| Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director | |
|---|---|
| State award for contributions to Kannada cinema | |
| Awarded for | Director Of The First Best Film |
| Sponsored by | Government of Karnataka |
| Reward(s) |
|
| First awarded | 1967-68 |
| Last awarded | 2018 |
| Most recent winner | Dayal Padmanabhan |
| Highlights | |
| Total awarded | 53 |
| First winner | Puttanna Kanagal |
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honors Kannada language films. This award is presented to the Director of First Best Film award-winning film. This award is named after H. L. N. Simha. The first director of Kannada Cinema who was brought First National Award to Kannada Cinema.