thumb | right | alt=Parris Goebel, July 2020 | Parris Goebel, July 2020.

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction is an award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and the director of the music video. From 1984 to 2006, the full name of the award was Best Direction in a Video, and in 2007, it was briefly renamed Best Director. The category acquired its current name with the 2008 awards.

American artist Taylor Swift is the biggest winner in this category with four wins from six nominations.

The most nominated directors are David Fincher and Dave Meyers with eight nominations. Remarkably, seven of Fincher's nominations were achieved in a three-year span (1989–1991), as he was nominated a record three times in both 1989 and 1990. Fincher's recent nomination (and win) occurred over twenty years later in 2013 for his work on Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie." Closely following him are Taylor Swift and Francis Lawrence with six. Hype Williams is the director with the most nominations and no wins at five.

The performers whose videos have won the most awards are Madonna and Taylor Swift, whose videos have garnered three direction moonmen respectively. However, Eminem's videos have received the most nominations with seven. Swift is also the only performer to have won four moonmen in this category for her work directing.

Five other performers have won a moonman in this category for their work directing/co-directing their videos: George Michael, Beck, Erykah Badu, Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, Kendrick Lamar and Lil Nas X. An additional nine performers have been nominated for their work co-directing/directing videos: Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, Jared Leto (as Bartholomew Cubbins), Ryan Lewis, Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, Tyler, the Creator (as Wolf Haley) and Travis Scott.

Recipients

1980s

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! scope="col" style="width:5px;"| Year

! scope="col" style="width:220px;"| Winner(s)

! scope="col" style="width:270px;"| Work

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Nominees

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref.

|-

! scope="row"|

| Tim Newman

| "Sharp Dressed Man"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Jean-Baptiste Mondino

| "The Boys of Summer"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Steven Barron

| "Take On Me"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Stephen R. Johnson

| "Sledgehammer"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Andy Morahan and George Michael

| "Father Figure"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| David Fincher

| "Express Yourself"

|

| align="center"|

|}

1990s

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! scope="col" style="width:5px;"| Year

! scope="col" style="width:220px;"| Winner(s)

! scope="col" style="width:270px;"| Work

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Nominees

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref.

|-

! scope="row"|

| David Fincher

| "Vogue"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Tarsem

| "Losing My Religion"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Mark Fenske

| "Right Now"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Mark Pellington

| "Jeremy"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Jake Scott

| "Everybody Hurts"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Spike Jonze

| "Buddy Holly"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

| "Tonight, Tonight"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Beck

| "The New Pollution"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Jonas Åkerlund

| "Ray of Light"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Torrance Community Dance Group

| "Praise You"

|

| align="center"|

|}

2000s

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! scope="col" style="width:5px;"| Year

! scope="col" style="width:220px;"| Winner(s)

! scope="col" style="width:270px;"| Work

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Nominees

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref.

|-

! scope="row"|

| Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

| "Californication"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Spike Jonze

| "Weapon of Choice"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Joseph Kahn

| "Without Me"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Jamie Thraves

| "The Scientist"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Mark Romanek

| "99 Problems"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Samuel Bayer

| "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Robert Hales

| "Crazy"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Samuel Bayer

| "What Goes Around... Comes Around"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Erykah Badu and Mr. Roboto

| "Honey"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Marc Webb

| "21 Guns"

|

| align="center"|

|}

2010s

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! scope="col" style="width:5px;"| Year

! scope="col" style="width:220px;"| Winner(s)

! scope="col" style="width:270px;"| Work

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Nominees

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref.

|-

! scope="row"|

| Francis Lawrence

| "Bad Romance"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Adam Yauch

| "Make Some Noise"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Romain Gavras

| "Bad Girls"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| David Fincher

| "Suit & Tie"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| DANIELS

| "Turn Down for What"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Colin Tilley and the Little Homies

| "Alright"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Melina Matsoukas

| "Formation"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Dave Meyers and The Little Homies

| "HUMBLE."

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Hiro Murai

| "This is America"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Calmatic

| "Old Town Road (Remix)"

|

| align="center"|

|}

2020s

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! scope="col" style="width:5px;"| Year

! scope="col" style="width:220px;"| Winner(s)

! scope="col" style="width:270px;"| Work

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Nominees

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref.

|-

! scope="row"|

| Taylor Swift

| "The Man"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino

| "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Taylor Swift

| All Too Well: The Short Film

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Taylor Swift

| "Anti-Hero"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Taylor Swift

| "Fortnight"

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|

| Lady Gaga, Bethany Vargas and Parris Goebel

| "Abracadabra"

|

| align="center"|

|}

Director statistics

Multiple wins

;4 wins

  • Taylor Swift

;3 wins

  • David Fincher

;2 wins

  • Samuel Bayer
  • Spike Jonze
  • Jonathan Dayton
  • The Little Homies
  • Valerie Faris

Multiple nominations

;8 nominations

  • David Fincher
  • Dave Meyers

;6 nominations

  • Francis Lawrence
  • Taylor Swift

;5 nominations

  • Steven Barron
  • Mark Romanek
  • Spike Jonze
  • Jonathan Dayton
  • Valerie Faris
  • Hype Williams

;4 nominations

  • Christian Breslauer
  • Joseph Kahn

; 3 nominations

  • Daniel Kleinman
  • Dr. Dre
  • Phillip Atwell
  • Billie Eilish
  • Jonas Åkerlund
  • Bruno Mars
  • Director X
  • Dave Free
  • Rich Lee
  • Anthony Mandler
  • Tanu Muino
  • Floria Sigismondi

; 2 nominations

  • Tim Newman
  • Andy Morahan
  • Tarsem
  • Stéphane Sednaoui
  • Matthew Rolston
  • F. Gary Gray
  • Jesse Peretz
  • Jonathan Glazer
  • David LaChapelle
  • Joe Hahn
  • Jake Nava
  • Bartholomew Cubbins
  • Kendrick Lamar
  • Vania Heymann
  • Gal Muggia
  • Samuel Bayer
  • Hannah Lux Davis
  • Cameron Duddy
  • Nabil Elderkin
  • Missy Elliott
  • Michel Gondry
  • Jason Koenig
  • The Little Homies
  • Melina Matsoukas
  • Hiro Murai
  • Colin Tilley
  • Marc Webb

Artist statistics

Multiple wins

;4 wins

  • Taylor Swift

;3 wins

  • Madonna

;2 wins

  • Fatboy Slim
  • Green Day
  • Jay-Z
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Kendrick Lamar
  • Lady Gaga
  • Lil Nas X
  • R.E.M.

Multiple nominations

;8 nominations

  • Eminem

;7 nominations

  • Taylor Swift

;6 nominations

  • Jay-Z
  • Kendrick Lamar

;5 nominations

  • Beyoncé
  • Billie Eilish
  • R.E.M.
  • Rihanna

;4 nominations

  • Drake
  • Missy Elliott
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers

; 3 nominations

  • Ariana Grande
  • Bruno Mars
  • Coldplay
  • Green Day
  • Kanye West
  • Lady Gaga
  • Lil Nas X
  • Linkin Park
  • Madonna
  • ZZ Top

; 2 nominations

  • Adele
  • Aerosmith
  • Beastie Boys
  • Childish Gambino
  • Chris Isaak
  • Doja Cat
  • Don Henley
  • Ed Sheeran
  • En Vogue
  • Fatboy Slim
  • Foo Fighters
  • George Michael
  • Harry Styles
  • Janet Jackson
  • Katy Perry
  • Megan Thee Stallion
  • M.I.A.
  • OutKast
  • Sabrina Carpenter
  • Steve Winwood
  • The Smashing Pumpkins
  • The Weeknd
  • The White Stripes
  • Thirty Seconds to Mars
  • TLC
  • U2
  • Van Halen

References

See also

  • MTV Movie Award for Best New Filmmaker

Notes