British Academy Film Award / Best Film

Woody Allen

Winners and nominees in the category Best Film (Best Film) since it was first awarded the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA Awards) in 1948, then still under the name British Film Academy Awards . The original name for the award category was "best film from any source" , in which foreign with British film productions competed. There are now separate categories for the best British , best non-English speaking and best animated feature films . Nevertheless, according to the current regulations, non-English language productions, animated films and documentaries can also be considered. The producers will be named , with a maximum of three per film. Executive producers , co-producers, associate producers or line producers are not eligible for nominations.

Films by Woody Allen , David Lean and Martin Scorsese received the most awards (three wins each). In 27 of 68 cases, the BAFTA Award-winning film matched the Oscar winner , most recently in 2014 when the award was given to the historical film 12 Years a Slave . Three times (1950, 1954 and 1974) the winner of the Oscars for the best foreign language film was chosen as the best film. Eleven times (most recently in 2020) there were double victories in the categories of Best Film and Best British Film .

As the last German-language production could in 2008 the Oscar-winning contribution The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck classified in the list of nominees.

The films listed below are given with their German distribution title (if they can be determined), followed by the original title and the name of the director in brackets in italics. The original title is not mentioned if the German and the original title are identical. The winners are highlighted first.

1940s

1948

The Best Years of Our Lives ( The Best Years of Our Lives ) - Director: William Wyler

1949

Hamlet - Director: Laurence Olivier

In the Kreuzfeuer ( Crossfire ) - Director: Edward Dmytryk

Little Heart in Need ( The Fallen Idol ) - Director: Carol Reed

Lie of a summer night ( Quattro passi fra le nuvole ) - Director: Alessandro Blasetti

Monsieur Vincent - Director: Maurice Cloche

Paisà - Director: Roberto Rossellini

City without a mask ( The Naked City ) - Director: Jules Dassin

1950s

1950

Bicycle thieves ( Ladri di biciclette ) - Director: Vittorio de Sica

Berlin Ballade - Director: Robert A. Stemmle

The last stage ( Ostatni etap ) - Director: Wanda Jakubowska

Clear the Ring for Stoker Thompson ( The Set-Up ) - Director: Robert Wise

The Third Man ( The Third Man ) - Director: Carol Reed

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre ( The Treasure of the Sierra Madre ) - Director: John Huston

Das eheimliche Fenster ( The Window ) - Director: Ted Tetzlaff

1951

All About Eve ( All About Eve ) - Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Asphalt Jungle ( The Asphalt Jungle ) - Director: John Huston

Intruder in the Dust ( Intruder in the Dust ) - Director: Clarence Brown

Today we're going for a stroll ( On The Town ) - Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly

The Men ( The Men ) - Director: Fred Zinnemann

Orphée - Directed by Jean Cocteau

The pact with the devil ( La Beauté du diable ) - Director: René Clair

1952

Der Reigen ( La Ronde ) - Director: Max Ophüls

An American in Paris ( An American in Paris ) - Director: Vincente Minnelli

Riot in Santa Sierra ( The Sound of Fury ) - Director: Cyril Endfield

Edouard and Caroline ( Édouard et Caroline ) - Director: Jacques Becker

Fräulein Julie ( Fröken Julie ) - Director: Alf Sjöberg

Luck Came Overnight ( The Lavender Hill Mob ) - Director: Charles Crichton

Conflict of the Heart ( The Browning Version ) - Director: Anthony Asquith

The Magic Garden - Director: Donald Swanson

The Man in the White Suit ( The Man in the White Suit ) - Director: Alexander Mackendrick

No Resting Place - Director: Paul Rotha

Polizeirevier 21 ( Detective Story ) - Director: William Wyler

The red Bravery Medal ( The Red Badge of Courage ) - Director: John Huston

The Small Miracle - Directed by Maurice Cloche and Ralph Smart

A Sunday in August ( Domenica d'agosto ) - Director: Luciano Emmer

Fourteen Hours ( Fourteen Hours ) - Director: Henry Hathaway

Landing in Salerno ( A Walk in the Sun ) - Director: Lewis Milestone

The wonderful Flimmerkasten ( The Magic Box ) - Director: John Boulting

1953

The Unknown Enemy ( The Sound Barrier ) - Director: David Lean

African Queen ( The African Queen ) - Director: John Huston

Angels One Five - Director: George More O'Ferrall

The Boy Kumasenu - Director: Sean Graham

Carrie - Directed by William Wyler

Because they should be comforted ( Cry, the Beloved Country ) - Director: Zoltan Korda

Endstation Sehnsucht ( A Streetcar Named Desire ) - Director: Elia Kazan

Goldhelm ( Casque d'or ) - Director: Jacques Becker

Mandy - Directed by Alexander Mackendrick and Fred F. Sears

Spotlight ( Limelight ) - Director: Charles Chaplin

Rashomon - Das Lustwäldchen ( Rashômon ) - Director: Akira Kurosawa

Singin 'in the Rain - Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly

Der Strom ( The River ) - Director: Jean Renoir

Death of a Salesman ( Death of a Salesman ) - Director: László Benedek

The Outcast of the Islands ( The Outcast of the Islands ) - Director: Carol Reed

The Forgotten ( Los Olvidados ) - Director: Luis Buñuel

Viva Zapata! - Director: Elia Kazan

The Miracle of Milan ( Miracolo a Milano ) - Director: Vittorio de Sica

1954

Forbidden Games ( Jeux interdits ) - Director: René Clément

Besiegter Haß ( The Kidnappers ) - Director: Philip Leacock

Don Camillo and Peppone ( Le Petit monde de Don Camillo ) - Director: Julien Duvivier

The Fiery Isabella ( Genevieve ) - Director: Henry Cornelius

For two groschen of hope ( Due soldi di speranza ) - Director: Renato Castellani

The Great Atlantic ( The Cruel Sea ) - Director: Charles Frend

The Heart of the Matter ( The Heart of the Matter ) - Director: George More O'Ferrall

A Heart and a Crown ( Roman Holiday ) - Director: William Wyler

Julius Caesar - Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Come Back, Little Sheba ( Come Back, Little Sheba ) - Director: Daniel Mann

Lili - Director: Charles Walters

Das Medium ( The Medium ) - Director: Gian Carlo Menotti

My great friend Shane ( Shane ) - Director: George Stevens

Mogambo - Director: John Ford

Moulin Rouge - Director: John Huston

City of Illusions ( The Bad and the Beautiful ) - Director: Vincente Minnelli

Damn in All Eternity ( From Here to Eternity ) - Director: Fred Zinnemann

If the sun is shining ( The Sun Shines Bright ) - Director: John Ford

We are all murderers ( Nous sommes tous des assassins ) - Director: André Cayatte

1955

Wages of Fear ( Le Salaire de la peur ) - Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

But, Herr Doktor ... ( Doctor in the House ) - Director: Ralph Thomas

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ( Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ) - Director: Stanley Donen

Bread, Love and Fantasy ( Pane, amore e fantasia ) - Director: Luigi Comencini

The Caine Mutiny ( The Caine Mutiny ) - Director: Edward Dmytryk

The fist in the neck ( On the Waterfront ) - Director: Elia Kazan

Das Fenster zum Hof ( Rear Window ) - Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Flames over Far East ( The Purple Plain ) - Director: Robert Parrish

Divided Heart ( The Divided Heart ) - Director: Charles Crichton

Glück auf Raten ( For Better, for Worse ) - Director: J. Lee Thompson

I'm the Lord of the House ( Hobson's Choice ) - Director: David Lean

The Intriguers ( Executive Suite ) - Director: Robert Wise

The Gate of Hell ( Jigokumon ) - Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa

Die Maggie ( The Maggie ) - Director: Alexander Mackendrick

Major Carrington ( Carrington VC ) - Director: Anthony Asquith

Robin Crusoe - Director: Luis Buñuel

Romeo and Juliet ( Romeo and Juliet ) - Director: Renato Castellani

Terror in Block 11 ( Riot in Cell Block 11 ) - Director: Don Siegel

How to catch a millionaire? ( How to Marry a Millionaire ) - Director: Jean Negulesco

Clouds are everywhere ( The Moon is Blue ) - Director: Otto Preminger

1956

Richard III - Directed by Laurence Olivier

Carmen Jones - Director: Otto Preminger

The Colditz Story - Directed by Guy Hamilton

May 1943 - The destruction of the dams ( The Dam Busters ) - Director: Michael Anderson

The Prisoner ( The Prisoner ) - Director: Peter Glenville

Beyond Eden ( East of Eden ) - Director: Elia Kazan

Ladykillers ( The Ladykillers ) - Director: Alexander Mackendrick

Marty - Director: Delbert Mann

You Were 13 ( The Night My Number Came Up ) - Director: Leslie Norman

The Seven Samurai ( Shichinin no samurai ) - Director: Akira Kurosawa

Simba - Director: Brian Desmond Hurst

Stadt in Angst ( Bad Day at Black Rock ) - Director: John Sturges

La Strada - The Song of the Street ( La Strada ) - Director: Federico Fellini

The Dream of Your Life ( Summertime ) - Directed by David Lean

1957

Gervaise - Director: René Clément

The Renegade ( Le Défroqué ) - Director: Léo Joannon

In spite of all violence ( Reach for the Sky ) - Director: Lewis Gilbert

Baby Doll - Do not desire the other woman ( Baby Doll ) - Director: Elia Kazan

... because they don't know what they're doing ( Rebel Without A Cause ) - Director: Nicholas Ray

Friends for Life ( Amici per la pelle ) - Director: Franco Rossi

Always Trouble with Harry ( The Trouble with Harry ) - Director: Alfred Hitchcock

It didn't work out ( The Killing ) - Director: Stanley Kubrick

War and Peace ( War and Peace ) - Director: King Vidor

The smile of a summer night ( Sommarnattens leende ) - Director: Ingmar Bergman

The Man Who Never Was ( The Man Who Never Was ) - Directed by Otto Preminger

The Man with the Golden Arm ( The Man with the Golden Arm ) - Directed by Otto Preminger

March through Hell ( A Town Like Alice ) - Director: Jack Lee

Panzerschiff Graf Spee ( The Battle of the River Plate ) - directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

Picnic ( Picnic ) - Director: Joshua Logan

Poprigunya - Director: Samson Samsonow

Heavy Boys - Easy Girls ( Guys and Dolls ) - Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

The Shadow - Director: not known

Yield to the Night ( Yield to the Night ) - Director: J. Lee Thompson

1958

Die Brücke am Kwai ( The Bridge on the River Kwai ) - Director: David Lean

Apu's way into life - 1. On the street ( Pather Panchali ) - Director: Satyajit Ray

The Twelve Jurors ( 12 Angry Men ) - Director: Sidney Lumet

A man defeats fear ( Edge of the City ) - Director: Martin Ritt

A condemned man has escaped ( Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ) - Director: Robert Bresson

The bachelor party ( The Bachelor Party ) - Director: Delbert Mann

Precious Burden ( The Shiralee ) - Director: Leslie Norman

The man who has to die ( Celui qui doit mourir ) - Director: Jules Dassin

Man in Fire ( Windom's Way ) - Director: Ronald Neame

Die Mausefalle ( Porte des Lilas ) - Director: René Clair

The Prince and the Showgirl ( The Prince and the Showgirl ) - Director: Laurence Olivier

The Sailor and the Nun ( Heaven Knows, Mr. Alison ) - Director: John Huston

Star of the Law ( The Tin Star ) - Director: Anthony Mann

That night! - Directed by John Newland

Paths of Glory ( Paths of Glory ) - Director: Stanley Kubrick

Count to three and pray ( 3:10 to Yuma ) - Directed by Delmer Daves

1959

The Way Up ( Room at the Top ) - Director: Jack Clayton

Apu's way into life - 2. The Invincible ( Aparajito ) - Director: Satyajit Ray

The Sheepman ( The Sheepman ) - Director: George Marshall

Ice-Cold in Alexandria - Firestorm over Africa ( Ice-Cold in Alex ) - Director: J. Lee Thompson

Window without a curtain ( No Down Payment ) - Director: Martin Ritt

Escape in Chains ( The Defiant Ones ) - Director: Stanley Kramer

Indiskret ( Indiscreet ) - Director: Stanley Donen

The Young Lions ( The Young Lions ) - Director: Edward Dmytryk

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ( Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ) - Director: Richard Brooks

The Silent War ( Orders to Kill ) - Director: Anthony Asquith

The nights of Cabiria ( Le Notti di Cabiria ) - Director: Federico Fellini

The Black Devils of El Alamein ( Sea of Sand ) - Director: Guy Green

Pulling the Cranes ( Летят журавли ) - Director: Michail Kalatosow

Wild strawberries ( Smultronstället ) - Director: Ingmar Bergman

1960s

1960

Ben Hur ( Ben-Hur ) - Director: William Wyler

Anatomy of a Murder ( Anatomy of a Murder ) - Directed by Otto Preminger

Ashes and Diamond ( Popiól i diament ) - Director: Andrzej Wajda

Look Back in Anger ( Look Back in Anger ) - Director: Tony Richardson

Burning India ( North West Frontier ) - Director: J. Lee Thompson

Enemies of yesterday ( Yesterday's Enemy ) - Director: Val Guest

Story of a Nun ( The Nun's Story ) - Director: Fred Zinnemann

The Face ( Ansiktet ) - Director: Ingmar Bergman

Gigi - Director: Vincente Minnelli

Commissioner Maigret sets a trap ( Maigret tend un piège ) - Director: Jean Delannoy

The Sapphire Girl ( Sapphire ) - Director: Basil Dearden

Some Like It Hot ( Some Like It Hot ) - Director: Billy Wilder

Tiger Bay - Director: J. Lee Thompson

Weites Land ( The Big Country ) - Director: William Wyler

Der Zwang zum Bad ( Compulsion ) - Director: Richard Fleischer

1961

The apartment ( The Apartment ) - Director: Billy Wilder

Playing with Love ( L'Avventura ) - Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

Once a Hero ( Tunes of Glory ) - Director: Ronald Neame

Elmer Gantry - Director: Richard Brooks

Hiroshima, mon amour - Director: Alain Resnais

Let's Make Love ( Let's Make Love ) - Director: George Cukor

The Trials of Oscar Wilde ( The Trials of Oscar Wilde ) - Director: Ken Hughes

Orfeu Negro - Director: Marcel Camus

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ( Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ) - Director: Karel Reisz

Shadows ( Shadows ) - Director: John Cassavetes

They kissed and they hit him ( Les Quatre cents coups ) - Director: François Truffaut

Spartacus - Director: Stanley Kubrick

Sundays ... never! ( Pote tin Kyriaki ) - Director: Jules Dassin

The sweet life ( La dolce vita ) - Director: Federico Fellini

The Testament of Orpheus ( Le Testament d'Orphée ) - Director: Jean Cocteau

Who sows the Wind ( Inherit the Wind ) - Director: Stanley Kramer

Angry silence ( The Angry Silence ) - Director: Guy Green

1962

The Ballade of the Soldiers ( Ballada o soldatje ) - Director: Grigori Tschuchrai
Haie der Großstadt ( The Hustler ) - Director: Robert Rossen

Apus Weg ins Leben - 3. Apus Welt ( Apur Sansar ) - Director: Satyajit Ray

Bitterer Honig ( A Taste of Honey ) - Director: Tony Richardson

The Endless Horizon ( The Sundowners ) - Director: Fred Zinnemann

The Hole ( Le Trou ) - Director: Jacques Becker

Rocco and his brothers ( Rocco ei suoi fratelli ) - Director: Luchino Visconti

Castle of Secrets ( The Innocents ) - Director: Jack Clayton

Seven Against Hell ( The Long and the Short and the Tall ) - Director: Leslie Norman

Judgment at Nuremberg ( Judgment at Nuremberg ) - Director: Stanley Kramer

... where the wind blows ( Whistle Down The Wind ) - Director: Bryan Forbes

1963

Lawrence of Arabia ( Lawrence of Arabia ) - Director: David Lean

Ambassador of Fear ( The Manchurian Candidate ) - Director: John Frankenheimer

The Lady with the Dog ( Dama s sobachkoy ) - Director: Iossif Cheific

The indiscreet Room ( The L-Shaped Room ) - Director: Bryan Forbes

Jules and Jim ( Jules et Jim ) - Director: François Truffaut

The corporal in the noose ( Le Caporal épinglé ) - Director: Jean Renoir

Last year in Marienbad ( L'Année dernière à Marienbad ) - directed by Alain Resnais

Licht im Dunkel ( The Miracle Worker ) - Director: Arthur Penn

You can only love as a couple ( Only Two Can Play ) - Director: Sidney Gilliat

Lola, the girl from the harbor ( Lola ) - Director: Jacques Demy

The Naked Island ( Hadaka no shima ) - Director: Kaneto Shindō

Even after year and day ( Une aussi longue absence ) - Director: Henri Colpi

Just a Touch of Bliss ( A Kind of Loving ) - Director: John Schlesinger

Phaedra - Director: Jules Dassin

Tu ne tueras point - Director: Claude Autant-Lara

The Damned of the Seas ( Billy Budd ) - Director: Peter Ustinov

West Side Story - Directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise

Like in a mirror ( Såsom i en spegel ) - Director: Ingmar Bergman

1964

Tom Jones - Between Bed and Gallows ( Tom Jones ) - Director: Tony Richardson

Eight and a half ( 8½ ) - Director: Federico Fellini

David and Lisa ( David and Lisa ) - Director: Frank Perry

Der Diener ( The Servant ) - Director: Joseph Losey

Beloved Spinner ( Billy Liar ) - Director: John Schlesinger

Alluring Laurel ( This Sporting Life ) - Director: Lindsay Anderson

The Knife in the Water ( Nóz w wodzie ) - Director: Roman Polański

Divorce in Italian ( Divorzio all'italiana ) - Director: Pietro Germi

Days of Wine and Roses ( Days of Wine and Roses ) - Director: Blake Edwards

The Four Days of Naples ( Le Quattro giornate di Napoli ) - Director: Nanni Loy

Who disturbs the nightingale ( To Kill a Mockingbird ) - Director: Robert Mulligan

The Wildest Among Thousand ( Hud ) - Director: Martin Ritt

1965

Dr. Strange or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb ( Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb ) - Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Becket - Director: Peter Glenville

Bedroom dispute ( The Pumpkin Eater ) - Director: Jack Clayton

Der Zug ( The Train ) - Director: John Frankenheimer

1966

My Fair Lady - Director: George Cukor

Alexis Sorbas ( Zorba, the Greek ) - Director: Michael Cacoyannis

The Knack ( The Knack ... and How to Get It ) - Director: Richard Lester

Hamlet ( Gamlet ) - Director: Grigori Kosinzew

A Bunch of Great Dogs ( The Hill ) - Director: Sidney Lumet

1967

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ( Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ) - Director: Mike Nichols

Doctor Zhivago ( Doctor Zhivago ) - Director: David Lean