Directors of the 21st Century
by ogjoedivola | created - 04 Jan 2011 | updated - 19 Feb 2011 | PublicThese directors are placed in order of their film making potential through the next decade. Bias is emphasized primarily on personal preference, with secondary significance based on the strength of previous films, and films in production (as of January 2011). Cult and indie status given considerable weight as well.
Feel free to humor me with suggestions and criticism.
(currently still in the process of writing up quick blurbs about each director, so bare with me)
1. Duncan Jones
Director | Moon
Duncan Jones was born on May 30, 1971 in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Moon (2009), Source Code (2011) and Mute (2018). He has been married to Rodene Ronquillo since November 6, 2012. They have two children.
This guy has some serious indie chops already. I placed him at the top because of how amazing his first film was, and also that he is so young in his film-making career. I'm pretty sure his cult status preceded the release of Moon, as he is the son of Glam Rock star David Bowie. I think his placement on this list may also be a great indication of my excitement in Sam Rockwell's acting career. As I understand that Duncan is also a fan of Sam (he wrote the script of Moon with the express intent of having Sam play the role of Sam Bell, the sole character in the film), I am further swayed to place him atop this list because of his enthusiasm for rewriting the next generation of Sci-Fi. For those who feel this placement is a bit ambitious, check out his short-film Whistle, in Moon's bonus features, as it may give you a better idea of his sense of style.
Notable projects:
-Whistle (short)
-Moon
-Source Code (2011)
2. Darren Aronofsky
Writer | Pi
Darren Aronofsky was born February 12, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Darren was always artistic: he loved classic movies and, as a teenager, he even spent time doing graffiti art. After high school, Darren went to Harvard University to study film (both live-action and animation). He won ...
I enjoy the themes that Aronofsky explores in his films. They are all quite dark, with hints of humanity. His placement as #2 is well deserved after two back-to-back nods from the academy and a gob full of indy awards and nom's.
Notable projects:
-Pi
-Requiem for a Dream
-The Fountain
-The Wrestler
-Black Swan
-The Wolverine (2011)
3. Christopher Nolan
Writer | Tenet
Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, England. Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the ...
The man who can do no wrong. His films are all box office hits (if not smashes) and he is also well respected among the independent industry. He already has a cult following, and as much as I want to say that his films are junk food for the brain (as they enjoy mass appeal), I enjoy them all immensely.
Notable projects:
-Following
-Memento
-The Prestige
-Dark Knight Trilogy (completes by 2012)
4. J.J. Abrams
Producer | Lost
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, the son of TV producer parents. At 15, he wrote the music for Don Dohler's Nightbeast (1982). In his senior year of college, he and Jill Mazursky teamed up to write a feature film, which became Taking Care of Business (1990)....
Another great story teller of the 21st century. While it is interesting to watch how the daddy issues progress in most of his projects, the approach is always fresh and exciting.
Notable projects:
-Felicity (TV series)
-Alias (TV series)
-Lost (TV series)
-Fringe (TV series)
-Star Trek
-Super 8 (2011)
-Mission: Impossible (2011)
5. Paul Thomas Anderson
Director | Punch-Drunk Love
Anderson was born in 1970. He was one of the first of the "video store" generation of film-makers. His father was the first man on his block to own a V.C.R., and from a very early age Anderson had an infinite number of titles available to him. While film-makers like Spielberg cut their teeth making...
Quite a range on this guy. His films are consistently well recieved.
Notable projects:
-Magnolia
-There Will be Blood
6. Wes Anderson
Director | Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wesley Wales Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Texas Ann (Burroughs), is an archaeologist turned real estate agent, and his father, Melver Leonard Anderson, worked in advertising and PR. He has two brothers, Eric and Mel. Anderson's parents divorced when he was a young child, an ...
Notable projects: -Rushmore -The Royal Tenenbaums -Life Aquatic -Darjeeling Limited -Fantastic Mr.Fox
7. Spike Jonze
Producer | Her
Spike Jonze made up one-third (along with Andy Jenkins and Mark Lewman) of the triumvirate of genius minds behind Dirt Magazine, the brother publication of the much lamented ground-breaking Sassy Magazine. These three uncommon characters were all editors for Grand Royal Magazine as well, under the ...
Notable projects: -Video Days -Mouse -Being John Malkovich -Adaptation -Yeah Right! -Hot Chocolate -Fully Flared -Where the Wild Things Are
8. Sofia Coppola
Actress | The Godfather Part III
Sofia Coppola was born on May 14, 1971 in New York City, New York, USA as Sofia Carmina Coppola. She is a director, known for Somewhere (2010), Lost in Translation (2003), and Marie Antoinette (2006). She has been married to Thomas Mars since August 27, 2011. They have two daughters, Romy and ...
Notable projects: -Lost in Translation -Marie Antoinette -Somwhere
9. Zack Snyder
Director | 300
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter, best known for action and science fiction films. Snyder made his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead and has gone on to be known for his comic book movies and ...
Another young promising director. His films seem to focus more on epic story plots and stylistic cinematography, rather than acting as a whole. While I have nothing bad to say about the actors in his films, I feel the characters in his stories do not give much weight to the conclusion, as they lack any sort of autonomy that would compel me to express any type of psychological association with them.
(Or maybe I just can't make any attachment with these characters because my senses are dumbfounded with the amazing imagery)
Notable projects:
-300
-Watchmen
-Superman: Man of Steel (2012)
10. Guy Ritchie
Director | Sherlock Holmes
Guy Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK on September 10, 1968. After watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as a child, Guy realized that what he wanted to do was make films. He never attended film school, saying that the work of film school graduates was boring and ...
Notable projects: -Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels -Snatch -RocknRolla -Sherlock Holmes -Untitled Sherlock Holmes Sequel (2011) -Excalibur (2012)
11. Michel Gondry
Director | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
He grew up in Versailles with a family who was very influenced by pop music. When he was young, Gondry wanted to be a painter or an inventor. In the 80s he entered in an art school in Paris where he could develop his graphic skills and where he also met friends with whom he created a pop-rock band ...
Notable projects: -Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind -Be Kind Rewind -Science of Sleep -The Green Hornet (2011)
12. Danny Boyle
Director | 127 Hours
Daniel Francis Boyle is a British filmmaker, producer and writer from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. He is known for directing 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, Millions, Shallow Grave, The Beach, Yesterday, and Steve Jobs. He won many awards for ...
Notable projects: -Trainspotting -28 Days Later... -Sunshine -Slumdog Millionaire -127 Hours
13. David Fincher
Director | Se7en
David Fincher was born in 1962 in Denver, Colorado, and was raised in Marin County, California. When he was 18 years old he went to work for John Korty at Korty Films in Mill Valley. He subsequently worked at ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) from 1981-1983. Fincher left ILM to direct TV commercials...
Notable projects: -Fight Club -The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -The Social Network -Rendezvous with Rama (2013)
14. Joss Whedon
Producer | Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Joss Whedon is the middle of five brothers - his younger brothers are Jed Whedon and Zack Whedon. Both his father, Tom Whedon and his grandfather, John Whedon were successful television writers. Joss' mother, Lee Stearns, was a history teacher and she also wrote novels as Lee Whedon. Whedon was ...
Notable projects: -Buffy (TV series) -Firefly (TV series) -Serenity -The Avengers (2012)
15. Robert Rodriguez
Producer | El mariachi
Robert Anthony Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA, to Rebecca (Villegas), a nurse, and Cecilio G. Rodríguez, a salesman. His family is of Mexican descent.
Of all the people to be amazed by the images of John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi parable, Escape from New York (1981), none ...
Notable projects: -Once Upon a Time in Mexico -Grindhouse -Sin City -Machete
16. Quentin Tarantino
Writer | Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Tony Tarantino, is an Italian-American actor and musician from New York, and his mother, Connie (McHugh), is a nurse from Tennessee. Quentin moved with his mother to Torrance, California, when he was four years old.
In January of...
Notable projects: -Reservoir Dogs -Pulp Fiction -Jackie Brown -Kill Bills -Grindhouse -Inglorious Basterds
17. Joel Coen
Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Joel Daniel Coen is an American filmmaker who regularly collaborates with his younger brother Ethan. They made Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, Hail Caesar and other projects. Joel ...
& Ethan Coen,
Notable projects:
-Fargo
-The Big Lebowski
-O Brother, Where Art Thou?
-The Man Who Wasn't There
-No Country for Old Men
-Burn After Reading
-A Serious Man
-True Grit
18. Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Director | Biutiful
Alejandro González Iñárritu (ih-nyar-ee-too), born August 15th, 1963, is a Mexican film director.
González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the Directors Guild of America for Best Director. He is also the first Mexican-born ...
Notable projects: -Amores Perros -21 Grams -Babel -Biutiful
19. John Hillcoat
Director | The Proposition
John Hillcoat was born on August 14, 1961 in Queensland, Australia. He is a director and producer, known for The Proposition (2005), The Road (2009) and Lawless (2012).
This guy just recently came into my cross-hairs a few years ago with The Proposition, a gritty western set in the australian outback, followed up a few years later with The Road, a Cormac McCarthy adaptation. So far I've really enjoyed his films because they reveal the dark side of what people are capable of when pushed to desperation. But, what really makes his films work for me is that he contrasts these acts of desperation with glimpses of humanity. I like to think that his projects may appeal to a Coen Brothers mentality, but they lack the quirk which seems to hinder a few of their films. Hillcoat seems to be much more interested in telling a story of human achievement, spawning within an uncooperative environment. I'm also very excited about his upcoming film The Wettest County in the World. While I am assured that this adaptation will hit its mark, I can't be more excited about his casting. Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce.
Notable projects:
-The Proposition
-The Road
-The Wettest County in the World (2012)
20. Andrew Dominik
Director | Chopper
Andrew Dominik was born on October 7, 1967 in Wellington, New Zealand. He is a director and writer, known for Chopper (2000), Blonde (2022) and Killing Them Softly (2012).
Notable projects: -Chopper -The Assassination of Jesse James -Cogan's Trade (2012) -Blonde (2012)
21. Brad Anderson
Director | Session 9
Brad Anderson was born in 1964 in Madison, Connecticut, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Session 9 (2001), The Machinist (2004) and Transsiberian (2008).
I wish I knew more about this upcoming director, but until I recently made the link that he had done both Session 9 and The Machinist, he has been off my radar completely. With some promising projects on the horizon, and an early foundation of quality indie flicks, he may be pushed up this list sooner than later.
Notable projects:
-Session 9
-The Machinist
-Transsiberian
-Fringe
-Jack (2011)
-All Lost Souls (2011)
22. Alex Proyas
Director | Dark City
Alex Proyas has moved effortlessly between helming TV commercials and music videos to feature films. Born to Greek parents in Egypt, Proyas relocated to Australia with his family when he was three years old. He began making films at age ten and went on to attend the Australian Film Television and ...
Another very aesthetically focused director. With The Crow and Dark City alone, he has an incredible cult following.
Notable projects:
-The Crow
-Dark City
-I, Robot
-Paradise Lost (2012)
23. Jim Jarmusch
Director | Paterson
Moved to New York City at the age of seventeen from Akron, Ohio. Graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in English, class of '75. Without any prior film experience, he was accepted into the Tisch School of the Arts, New York.
Another film maker who's projects are few and far between, but completely worth the wait. While I wish he would put out more films, I can appreciate that his patience overrides my greed, as all of his films are painstakingly deliberate, yet ambiguous.
Notable projects:
-Down By Law
-Mystery Train
-Dead Man
-Coffee and Cigarettes
-Broken Flowers
-The Limits of Control
24. David Cronenberg
Actor | The Fly
David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of Blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father, Milton Cronenberg, was a journalist and editor, and his mother, Esther (Sumberg), was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early...
Cronenberg is great, such a wierdo. Plus, he shares an equal obsession with Viggo Mortenson.
Notable projects:
-Videodrome
-The Dead Zone
-The Fly
-Naked Lunch
-Spider
-A History of Violence
-Eastern Promises
-A Dangerous Method (2011)
-Cosmopolis (2011)
25. Michael Mann
Producer | The Insider
As a director, screenwriter, and producer, four-time Academy Award nominee Michael Mann has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. After writing and directing the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television movie The Jericho Mile (1979), Mann ...
I don't really know anything about this guy other than his films. If they get made, I go see them. Mostly because I can count on quality cinematography, acting, and writing.
Notable projects:
-The Last of the Mohicans
-Heat
-Ali
-Collateral
-Public Enemies
26. Gus Van Sant
Director | Elephant
Gus Green Van Sant Jr. is an American filmmaker, painter, screenwriter, photographer and musician from Louisville, Kentucky who is known for directing films such as Good Will Hunting, the 1998 remake of Psycho, Gerry, Elephant, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Milk, Last Days, Finding Forrester, ...
Probably one of the most respected film maker of the last 20 years, this guy is still throwing the heat. I'm particularly excited about his latest project Restless, the description feels to me like a modern adaptation of Harold & Maude, with a twist.
Notable projects:
-My Own Private Idaho
-Good Will Hunting
-Psycho
-Elephant
-Last Days
-Milk
-Restless (2011)
27. Oliver Stone
Director | JFK
Oliver Stone has become known as a master of controversial subjects and a legendary film maker. His films are filled with a variety of film angles and styles, he pushes his actors to give Oscar-worthy performances, and despite his failures, has always returned to success.
William Oliver Stone was ...
Mr.Stone has been exploring social commentary for decades already. While I personally prefer Natural Born Killers and U-Turn, as opposed his more politically charged projects like Wall Street and Nixon, I really enjoy how he employs a sort of psychobiography in his films. While it would be easy for any other storyteller to reveal the dirty secrets of these corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, he explores the pathology of his subject to the point of sympathy. While his more aggressive projects have been few and far between the last few years, I refuse to rule him out of this list.
Notable projects:
-Platoon
-Wall Street
-Born on the Fourth of July
-The Doors
-JFK
-Natural Born Killers
-Nixon
-U-Turn
-Any Given Sunday
-W.
-Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
-Savages (2012)
28. Terrence Malick
Writer | Days of Heaven
Terrence Malick was born in Ottawa, Illinois. His family subsequently lived in Oklahoma and he went to school in Austin, Texas. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in philosophy in 1965.
A member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, he attended Magdalen ...
A wonderful visionary who always seems to hit his mark. If you hadn't realized yet, Malick's films always seem to have an intimate relationship with the characters and the landscape. This sense of intimacy is mostly done through camera work as opposed to character development or plot structure. If you don't know what I mean, go watch The New World, The Thin Red Line, or the trailer for his new film, The Tree of Life.
Notable projects:
-Badlands
-Gravy Train
-Days of Heaven
-The Thin Red Line
-The New World
-The Tree of Life (2011)
29. Terry Gilliam
Writer | Brazil
Terry Gilliam was born near Medicine Lake, Minnesota. When he was 12 his family moved to Los Angeles where he became a fan of MAD magazine. In his early twenties he was often stopped by the police who suspected him of being a drug addict and Gilliam had to explain that he worked in advertising. In ...
God, I hate putting my favorite director at the bottom of this (way too long) list. But over the last decade his films have been so poorly received, and producers don't seem too excited to get into a project with him, that I can't justify any other position (at least among his commercially successful peers).
While I wait anxiously for the Don Quixote adaptation, I know I can still lose myself into the Imaginarium of Gilliam's Filmography.
Notable projects:
-Time Bandits
-Brazil
-The Adventures of Baren Munchauson
-The Fisher King
-Twelve Monkeys
-Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
-The Brothers Grimm
-Tideland
-The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
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