Based on differential subtraction correlation (DSC) and the position zones of the rotational center, an approach to identifying the rotational direction of the measured body in remote angular-velocity measurement with spatial filters is presented. The DSC is obtained by differentiating and subtracting the output signals of two adjacent photovoltaic cells in one differential spatial filter (DSF), and then integrating the absolute values of the differential subtraction signal. The sign of the temporal delay at the minimum DSC value indicates the displacement direction of the moving image on the photovoltaic cells. The rotational direction is distinguished by using both the displacement direction and the position zone of the rotational center. The position zone of the rotational center is determined by a coefficient k and the location of the DSF with a larger central frequency, where k is calculated with the two central frequencies and their variations of the quasi-sinusoidal output signals of a double-DSF sensor. Experiments and simulations are achieved to confirm the identification method, of which the results show that the identification method is correct and easy to be implemented. The proposed identification method is insensitive to random phase fluctuation, and has solved the difficult problem of identifying the rotational direction in remote angular measurement with spatial filtering technique.