Which Academy Award did Martin Scorsese win for directing The Departed?

Martin Scorsese won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed.

The Departed earned Scorsese his first competitive Oscar for directing at the 79th Academy Awards, held in 2007. The award recognized his work on the Boston-set crime thriller, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. Scorsese had previously received several directing nominations but had not won in that category.

The film also won Best Picture, making it Scorsese’s first movie to receive that top Academy Award. William Monahan won Best Adapted Screenplay, and The Departed was adapted from the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. These separate awards are common sources of confusion: Scorsese won for directing, while Monahan won for the screenplay.

The victory was widely viewed as a major career milestone. Scorsese had been nominated for directing for Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, and The Aviator before winning for The Departed.