My Favourite Directors
by Fran1211 | created - 25 May 2012 | updated - 04 Aug 2022 | PublicIn alphabetical order by their last name.
1. Lenny Abrahamson
Director | Room
Lenny Abrahamson was born in Dublin in 1966. He studied physics and philosophy at Trinity College Dublin. While at university he directed short videos with the Trinity Video Society, which he co-founded with Ed Guiney. He graduated in 1991 with first class honours (gold medal). His first short film...
Movies I've Seen:
What Richard Did (8/10)
Frank (7/10)
Room (9/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Adam & Paul & The Little Stranger
2. 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 ...
Movies I've Seen:
Rushmore (8/10)
The Royal Tenenbaums (7/10)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (7/10)
Moonrise Kingdom (8/10)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (9/10)
The French Dispatch (7/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Bottle Rocket, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited and Isle of Dogs.
3. 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...
Movies I've Seen:
Boogie Nights (8/10)
Magnolia (9/10)
Punch Drunk Love (10/10)
There Will Be Blood (9/10)
The Master (8/10)
Inherent Vice (7/10)
Licorice Pizza (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Sydney.
4. Pedro Almodóvar
Writer | Hable con ella
The most internationally acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel was born in a small town (Calzada de Calatrava) in the impoverished Spanish region of La Mancha. He arrived in Madrid in 1968, and survived by selling used items in the flea-market called El Rastro. Almodóvar couldn't study ...
Movies I've Seen:
Talk to Her (8/10)
The Skin I Live In (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, The Flower of my Secret, All About My Mother, Bad Education, Volver, Broken Embraces, Julieta, Pain and Glory & Parallel Mothers.
5. Fede Alvarez
Writer | Don't Breathe
Fede Alvarez was born on February 9, 1978 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is a writer and producer, known for Don't Breathe (2016), Evil Dead (2013) and The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018).
Movies I've Seen: Evil Dead (8/10) Don't Breathe (9/10)
6. 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 ...
Movies I've Seen:
Pi (8/10)
Requiem For A Dream (8/10)
The Fountain (7/10)
The Wrestler (9/10)
Black Swan (9/10)
Mother! (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Noah.
7. Ari Aster
Director | Hereditary
Ari Aster is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for writing and directing the A24 horror films Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019). Aster was born into a Jewish family in New York City on July 15, 1986, the son of a poet mother and musician father. He has a ...
Movies I've Seen: Hereditary (8/10) Midsommar (8/10)
8. Noah Baumbach
Writer | The Squid and the Whale
Born in Brooklyn in 1969 Noah Baumbach is the son of two film critics, Georgia Brown and Jonathan Baumbach (also a writer). His studies at Vassar College were the subject of his first film (made as he was 26 years old), Kicking and Screaming (1995). His second major picture, made ten years later, ...
Movies I've Seen: The Squid and The Whale (7/10) Greenberg (7/10) Frances Ha (8/10) Mistress America (8/10) The Meyerwitz Stories (7/10) Marriage Story (8/10)
9. Brad Bird
Writer | The Incredibles
Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an American director, screenwriter, animator, producer and occasional voice actor, known for both animated and live-action films. Bird was born in Kalispell, Montana, the youngest of four children of Marjorie A. (née Cross) and Philip Cullen Bird. His father worked in...
Movies I've Seen: The Iron Giant (10/10) The Incredibles (10/10) Ratatouille (7/10) Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (9/10) Tomorrowland (8/10) The Incredibles 2 (8/10)
10. James Cameron
Writer | Avatar: The Way of Water
James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his ...
Movies I've Seen:
Terminator (8/10)
Aliens (8/10)
Terminator 2 (9/10)
True Lies (8/10)
Titanic (7/10)
Avatar (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: The Abyss, Avatar Sequels.
11. John Carney
Director | Sing Street
John Carney was born in 1972 in Dublin, Ireland. He is a director and producer, known for Sing Street (2016), Once (2007) and Flora and Son (2023).
Movies I've Seen
Once (9/10)
Begin Again (7/10)
Sing Street (10/10)
Movies in Watchlist: On the Edge.
12. John Carpenter
Writer | The Fog
John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky ...
Movies I've Seen:
Assault On Precinct 13 (7/10)
Halloween (9/10)
The Fog (7/10)
Escape From New York (8/10)
The Thing (9/10)
Big Trouble In Little China (7/10)
They Live (8/10)
The Ward (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Christine, Starman, Prince Of Darkness and In The Mouth Of Madness.
13. Jackie Chan
Actor | Ngo si seoi
Hong Kong's cheeky, lovable and best-known film star, Jackie Chan endured many years of long, hard work and multiple injuries to establish international success after his start in Hong Kong's manic martial arts cinema industry.
Jackie was born Kong-sang Chan on April 7, 1954, on Hong Kong's famous ...
Movies I've Seen: The Fearless Hyena (7/10) The Young Master (7/10) Dragon Lord (7/10) Project A (8/10) Police Story (9/10) Armour of God (7/10) Project A Part 2 (8/10) Police Story 2 (8/10) Miracles (7/10) Operation Condor (8/10) Crime Story (7/10) Who Am I? (8/10) Chinese Zodiac (6/10)
14. Park Chan-wook
Director | Oldeuboi
Park Chan-wook was born on August 23, 1963 in Seoul, South Korea. He is a producer and director, known for Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016) and Decision to Leave (2022). He is married to Eun-hee Kim. They have one child.
Movies I've Seen:
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (6/10)
Oldboy (9/10)
Lady Vengeance (8/10)
Thirst (5/10)
Stoker (7/10)
The Handmaiden (9/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Three Extremes, I'm a Cyborg but T
hat's Ok, Decision to Leave.
15. Damien Chazelle
Writer | La La Land
Damien Sayre Chazelle is an American director and screenwriter. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother, Celia Sayre (Martin) Chazelle, is an American-Canadian writer and professor of history at The College of New Jersey. His father, Bernard Chazelle, is a French-American Eugene Higgins...
Movies I've Seen: Guy and Madeline On a Park Bench (6/10) Whiplash (10/10) La La Land (9/10) First Man (8/10)
16. Stephen Chbosky
Writer | The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky was born on January 25, 1970 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Wonder (2017) and Rent (2005). He has been married to Liz Maccie since September 18, 2010. They have two children.
Movies I've Seen: Perks of Being a Wallflower (9/10) Wonder (9/10) Dear Evan Hansen (6/10)
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 ...
Movies I've Seen:
Blood Simple (8/10)
Raising Arizona (7/10)
Fargo (8/10)
The Big Lebowski (8/10)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (5/10)
No Country For Old Men (9/10)
True Grit (7/10)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn't There, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man and Inside Llewyn Davis.
18. Ryan Coogler
Director | Black Panther
Ryan Kyle Coogler is an African-American filmmaker and producer who is from Oakland, California. He is known for directing the Black Panther film series, Creed, a Rocky spin-off and Fruitvale Station. He frequently casts Michael B. Jordan in his works. He produced the Creed sequels, Judas and the ...
Movies I've Seen:
Fruitvale Station (8/10)
Creed (9/10)
Black Panther (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Wakanda Forever.
19. Wes Craven
Writer | A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold vision.
Wesley Earl Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He had a midwestern suburban upbringing. His first feature film was The Last House on ...
Movies I've Seen:
A Nightmare on Elm Street (8/10)
Scream (9/10)
Scream 2 (8/10)
Red Eye (7/10)
Scream 4 (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: The Last House on the Left, The Serpent and the Rainbow, The People Under the Stairs, New Nightmare & Scream 3.
20. Destin Daniel Cretton
Director | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Destin Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker, writer and producer from Haiku, Hawaii. He is known for directing The Glass Castle, I Am Not a Hipster, Short Term 12, Just Mercy and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He is the second Asian-American filmmaker to direct a Marvel film ...
Movies I've Seen:
Short Term 12 (9/10)
Shang-Chi (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: The Glass Castle & Just Mercy.
21. 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...
Movies I've Seen:
Rabid (7/10)
Scanners (8/10)
Videodrome (4/10)
The Dead Zone (7/10)
The Fly (8/10)
Dead Ringers (7/10)
Naked Lunch (5/10)
Existenz (8/10)
Spider (7/10)
A History of Violence (9/10)
Eastern Promises (9/10)
A Dangerous Method (5/10)
Maps To The Stars (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: The Brood & Crimes of the future.
22. Alfonso Cuarón
Producer | Gravity
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco was born on November 28th 1961 in Mexico City, Mexico. From an early age, he yearned to be either a film director or an astronaut. However, he did not want to enter the army, so he settled for directing. He didn't receive his first camera until his twelfth birthday, and then ...
Movies I've Seen:
Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban (7/10)
Children Of Men (9/10)
Gravity (8/10)
Roma (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Love In The Time Of Hysteria, A Little Princess, and Y Tu Mama Tambien.
23. Jim Cummings
Director | Thunder Road
Jim Cummings is known for Thunder Road (2018), The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) and The Beta Test (2021). Jim has been married to Julia Bales since September 10, 2022.
Movies I've Seen: Thunder Road (8/10) Wolf of Snow Hollow (9/10) The Beta Test (8/10)
24. Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Producer | Deux jours, une nuit
After studying drama in the arts institute, Jean Pierre Dardenne and his brother Luc made some videos about the rough life in blue-collar small towns in the Wallonie. After their meeting with filmmaker Armad Gatti and cinematographer Ned Burgess, they decided to enter in the movie business.
In 1978 ...
Movies I've Seen:
L'Enfant (8/10)
The Kid with a Bike (8/10)
Two Days, One Night (9/10)
Movies in Watchlist: The Promise, Rosetta, The Son, The Silence of Lorna, The Unknown Girl, Young Ahmed.
25. Brian De Palma
Director | Body Double
Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American ...
Movies I've Seen:
Sisters (7/10)
Carrie (8/10)
Blow Out (8/10)
Scarface (9/10)
The Untouchables (8/10)
Mission Impossible (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Carlito's Way, Femme Fatale, and Passion.
26. Guillermo del Toro
Writer | El laberinto del fauno
Guillermo del Toro was born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Raised by his Catholic grandmother, del Toro developed an interest in filmmaking in his early teens. Later, he learned about makeup and effects from the legendary Dick Smith (The Exorcist (1973)) and worked on making his ...
Movies I've Seen:
The Devil's Backbone (7/10)
Blade 2 (8/10)
Hellboy (8/10)
Pan's Labyrinth (9/10)
Hellboy 2 (10/10)
Pacific Rim (8/10)
The Shape Of Water (9/10)
Nightmare Alley (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Cronos, Crimson Peak and Mimic.
27. Xavier Dolan
Actor | J'ai tué ma mère
Xavier Dolan was born on March 20, 1989 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for I Killed My Mother (2009), Tom at the Farm (2013) and Heartbeats (2010).
Movies I've Seen:
Mommy (9/10)
Its Only The End of The World (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: I Killed My Mother, Les Amoures Imaginaires & Tom at The Farm.
28. Julia Ducournau
Director | Titane
Julia Ducournau is a French film director and screenwriter. She attended film school at La Fémis in Paris, where she studied screenwriting. In 2011, her short film JUNIOR won the Petit Rail d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Her first feature, the horror movie Raw (2016), won the coveted ...
Movies I've Seen: Raw (8/10) Titane (8/10)
29. Robert Eggers
Director | The Lighthouse
Robert Houston Eggers is an American filmmaker and production designer. He is best known for writing and directing the historical horror films The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), as well as directing and co-writing the historical fiction epic film The Northman (2022). His films are noted ...
Movies I've Seen: The Witch (8/10) The Lighthouse (7/10) The Northman (8/10)
30. Gareth Evans
Writer | Serbuan maut
Welsh born writer/director, in 2003 directed a short film "Samurai Monogatari" telling the tale of a Samurai waiting to be executed. The short was in Japanese language and starred students from Tokyo who were studying at Cardiff University at the time.
In 2003 he also graduated with an MA in ...
Movies I've Seen:
Footsteps (5/10)
Merantau (8/10)
The Raid (9/10)
V/H/S (Safe Haven) (8/10)
The Raid 2: Berandal (10/10)
The Apostle (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Havoc.
31. 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...
Movies I've Seen:
Alien 3 (5/10)
Seven (9/10)
The Game (9/10)
Fight Club (9/10)
Panic Room (8/10)
Zodiac (6/10)
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (7/10)
Social Network (6/10)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (9/10)
Gone Girl (9/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Mank.
32. Mike Flanagan
Writer | The Fall of the House of Usher
Mike Flanagan is a prolific writer, director, and editor. He entered into an exclusive overall deal with Amazon Studios in 2023 for television projects (after a similar exclusive deal with Netflix from 2018-2022), and has made feature films for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Netflix and more. ...
Movies I've Seen: Absentia (7/10) Oculus (8/10) Hush (9/10) Ouija: Origin of Evil (7/10) Gerald's Game (8/10) Doctor Sleep (7/10)
33. Alex Garland
Writer | Ex Machina
Alex Garland is an English novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. He is best known for the films Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).
Garland's others works as a writer includes The Beach (2000), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Never Let Me Go (2011) and Dredd (2012).
He is ...
Movies I've Seen:
Ex Machina (9/10)
Annihilation (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Men.
34. James Gunn
Writer | Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, to Leota and James Francis Gunn. He is from a large Catholic family, with Irish and Czech ancestry. His father and his uncles were all lawyers. He has been writing and performing as long as he can remember. He began making 8mm films at the age ...
Movies I've Seen: Slither (8/10) Super (8/10) Guardians Of The Galaxy (9/10) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (8/10) The Suicide Squad (8/10)
35. Alfred Hitchcock
Director | Psycho
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, Essex, England. He was the son of Emma Jane (Whelan; 1863 - 1942) and East End greengrocer William Hitchcock (1862 - 1914). His parents were both of half English and half Irish ancestry. He had two older siblings, William Hitchcock (born 1890) and ...
Movies I've Seen:
Strangers On A Train (6/10)
Rope (9/10)
Rear Window (10/10)
Vertigo (8/10)
North By Northwest (8/10)
Psycho (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: The 39 Steps, Sabotage, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Saboteur, Shadow Of A Doubt, Lifeboat, Spellbound, Notorious, Dial M For Murder, To Catch A Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man, The Birds, and Frenzy.
36. Bong Joon Ho
Writer | Snowpiercer
Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean filmmaker. The recipient of three Academy Awards, his filmography is characterized by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black humor, and sudden tone shifts. He first became known to audiences and achieved a cult following with his directorial debut film, the ...
Movies I've Seen:
Memories of Murder (8/10)
The Host (6/10)
Mother (8/10)
Snowpiercer (9/10)
Okja (8/10)
Parasite (9/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Barking Dogs Never Bite & Tokyo.
37. Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Stunts | Ip Man
Born in Hong Kong, Sammo Hung's acting career began while he was training in acrobatics, martial arts and dance as a child at the China Drama Academy, and he received acclaim for his performance with a troupe called "The Seven Little Fortunes." He made his feature film debut as an actor at the age ...
Movies I've Seen:
Iron Fisted Monk (8/10)
Warriors Two (8/10)
Knockabout (8/10)
Encounter of the Spooky Kind (7/10)
The Prodigal Son (9/10)
Winners & Sinners (8/10)
Project A (8/10)
Wheels on Meals (9/10)
My Lucky Stars (8/10)
Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (7/10)
Heart of Dragon (7/10)
Millionaires Express (8/10)
Eastern Condors (8/10)
Dragons Forever (9/10)
Pedicab Driver (8/10)
Mr. Nice Guy (7/10)
Bodyguard (7/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Enter the Fat Dragon & The Victim.
38. 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 ...
Movies I've Seen:
Birdman (9/10)
The Revenant (9/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel and Biutiful.
39. Peter Jackson
Producer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Sir Peter Jackson made history with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were nominated for and collected a slew of awards from around the globe, with The ...
Movies I've Seen: Bad Taste (7/10) Dead Alive (9/10) Heavenly Creatures (6/10) The Frighteners (8/10) The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (10/10) The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (10/10) The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of the King (10/10) King Kong (9/10) The Lovely Bones (7/10) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (8/10) The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (8/10) The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (8/10)
40. Jesse V. Johnson
Director | Avengement
Jesse V. Johnson was born on November 29, 1971 in Winchester, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Avengement (2019), Hell Hath No Fury (2021) and Debt Collectors (2020). He was previously married to Jamie Johnson.
Movies I've Seen: Savage Dog (7/10) Accident Man (8/10) The Debt Collector (8/10) Triple Threat (7/10) Avengement (9/10) The Debt Collector 2 (7/10)
41. 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 ...
Movies I've Seen:
Being John Malkovich (7/10)
Adaptation (9/10)
Her (9/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Where the Wild Things Are.
42. Jee-woon Kim
Director | Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom
Kim Ji-woon was born in Seoul, South Korea. He began his career as an actor before becoming a stage director with productions such as "Hot Sea" in 1994 and "Movie, Movie" in 1995. He then began scripting for films, his first work, 97's "Wonderful Seasons" won Best Screenplay award at Korea's ...
Movies I've Seen:
A Bittersweet Life (9/10)
The Good, The Bad and The Weird (7/10)
I Saw The Devil (10/10)
The Last Stand (6/10)
The Age of Shadows (7/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Quiet Family & A Tale of Two Sisters.
43. Kogonada
Director | Columbus
Kogonada is known for Columbus (2017), After Yang (2021) and Pachinko (2022).
Movies I've Seen: Columbus (8/10 After Yang (7/10)
44. Kore-eda Hirokazu
Director | Manbiki kazoku
Born in Tokyo in 1962. Originally intended to be a novelist, but after graduating from Waseda University in 1987 went on to become an assistant director at T.V. Man Union. Snuck off set to film Mou hitotsu no kyouiku - Ina shogakkou haru gumi no kiroku (1991). His first feature, Maborosi (1995), ...
Movies I've Seen:
After Life (7/10)
Nobody Knows (7/10)
Still Walking (7/10)
Like Father, Like Son (8/10)
Shoplifters (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Maborosi, Hana, I Wish, Our Little Sister, After the Storm, The Third Murder, The Truth & Broker.
45. Stanley Kubrick
Director | 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Sadie Gertrude (Perveler) and Jacob Leonard Kubrick, a physician. His family were Jewish immigrants (from Austria, Romania, and Russia). Stanley was considered intelligent, despite poor grades at school. Hoping that a change of scenery would ...
Movies I've Seen:
The Killing (9/10)
Paths of Glory (9/10)
Spartacus (8/10)
Dr. Strangelove (7/10)
2001: A Space Odyssey (9/10)
A Clockwork Orange (10/10)
The Shining (7/10)
Full Metal Jacket (9/10)
Eyes Wide Shut (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Lolita and Barry Lyndon.
46. Akira Kurosawa
Writer | Kakushi-toride no san-akunin
After training as a painter (he storyboards his films as full-scale paintings), Kurosawa entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director, eventually making his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata (1943). Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater...
Movies I've Seen:
Rashomon (8/10)
Seven Samurai (8/10)
Throne of Blood (7/10)
The Hidden Fortress (8/10)
High And Low (9/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Drunken Angel, Ikiru, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Kagemusha, Ran & Dreams.
47. Daniel Kwan
Director | Everything Everywhere All at Once
Daniel Kwan with Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, are a duo of film directors and writers. They began their career as directors of music videos, including the popular DJ Snake promotional for the single "Turn Down for What" (2013). They have since ventured into film, having written ...
Movies I've Seen: Swiss Army Man (8/10) Everything, Everywhere All At Once (9/10)
48. Yorgos Lanthimos
Director | The Lobster
Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens, Greece. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. He has directed a number of dance videos in collaboration with Greek choreographers, in addition to TV commercials, music videos, short films and theater plays. Kinetta,...
Movies I've Seen: Dogtooth (9/10) The Lobster (8/10) The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (8/10) The Favourite (9/10)
49. Richard Linklater
Director | Waking Life
Self-taught writer-director Richard Stuart Linklater was born in Houston, Texas, to Diane Margaret (Krieger), who taught at a university, and Charles W. Linklater III. Richard was among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s. ...
Movies I've Seen:
Dazed and Confused (8/10)
Before Sunrise (8/10)
Tape (8/10)
School Of Rock (10/10)
A Scanner Darkly (7/10)
Bernie (7/10)
Boyhood (9/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Slacker, Suburbia, Waking Life, Before Sunset, Before Midnight, Everybody wants some, Where'd You Go Bernadette, Apollo 10 1/2.
50. David Lynch
Writer | Twin Peaks
Born in precisely the kind of small-town American setting so familiar from his films, David Lynch spent his childhood being shunted from one state to another as his research scientist father kept getting relocated. He attended various art schools, married Peggy Lynch and then fathered future ...
Movies I've Seen:
Eraserhead (7/10)
Blue Velvet (8/10)
Mulholland Drive (9/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Elephant Man, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, The Straight Story & Inland Empire.
51. 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 ...
Movies I've Seen:
Manhunter (6/10)
Heat (8/10)
The Insider (9/10)
Collateral (9/10)
Public Enemies (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Thief, The Last of The Mohicans, and Miami Vice.
52. Martin McDonagh
Writer | In Bruges
Martin McDonagh was born on March 26, 1970 in Camberwell, London, England, UK. He is a writer and director, known for In Bruges (2008), Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
Movies I've Seen: In Bruges (9/10) Seven Psychopaths (8/10) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (9/10)
53. Steve McQueen
Director | 12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen was born on October 9, 1969 in London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Shame (2011) and Hunger (2008). He is married to Bianca Stigter. They have two children.
Movies I've Seen:
Hunger (8/10)
Shame (8/10)
12 Years A Slave (8/10)
Widows (8/10)
Movies IN Watchlist: Small Axe.
54. Sam Mendes
Producer | 1917
Samuel Alexander Mendes was born on August 1, 1965 in Reading, England, UK to parents James Peter Mendes, a retired university lecturer, and Valerie Helene Mendes, an author who writes children's books. Their marriage didn't last long, James divorced Sam's mother in 1970 when Sam was just 5-...
Movies I've Seen:
American Beauty (9/10)
Road To Perdition (9/10)
Jarhead (7/10)
Revolutionary Road (7/10)
Skyfall (9/10)
Spectre (7/10)
1917 (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Away We Go.
55. Takashi Miike
Director | Jûsan-nin no shikaku
Takashi Miike was born in the small town of Yao on the outskirts of Osaka, Japan. His main interest growing up was motorbikes, and for a while he harbored ambitions to race professionally. At the age of 18 he went to study at the film school in Yokohama founded by renowned director Shôhei Imamura, ...
Movies I've Seen:
Audition (9/10)
Dead or Alive (6/10)
Visitor Q (6/10)
Ichi the Killer (6/10)
13 Assassins (8/10)
Lesson of the Evil (7/10)
As the Gods Will (7/10)
Blade of the Immortal (7/10)
First Love (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Fudoh, Rainy Dog, The Bird People in China, The Happiness of the Katakuris, Shangri-La, Gozu, One Missed Call, Zebraman, 3 Extremes, Scars of the Sun, Crows Zero, Harakiri, Over your Dead Body & Yakuza Apocalypse.
56. David Robert Mitchell
Writer | It Follows
David Robert Mitchell is an American director mainly known for the breakout horror film ''It Follows'' which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014. in 2002, Mitchell wrote and directed ''Virgin'' a short film featuring Carolina Castro and Cameron Diskin about a local legend...
Movies I've Seen:
It Follows (9/10)
Under the Silver Lake (7/10)
Movies in Watchlist: The Myth of the American Sleepover.
57. Aaron Moorhead
Director | The Endless
Aaron Moorhead was born on December 17, 1987. He is a director and cinematographer, known for The Endless (2017), Spring (2014) and Synchronic (2019).
Movies I've Seen:
Resolution (8/10)
Spring (8/10)
The Endless (8/10)
Synchronic (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Something in the Dirt.
58. Jeff Nichols
Writer | Take Shelter
Jeff Nichols was born on December 7, 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012) and Midnight Special (2016).
Movies I've Seen:
Shotgun Stories (8/10)
Take Shelter (9/10)
Mud (8/10)
Midnight Special (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Loving.
59. Gaspar Noé
Director | Enter the Void
Gaspar Noé is an Argentinian filmmaker and screenwriter who lives in France. He is the son of Luis Felipe Noé, an Argentinian artist. He directed I Stand Alone, Irréversible, Enter the Void, Love, Climax, Carne, Lux Æterna, Sodomites and Vortex. His films are known for having a sensory overload ...
Movies I've Seen:
Irreversible (8/10)
Enter the Void (8/10)
Climax (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: I Stand Alone, Love, Climax.
60. Jordan Peele
Writer | Nope
Jordan Peele is an Oscar- and Emmy-winning director, writer, actor, producer, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions. Peele's first feature film, "Get Out," was a critically acclaimed blockbuster, recognized with four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film would earn Peele the ...
Movies I've Seen:
Get Out (9/10)
Us (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Nope.
61. Sam Raimi
Director | Spider-Man
Highly inventive U.S. film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood, Raimi was a fan of the cinema and, before he was ten-years-old, he was out making ...
Movies I've Seen:
Evil Dead (7/10)
Evil Dead II (8/10)
Darkman (7/10)
Army of Darkness (7/10)
Spiderman (9/10)
Spiderman 2 (9/10)
Spiderman 3 (6/10)
Drag Me To Hell (7/10)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: A Simple Plan and Oz: The Great And Powerful.
62. Matt Reeves
Producer | The Batman
Matthew George "Matt" Reeves was born April 27, 1966 in Rockville Center, New York, USA and is a writer, director and producer. Reeves began making movies at age eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera. He befriended filmmaker J.J. Abrams when both were 13 years old and a public-access ...
Movies I've Seen: Cloverfield (7/10) Let Me In (8/10) Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (9/10) War For The Planet Of The Apes (8/10) The Batman (8/10)
63. Jeremy Saulnier
Cinematographer | Blue Ruin
Jeremy Saulnier has slyly defined a unique cinematic aesthetic that complements his idiosyncratic narrative premises. His sophomore feature, Blue Ruin (2013) a quirky, crime drama set in a pretty, but grimier part of suburban America was a festival darling and supplanted his name within the ...
Movies I've Seen: Murder Party (7/10) Blue Ruin (8/10) Green Room (9/10) Hold the Dark (7/10)
64. Martin Scorsese
Producer | Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York City, to Catherine Scorsese (née Cappa) and Charles Scorsese, who both worked in Manhattan's garment district, and whose families both came from Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later ...
Movies I've Seen:
Taxi Driver (8/10)
Raging Bull (7/10)
Goodfellas (9/10)
Casino (8/10)
Gangs Of New York (7/10)
The Aviator (7/10)
The Departed (9/10)
Shutter Island (8/10)
Hugo (7/10)
The Wolf Of Wall Street (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Mean Streets, The King Of Comedy, Cape Fear, Bringing Out The Dead, The Irishman & Silence.
65. Ridley Scott
Producer | The Martian
Described by film producer Michael Deeley as "the very best eye in the business", director Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. His father was an officer in the Royal Engineers and the family followed him as his career posted him throughout the United Kingdom ...
Movies I've Seen:
Alien (7/10)
Bladerunner (6/10)
Legend (5/10)
Thelma and Louise (7/10)
Gladiator (9/10)
Black Hawk Down (9/10)
Matchstick Men (8/10)
Kingdom Of Heaven (7/10)
American Gangster (8/10)
Prometheus (7/10)
The Martian (8/10)
Alien: Covenant (7/10)
The Last Duel (8/10)
House of Gucci (6/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Black Rain and Body Of Lies.
66. M. Night Shyamalan
Producer | Lady in the Water
Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.
He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil ...
Movies I've Seen:
The Sixth Sense (8/10)
Unbreakable (9/10)
Signs (8/10)
The Last Airbender (3/10)
After Earth (3/10)
The Visit (7/10)
Split (8/10)
Glass (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Old & The Village.
67. 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 ...
Movies I've Seen:
Dawn of The Dead (9/10)
300 (9/10)
Watchmen (10/10)
Sucker Punch (8/10)
Man of Steel (9/10)
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice (8/10)
Justice League (8/10)
Army of the Dead (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: The Guardians of Ga'Hoole.
68. Sion Sono
Director | Ai no mukidashi
Shion Sono is a Japanese director, writer and poet. Born in Aichi Perfecture in 1961 he started his career working as a poet before taking his first steps in film directing. As a student he shot a series of short films in Super 8 and managed to make his first feature films in the late 80s and early...
Movies I've Seen:
Suicide Club (7/10)
Cold Fish (7/10)
Guilty of Romance (7/10)
Why Don't You Play in Hell (8/10)
Tag (8/10)
Antiporno (7/10)
Prisoner of the Ghostland (5/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Noriko's Dinner Table, Strange Circus, Hazard, Exte, Love Exposure, Himizu, The Land of Hope, The Whispering Star.
69. Steven Spielberg
Producer | Schindler's List
One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...
Movies I've Seen:
Jaws (8/10)
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (7/10)
Raiders Of The Lost Ark (8/10)
E.T (8/10)
The Temple Of Doom (8/10)
The Last Crusade (8/10)
Jurassic Park (9/10)
Schindler's List (9/10)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (7/10)
Saving Private Ryan (10/10)
A.I. (7/10)
Minority Report (9/10)
Catch Me If You Can (8/10)
The Terminal (8/10)
War Of The Worlds (7/10)
The Adventures of Tintin (7/10)
Bridge Of Spies (8/10)
Ready Player One (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Empire Of The Sun.
70. Chad Stahelski
Producer | John Wick: Chapter 4
He came from a kick-boxing background; he entered the film field as a stunt performer at the age of 24. Before that, he worked as an instructor at the Inosanto Martial Arts Academy in California, teaching Jeet Kune Do/Jun Fan. After doing numerous roles in low budget martial art movies like Mission...
Movies I've Seen: John Wick (9/10) John Wick 2 (8/10) John Wick 3 (9/10)
71. 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...
Movies I've Seen:
Reservoir Dogs (8/10)
Pulp Fiction (9/10)
Jackie Brown (7/10)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (9/10)
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (9/10)
Death Proof (7/10)
Inglourious Basterds (8/10)
Django Unchained (9/10)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Hateful Eight.
72. 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, ...
Movies I've Seen:
Good Will Hunting (9/10)
Elephant (7/10)
Paranoid Park (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Milk and The Sea Of Trees.
73. Matthew Vaughn
Producer | Kick-Ass
Matthew Vaughn is an English film producer and director. He is known for producing such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000) and for directing the crime thriller, Layer Cake (2004), the fantasy epic, Stardust (2007), the superhero comedy, Kick-Ass (2010), and the ...
Movies I've Seen: Layer Cake (7/10) Stardust (8/10) Kick-ass (10/10) X-men: First Class (9/10) Kingsman: The Secret Service (9/10) Kingsman: The Golden Circle (8/10)
74. Paul Verhoeven
Director | RoboCop
Paul Verhoeven graduated from the University of Leiden, with a degree in math and physics. He entered the Royal Netherlands Navy, where he began his film career by making documentaries for the Navy and later for TV. In 1969, he directed the popular Dutch TV series, Floris (1969), about a medieval ...
Movies I've Seen:
Robocop (8/10)
Total Recall (9/10)
Starship Troopers (8/10)
Elle (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Black book & Benedetta.
75. Denis Villeneuve
Director | Dune
Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He was born in 1967, in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. He started his career as a filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada. He is best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), ...
Movies I've Seen: Polytechnique (8/10) Incendies (9/10) Prisoners (9/10) Enemy (8/10) Sicario (8/10) Arrival (9/10) Bladerunner 2049 (7/10) Dune (7/10)
76. Thomas Vinterberg
Director | Jagten
With Sidste omgang (1993) (Last Round), his graduation short from The National Film School of Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg got an early taste of critical success. He received the Jury's and Producers' Awards at the International Student Film Fest in Munich and won the 1st Prize at the Tel Aviv Film ...
Movies I've Seen:
The Celebration (9/10)
The Hunt (10/10)
Another Round (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Submarino & Far From the Madding Crowd.
77. Lilly Wachowski
Writer | The Matrix
Director, writer, and producer Lilly Wachowski was born in 1967 in Chicago, the daughter of Lynne, a nurse and painter, and Ron, a businessman. Lilly was educated at Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago, before moving on to Whitney M. Young High School. After graduating from high school, she ...
Movies I've Seen:
Bound (8/10)
The Matrix (10/10)
The Matrix Reloaded (9/10)
The Matrix Revolutions (8/10)
Speed Racer (7/10)
Cloud Atlas (8/10)
Matrix Resurrections (7/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Jupiter Ascending.
78. James Wan
Writer | Saw
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian film producer, screenwriter and film director of Malaysian Chinese descent. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the puppet. Wan has also directed Dead Silence (2007), Death Sentence (2007), Insidious (2010)...
Movies I've Seen:
Saw (8/10)
Death Sentence (8/10)
Insidious (7/10)
The Conjuring (9/10)
Furious 7 (7/10)
The Conjuring 2 (8/10)
Aquaman (8/10)
Malignant (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Insidious 2.
79. Ti West
Director | Pearl
Ti West is most notable for directing horror films, as well as being an actor, writer, producer, and editor. Ti broke out, after directing various projects, in 2009, when he directed two feature films - 2009's The House Of The Devil and Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. Ti later directed, with his ...
Movies I've Seen:
The House of the Devil (8/10)
The Innkeepers (8/10)
V/H/S (7/10)
The Sacrament (7/10)
In a Valley of Violence (8/10)
X (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Cabin Fever 2 & Pearl.
80. 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 ...
Movies I've Seen: Serenity (10/10) Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog (9/10) The Avengers (9/10) Much Ado About Nothing (7/10) Avengers Age Of Ultron (8/10)
81. Leigh Whannell
Actor | Saw
Leigh Whannell grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where, at the age of four, he developed an obsession with telling stories. Whether it be through acting, writing or filmmaking, his primary love was getting a reaction from an audience. In 1995, at the age of 18, he was accepted into the Royal ...
Movies I've Seen:
Upgrade (9/10)
The Invisible Man (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Insidious 3.
82. Billy Wilder
Writer | The Apartment
Originally planning to become a lawyer, Billy Wilder abandoned that career in favor of working as a reporter for a Viennese newspaper, using this experience to move to Berlin, where he worked for the city's largest tabloid. He broke into films as a screenwriter in 1929 and wrote scripts for many ...
Movies I've Seen:
Double Indemnity (9/10)
Some Like It Hot (9/10)
The Apartment (9/10
Movies in Watchlist: The Major and the Minor, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Blvd., Ace in the Hole, Stalag 17, Sabrina, The Seven Year Itch, Witness for the Prosecution.
83. Adam Wingard
Director | V/H/S
At 19 Adam got his start in feature film making early with his directorial debut Home Sick, a slasher horror film starring Bill Moseley and Tom Toweles. However it was his second effort at 24 years old with the film Pop Skull that garnered him a talent to watch. Made for a budget of around 2000 ...
Movies I've Seen:
You're Next (9/10)
V/H/S (7/10)
V/H/S 2 (8/10)
The Guest (9/10)
Death Note (5/10)
Godzilla Vs. Kong (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Home Sick & Blair Witch.
84. John Woo
Director | Ying hung boon sik
Born in southern China, John Woo grew up in Hong Kong, where he began his film career as an assistant director in 1969, working for Shaw Brothers Studios. He directed his first feature in 1973 and has been a prolific director ever since, working in a wide variety of genres before A Better Tomorrow ...
Movies I've Seen:
The Killer (9/10)
Hard Boiled (9/10)
Hard Target (7/10)
Face/Off (8/10)
Mission Impossible 2 (6/10)
Movies In Watchlist: A Better Tomorrow, Red Cliff, and Red Cliff 2.
85. Edgar Wright
Director | Shaun of the Dead
Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for his comedic Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy consisting of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), made with recurrent collaborators Simon Pegg...
Movies I've Seen: Shaun Of The Dead (10/10) Hot Fuzz (10/10) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (10/10) The World's End (10/10) Baby Driver (9/10) Last Night in Soho (8/10)
86. Wilson Yip
Director | Ip Man
Wilson Yip is known for Ip Man (2008), Kill Zone (2005) and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019).
Movies I've Seen:
Kill Zone (8/10)
Flash Point (8/10)
Ip Man (10/10)
Ip Man 2 (8/10)
Ip Man 3 (8/10)
Paradox (8/10)
Ip Man 4 (8/10)
Movies in Watchlist: Bio-Zombie & Juliet in Love.
87. S. Craig Zahler
Writer | Bone Tomahawk
S. Craig Zahler was born on January 23, 1973 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Bone Tomahawk (2015), Dragged Across Concrete (2018) and Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017).
Movies I've Seen: Bone Tomahawk (8/10) Brawl in Cell Block 99 (9/10) Dragged Across Concrete (8/10)
88. Robert Zemeckis
Writer | Back to the Future
A whiz-kid with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone (1984), 1941 (1979)) and special effect ...
Movies I've Seen:
Back To The Future (9/10)
Back To The Future II (8/10)
Forrest Gump (8/10)
Cast Away (8/10)
Beowulf (6/10)
Flight (8/10)
Movies In Watchlist: Romancing The Stone, Back To The Future III, What Lies Beneath, Contact & The Walk
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