| Year | English title | Original title | Country | Director |
|---|
| 2000[4] | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Wo hu cang long | China | Ang Lee |
| The Color of Paradise | رنگ خدا,Rang-e Khodā | Iran | Majid Majidi |
| Girl on the Bridge | La fille sur le pont | France | Patrice Leconte |
| Shower | 洗澡,Xǐ zǎo | China | Zhang Yang |
| Yi Yi | Yī Yī | Taiwan | Edward Yang |
| 2001[5] | Amélie | Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain | France/Germany | Jean-Pierre Jeunet |
| Fat Girl | À ma sœur! | France | Catherine Breillat |
| In the Mood for Love | 花樣年華 | Hong Kong | Wong Kar-wai |
| No Man’s Land | Ničija zemlja, Ничија земља | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Danis Tanović |
| With a Friend Like Harry… | Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien | France | Dominik Moll |
| 2002[6] | And Your Mother Too | Y Tu Mamá También | Mexico | Alfonso Cuarón |
| Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner | ᐊᑕᓈᕐᔪᐊᑦ | Canada | Zacharias Kunuk |
| Monsoon Wedding | India | Mira Nair |
| Spirited Away | 千と千尋の神隠し,Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Japan | Hayao Miyazaki |
| Talk to Her | Hable Con Ella | Spain | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2003[7] | City of God | Cidade de Deus | Brazil | Fernando Meirelles |
| The Barbarian Invasions | Les Invasions barbares | Canada/France | Denys Arcand |
| Irreversible | Irréversible | France | Gaspar Noé |
| The Man Without a Past | Mies vailla menneisyyttä | Finland | Aki Kaurismäki |
| The Triplets of Belleville | Les Triplettes de Belleville | France/Belgium | Sylvain Chomet |
| 2004[8] | Hero | Ying xiong | China/Hong Kong | Zhang Yimou |
| House of Flying Daggers | 十面埋伏,Shímiàn máifú | China/Hong Kong | Zhang Yimou |
| Maria Full of Grace | María, llena eres de gracia | Colombia | Joshua Marston |
| The Motorcycle Diaries | Diarios de motocicleta | Argentina/Brazil | Walter Salles |
| A Very Long Engagement | Un long dimanche de fiançailles | France | Jean-Pierre Jeunet |
| 2005[9] | Downfall | Der Untergang | Germany | Oliver Hirschbiegel |
| 2046 | Hong Kong | Wong Kar-wai |
| Caché | France/Austria | Michael Haneke |
| Kung Fu Hustle | 功夫 | Hong Kong/China | Stephen Chow |
| Oldboy | 올드보이,Oldeuboi | South Korea | Park Chan-wook |
| 2006[10] | Pan's Labyrinth | El laberinto del fauno | Mexico | Guillermo del Toro |
| The Death of Mr. Lazarescu | Moartea domnului Lăzărescu | Romania | Cristi Puiu |
| L’Enfant | Belgium | Dardenne brothers |
| Volver | Spain | Pedro Almodóvar |
| Water | जल,Jal | Canada/USA/India | Deepa Mehta |
| 2007[11] | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Le scaphandre et le papillon | France/USA | Julian Schnabel |
| The Host | 괴물,Goemul | South Korea/Japan | Bong Joon-ho |
| The Lives of Others | Das Leben der Anderen | Germany | Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck |
| The Orphanage | El orfanato | Spain/Mexico | J. A. Bayona |
| La Vie en Rose | La Môme | France | Olivier Dahan |
| 2008[12] | Let the Right One In | Låt den rätte komma in | Sweden | Tomas Alfredson |
| A Christmas Tale | Un conte de Noël | France | Arnaud Desplechin |
| The Counterfeiters | Die Fälscher | Austria/Germany | Stefan Ruzowitzky |
| I’ve Loved You So Long | Il y a longtemps que je t'aime | France/Germany | Philippe Claudel |
| Waltz with Bashir | ואלס עם באשיר,Vals Im Bashir | Israel | Ari Folman |
| 2009[13] | The White Ribbon | Das weiße Band, Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte | Germany | Michael Haneke |
| Broken Embraces | Los abrazos rotos | Spain | Pedro Almodóvar |
| Police, Adjective | Polițist, Adjectiv | Romania | Corneliu Porumboiu |
| Silent Light | Stellet Licht | Mexico/France | Carlos Reygadas |
| Summer Hours | L'Heure d'été | France | Olivier Assayas |