- 2024: Oppenheimer
- 2023: Everything Everywhere All at Once
- 2022: CODA
- 2021: Nomadland
- 2020: Parasite
- 2019: Green Book
- 2018: The Shape of Water
- 2017: Moonlight
- 2016: Spotlight
- 2015: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
- 2014: 12 Years a Slave
- 2013: Argo
- 2012: The Artist
- 2011: The King's Speech
- 2010: The Hurt Locker
- 2009: Slumdog Millionaire
- 2008: No Country for Old Men
- 2007: The Departed
- 2006: Crash
- 2005: Million Dollar Baby
- 2004: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- 2003: Chicago
- 2002: A Beautiful Mind
- 2001: Gladiator
- 2000: American Beauty
- 1999: Shakespeare in Love
- 1998: Titanic
- 1997: The English Patient
- 1996: Braveheart
- 1995: Forrest Gump
- 1994: Schindler's List
- 1993: Unforgiven
- 1992: The Silence of the Lambs
- 1991: Dances with Wolves
- 1990: Driving Miss Daisy
- 1989: Rain Man
- 1988: The Last Emperor
- 1987: Platoon
- 1986: Out of Africa
- 1985: Amadeus
- 1984: Terms of Endearment
- 1983: Gandhi
- 1982: Chariots of Fire
- 1981: Ordinary People
- 1980: Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1979: The Deer Hunter
- 1978: Annie Hall
- 1977: Rocky
- 1976: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- 1975: The Godfather Part II
- 1974: The Sting
- 1973: The Godfather
- 1972: The French Connection
- 1971: Patton
- 1970: Midnight Cowboy
- 1969: Oliver!
- 1968: In the Heat of the Night
- 1967: A Man for All Seasons
- 1966: The Sound of Music
- 1965: My Fair Lady
- 1964: Tom Jones
- 1963: Lawrence of Arabia
- 1962: West Side Story
- 1961: The Apartment
- 1960: Ben-Hur
- 1959: Gigi
- 1958: The Bridge on the River Kwai
- 1957: Around the World in 80 Days
- 1956: Marty
- 1955: On the Waterfront
- 1954: From Here to Eternity
- 1953: The Greatest Show on Earth
- 1952: An American in Paris
- 1951: All About Eve
- 1950: All the King's Men
- 1949: Hamlet
- 1948: Gentleman's Agreement
- 1947: The Best Years of Our Lives
- 1946: The Lost Weekend
- 1945: Going My Way
- 1944: Casablanca
- 1943: Mrs. Miniver
- 1942: How Green Was My Valley
- 1941: Rebecca
- 1940: Gone with the Wind
- 1939: You Can't Take It with You
- 1938: The Life of Emile Zola
- 1937: The Great Ziegfeld
- 1936: Mutiny on the Bounty
- 1935: It Happened One Night
- 1934: Cavalcade
- 1933: Grand Hotel
- 1932: Cimarron
- 1931: All Quiet on the Western Front
- 1930: The Broadway Melody
- 1929: Wings