[see also 2011]
- The Avengers — Joss Whedon
- Argo — Ben Affleck
- The Dark Knight Rises — Christopher Nolan
- Skyfall — Sam Mendes
- Beasts of the Southern Wild — Benh Zeitlin
- Sightseers — Ben Wheatley
- Moonrise Kingdom — Wes Anderson
- The Raid: Redemption — Gareth Evans
- Headhunters — Morten Tyldum
- Rust and Bone — Jacques Audiard
- Life of Pi — Ang Lee
- Chronicle — Josh Trank
- Holy Motors — Leos Carax
- Looper — Rian Johnson
- The Descendants — Alexander Payne
- The Imposter — Bart Layton
- Magic Mike — Steven Soderbergh
- Young Adult — Jason Reitman
- Amour — Michael Haneke
- The Hunt — Thomas Vinterberg