Movies
The Million Dollar Baby star had fought a close race with his Aviator rival, but Scorsese had been expected to pip him for the title.
Collecting the gong, Eastwood said: "Thank you to my wife, who's my best pal and my mother, who was here with me in 1993 and was only 84 then, but she's here with me again tonight.
"[This film] was a wonderful adventure. To make a picture in 37 days takes a well-oiled machine, including the crew, the cast - of course you've met a lot of them."
Other contenders had included Taylor Hackford (Ray), Alexander Payne (Sideways) and Mike Leigh (Vera Drake).
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