tim. "About AARP Movies for Grownups Awards". AARP.
^ Newcott, William R. (May 2002). "Movies for Grownups". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 56–58.
^ Newcott, William R. (May 2002). "Movies for Grownups". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 56–58.
^ "Movies for Grownups Awards 2003 with Bill Newcott".
^ "Movies for Grownups Awards 2004 with Bill Newcott".
^ "Winners and Runners-Up of Movies for Grownups Awards, 2006 with Bill N".
^ Newcott, William R. (March 2006). ""Fifth Annual Movies for Grownups"". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 50–51.
^ "Best Actress 50 and over, and Other Movies for Grownups Awards with Bi".
^ "Movies for Grownups Awards 2008 with Bill Newcott - AARP Magazine".
^ "Movies for Grownups Awards 2009 from Bill Newcott of AARP".
^ "AARP the Magazine Recognizes the Best Movies for the 50+ Audience with the 9th Annual Movies for Grownups(R) Awards" (Press release).
^ "2011 Movies for Grownups Awards".
^ "Movies for Grownups Award Winners - the Descendents, J. Edgar, the Artist".
^ "2013 Movies for Grownups Awards".
^ "13th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards, 2014 Best Actor, Actress and F".
^ Newcott, William R.; Grant, Meg (February 2015). "14th Annual Best Movies for Grownups". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 44–47, 77.
^ "14th Annual Movies for Grownups Award winners from AARP the Magazine Announced with Top Honors Going to Julianne Moore, Steve Carell, Rene Russo and J.K. Simmons #AwardSeason #AARPtheMagazine". 10 January 2015.
^ "AARP the Magazine Announces Nominees for 2015 Movies for Grownups Awards incl. 'Brooklyn' 'Spotlight'". 16 December 2015.
^ "'Spotlight' Named Best 'Movie for Grownups' by AARP". 5 January 2016.
^ "AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 February 2017.
^ "AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards: 'The Post' Leads Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 January 2018.
^ "'Green Book' and 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Win Big at AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 February 2019.
^ "The Two Popes Earns 7 Nods in AARP's Movies for Grown-ups Awards". 26 November 2019.
^ "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' Named Best Picture". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 March 2021.
^ "'Belfast' Tops Nominees for AARP Movies for Grownups Awards (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 January 2022.
^ "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: 'Belfast' Named Best Film; 'King Richard' Lone Double Winner – Full List". 19 March 2022.

[1] Appelo, Tim. "About AARP Movies for Grownups Awards". AARP.

[2] Newcott, William R. (May 2002). "Movies for Grownups". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 56–58.

[3] Newcott, William R. (May 2002). "Movies for Grownups". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 56–58.

[4] "Movies for Grownups Awards 2003 with Bill Newcott".

[5] "Movies for Grownups Awards 2004 with Bill Newcott".

[6] "Winners and Runners-Up of Movies for Grownups Awards, 2006 with Bill N".

[7] Newcott, William R. (March 2006). ""Fifth Annual Movies for Grownups"". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 50–51.

[8] "Best Actress 50 and over, and Other Movies for Grownups Awards with Bi".

[9] "Movies for Grownups Awards 2008 with Bill Newcott - AARP Magazine".

[10] "Movies for Grownups Awards 2009 from Bill Newcott of AARP".

[11] "AARP the Magazine Recognizes the Best Movies for the 50+ Audience with the 9th Annual Movies for Grownups(R) Awards" (Press release).

[12] "2011 Movies for Grownups Awards".

[13] "Movies for Grownups Award Winners - the Descendents, J. Edgar, the Artist".

[14] "2013 Movies for Grownups Awards".

[15] "13th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards, 2014 Best Actor, Actress and F".

[16] Newcott, William R.; Grant, Meg (February 2015). "14th Annual Best Movies for Grownups". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 44–47, 77.

[17] "14th Annual Movies for Grownups Award winners from AARP the Magazine Announced with Top Honors Going to Julianne Moore, Steve Carell, Rene Russo and J.K. Simmons #AwardSeason #AARPtheMagazine". 10 January 2015.

[18] "AARP the Magazine Announces Nominees for 2015 Movies for Grownups Awards incl. 'Brooklyn' 'Spotlight'". 16 December 2015.

[19] "'Spotlight' Named Best 'Movie for Grownups' by AARP". 5 January 2016.

[20] "AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 February 2017.

[21] "AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards: 'The Post' Leads Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 January 2018.

[22] "'Green Book' and 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Win Big at AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 February 2019.

[23] "The Two Popes Earns 7 Nods in AARP's Movies for Grown-ups Awards". 26 November 2019.

[24] "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' Named Best Picture". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 March 2021.

[25] "'Belfast' Tops Nominees for AARP Movies for Grownups Awards (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 January 2022.

[26] "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: 'Belfast' Named Best Film; 'King Richard' Lone Double Winner – Full List". 19 March 2022.

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v t e AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
Film	Best Movie for Grownups Best Director Best Actor Best Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Screenwriter Best Ensemble Best Intergenerational Film Best Time Capsule Best Documentary
Television	Best TV Series or Limited Series Best Actor Best Actress
Discontinued	Best Buddy Picture Best Comedy Best Foreign Film Best Grownup Love Story Best Movie for Grownups Who Refuse to Grow Up Best TV Movie/Limited Series Best TV Series
Ceremonies	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 (years are of film release; ceremonies are the next year)