Best Directors & Creators

1. 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 ...

The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut (40 points = 3,63 + 1,1 = 4,73)

2. 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.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg but that's OK, Thirst, Stoker, The Handmaiden (27 points = 3,85 + 0,7 = 4,55)

3. 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,...

Dogtooth, Alps, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Favourite (20 points = 4 + 0,5 =4,50)

4. 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 ...

The Celebration, Submarino, The Hunt, The Commune, Another Round (20 points = 4 + 0,5 = 4,50)

5. 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), ...

Maelström, Polytechnique, Incendies, Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Dune (32 points = 3,55+0,9 = 4,45)

6. 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 ...

Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers, No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davies, Hail Caesar!, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (45 points = 2,64 + 1,7 = 4,34)

7. Ethan Coen

Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The younger brother of Joel, Ethan Coen is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning writer, producer and director coming from small independent films to big profile Hollywood films. He was born on September 21, 1957 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In some films of the brothers- Ethan & Joel wrote, Joel...

Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers, No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davies, Hail Caesar!, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (45 points = 2,64 + 1,7 = 4,34)

8. Emir Kusturica

Director | Underground

A Serbian film director. Born in 1954 in Sarajevo. Graduated in film directing at the prestigious Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague in 1978. During his studies, he was awarded several times for his short movies including Guernica (1978), which took first prize at the Student's Film ...

Time of the Gypsies, Underground, Black Cat White Cat (13 points = 4,33)

9. 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 ...

Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, After Hours, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence (42 points = 2,8 + 1,5 = 4,3)

10. Francis Ford Coppola

Producer | Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician. His mother, Italia Coppola (née Pennino), had been an actress. Francis Ford Coppola graduated ...

The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part III, Dracula (22 points = 3,66 + 0,6 = 4,26)

11. 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...

Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill vol. 1, Kill Bill vol. 2, Inglorious Basterds, Death Proof, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (32 points = 3,20 + 1 = 4,20)

12. Lars von Trier

Writer | Dancer in the Dark

Probably the most ambitious and visually distinctive filmmaker to emerge from Denmark since Carl Theodor Dreyer over 60 years earlier, Lars von Trier studied film at the Danish Film School and attracted international attention with his very first feature, The Element of Crime (1984). A highly ...

"The Kingdom", Breaking the Waves, Dogville, The Boss of it All, Antichrist, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac vol. 1 (24 points = 3,42 + 0,7 = 4,12)

13. 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 ...

Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel, Birdman, The Revenant (18 points = 3,6+0,5 = 4,10)

14. 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 ...

Following, Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet (33 points = 3 + 1,1 = 4,10)

15. 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 ...

Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Where the Wild Things Are, Her (16 points = 4,0)

16. Roy Andersson

Director | En kärlekshistoria

Roy Arne Lennart Andersson is a Swedish film director, best known for his distinctive style of absurdist humor and melancholic depictions of human life. His personal style is characterized by long takes, and stiff caricaturing of Swedish culture and grotesque. Over his career Andersson earned ...

A Swedish Love Story, Songs from the Second Floor, You the Living (12 points = 4,0)

17. 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 ...

Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, Trance, Steve Jobs, Trainspotting 2 (27 points = 3 + 0,9 = 3,90)

18. Taika Waititi

Producer | What We Do in the Shadows

Taika Waititi, also known as Taika Cohen, hails from the Raukokore region of the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, and is the son of Robin (Cohen), a teacher, and Taika Waititi, an artist and farmer. His father is Maori (Te-Whanau-a-Apanui), and his mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish...

Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit (17 points = 3,4 + 0,5 = 3,90)

19. Sergio Leone

Writer | Once Upon a Time in America

Sergio Leone was virtually born into the cinema - he was the son of Roberto Roberti (A.K.A. Vincenzo Leone), one of Italy's cinema pioneers, and actress Bice Valerian. Leone entered films in his late teens, working as an assistant director to both Italian directors and U.S. directors working in ...

A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America (17 points = 3,4 + 0,5 = 3,90)

20. 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 ...

Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, "Twin Peaks", Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Lost Highway, The Straight Story, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire, "Twin Peaks: The Return" (28 points = 2,8 + 1 = 3,80)

21. 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.

Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Coffee & Cigarettes, Broken Flowers, Only Lovers Left Alive, Paterson (19 points = 3,16 + 0,6 = 3,76)

22. 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...

Whiplash, La La Land, First Man (11 points = 3,66)

23. 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 ...

Memories of Murder, The Host, Mother, Snowpiercer, Okja, Parasite (18 points = 3 + 0,6 = 3,6)

24. 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 ...

The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch (22 points = 2,75 + 0,8 = 3,55)

25. 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...

Alien 3, Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl (25 points = 2,50 + 1 = 3,50)

26. Ingmar Bergman

Writer | Smultronstället

Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born July 14, 1918, the son of a priest. The film and T.V. series, The Best Intentions (1992) is biographical and shows the early marriage of his parents. The film Sunday's Children (1992) depicts a bicycle journey with his father. In the miniseries Private Confessions (...

Summer with Monika, The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona (14 points = 3,50)

27. Hayao Miyazaki

Writer | Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking visuals in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan.

Miyazaki started his career in 1963 as an animator at the ...

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away (14 points = 3,5)

28. Ruben Östlund

Director | Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund was born on April 13, 1974 in Styrsö, Västra Götalands län, Sweden. He is a director and editor, known for Triangle of Sadness (2022), Force Majeure (2014) and The Square (2017). He was previously married to Andrea Östlund.

Gitarrmongot, Involuntary, Force Majeure, The Square (14 points = 3,50)

29. 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 ...

Y Tu Mamá También, The Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men, Gravity, Roma (15 points = 3 + 0,5 = 3,5)

30. Shane Meadows

Director | This Is England

Shane Meadows was born on December 26, 1972 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for This Is England (2006), Dead Man's Shoes (2004) and TwentyFourSeven (1997).

Somers Town, A Room For Romeo Brass, Dead Man's Shoes, This is England, "This is England" (15 points = 3 + 0,5 = 3,5)

31. 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 ...

Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Mother! (17 points = 2,83 + 0,6 = 3,43)

32. Michael Haneke

Writer | Caché

A true master of his craft, Michael Haneke is one of the greatest film artists working today and one who challenges his viewers each year and work goes by, with films that reflect real portions of life in realistic, disturbing and unforgettable ways. One of the most genuine filmmakers of the world ...

Benny's Video, The Piano Teacher, Caché, Funny Games U.S., Amour, Happy End (17 points = 2,83 + 0,6 = 3,43)

33. 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...

Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread (10 points = 3,33)

34. Elia Kazan

Director | On the Waterfront

Known for his creative stage direction, Elia Kazan was born Elias Kazantzoglou on September 7, 1909 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey). Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He ...

A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, East of Eden (10 points = 3,33)

35. Andrei Tarkovsky

Writer | Offret

The most famous Soviet film-maker since Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky (the son of noted poet Arseniy Tarkovsky) studied music and Arabic in Moscow before enrolling in the Soviet film school VGIK. He shot to international attention with his first feature, Ivan's Childhood (1962), which won the...

Solaris, Stalker, The Sacrifice (10 points = 3,33)

36. Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Actress | Solo: A Star Wars Story

Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge is an English actress, producer, and writer. She created, wrote, and starred in the Channel 4 sitcom Crashing (2016) and the BBC comedy-drama series Fleabag (2016-2019). She was also the show-runner and executive producer for the first series of the BBC America thriller ...

"Crashing", "Fleabag", "Killing Eve" (10 points = 3,33)

37. Damon Lindelof

Producer | Lost

Damon Lindelof was born on April 24, 1973 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Lost (2004), The Leftovers (2014) and Watchmen (2019). He has been married to Heidi Fugeman since May 28, 2005. They have one child.

"Lost", "The Leftovers", "Watchmen" (10 points = 3,33)

38. Trey Parker

Music_department | South Park

Trey was born in Conifer, Colorado, on October 19, 1969 to Randy Parker, a geologist, and Sharon Parker, an insurance broker. He has an older sister, Shelley Parker. He met Matt Stone (co-creator of South Park (1997)) while attending the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he had a double ...

"South Park", South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, Team America: World Police (10 points = 3,33)

39. 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. ...

Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, School of Rock, A Scanner Darkly, Boyhood (14 points = 2,8 + 0,5 = 3,30)

40. 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 ...

Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds (16 points = 2,66 + 0,6 = 3,26)

41. Tom Tykwer

Writer | Lola rennt

Director, writer, producer and composer Tom Tykwer was born in 1965 in Wuppertal, Germany. He showed an interest in film-making from childhood, making super 8 films from the age of 11. Among his first jobs was working at a local art-house cinema. Tykwer eventually relocated to Berlin, first working...

Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior, Heaven, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The International, Cloud Atlas (16 points = 2,66 + 0,6 = 3,26)

42. 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 ...

Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, Matchstick Men, Kingdom of Heaven, A Good Year, American Gangster, Body of Lies, Robin Hood, Prometheus, The Martian, Alien: Covenant (25 points = 1,66 + 1,5 = 3,16)

43. 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, ...

Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Hook, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan, A.I., Minority Report, Catch Me if You Can, War of the Worlds, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull, The Adventures of Tintin (24 points = 1,41 + 1,7 = 3,11)

44. Roman Polanski

Director | Chinatown

Roman Polanski is a Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few truly international filmmakers. Roman Polanski was born in Paris in 1933.

His parents returned to Poland from France in 1936, three years ...

Repulsion, Cul-de-sac, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Bitter Moon, The Ninth Gate, The Pianist, The Ghostwriter, Carnage, An Officer and a Spy (21 points = 2,10 + 1 = 3,10)

45. 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 ...

Scarface, The Untouchables, Raising Cain, Carlito's Way, Mission Impossible (13 points = 2,6 + 0,5 = 3,10)

46. Nicolas Winding Refn

Writer | The Neon Demon

Writer, director, and producer Nicolas Winding Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1970, to Anders Refn, a film director and editor, and Vibeke Winding (née Tuxen), a cinematographer. Just before he turned 11, in 1981, he moved to New York with his parents, where he lived out his teen years. ...

Pusher, Pusher II, Pusher III, Bronson, Drive, The Neon Demon (15 points = 2,5 + 0,6 = 3,10)

47. Stephen Merchant

Producer | Extras

Stephen James Merchant is an English actor, comedian, director, presenter and writer.

Alongside Ricky Gervais, Merchant was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series The Office (2001-2003), and co-writer, co-director, and co-star of both Extras (2005-2007) and Life's Too Short (...

"The Office", "Extras", Cemetary Junction, "Hello Ladies", Fighting With My Family (13 points = 2,6 + 0,5 = 3,10)

48. 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 ...

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Timebandits, The Meaning of Life, Brazil, The Fisher King, Twelve Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Brothers Grimm, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, The Zero Theorem (20 points = 2 + 1,0 = 3,0)

49. Rian Johnson

Producer | Knives Out

Rian Johnson was born in Maryland and at a young age his family moved to San Clemente, California, where he was raised. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His first feature film, Brick (2005), was released in 2005 ...

Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Knives Out (12 points = 3.0)

50. Per Åhlin

Director | Dunderklumpen!

Per Åhlin was born on August 7, 1931 in Hofors, Gävleborgs län, Sweden. He was a director, known for Dunderklumpen! (1974), The Journey to Melonia (1989) and Alfons Åberg (1979). He died on May 1, 2023 in Malmö, Sweden.

Dunderklumpen, Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons Julafton, Resan till Melonia, "Alfons Åberg", Hundhotellet (15 points = 3.0)

51. Vince Gilligan

Producer | The X Files

George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul. He was a writer and producer for The ...

"The X-Files", "Breaking Bad", "Better Call Saul", El Camino (12 points = 3,0)

52. 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 ...

The Devil's Backbone, Blade II, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Crimson Peak, The Shape of Water (16 points = 2,28 + 0,7 = 2,98)

53. 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...

"Spaced", Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The World's End, Baby Driver, Last Night in Soho (16 points = 2,28 + 0,7 = 2,98)

54. Olle Hellbom

Director | Bröderna Lejonhjärta

Olle Hellbom was born on October 8, 1925 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was a director and producer, known for The Brothers Lionheart (1977), Tjorven, Batsman, and Moses (1964) and Raggare! (1959). He died on June 5, 1982 in Stockholm, Sweden.

"Vi På Saltkråkan", Skrållan, Ruskprick och Knorrhane, "Pippi Långstrump", Pippi Långstrump på de Sju Haven, På Rymmen med Pippi Långstrump, "Emil i Lönneberga", Bröderna Lejonhjärta, Rasmus på Luffen (17 points = 2,12 + 0,8 = 2,92)

55. Susanne Bier

Director | Hævnen

Though Academy Award®, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award winning writer and director Susanne Bier's work often plays out against a wide-reaching global backdrop, its focus is intimate, carefully exploring the explosive emotions and complexities of familial bonds. This unique combination is part of ...

Once in a Lifetime, After the Wedding, In a Better World, "The Night Manager", Bird Box (12 points = 2,4 + 0,5 = 2,9)

56. Wolfgang Reitherman

Director | The AristoCats

Wolfgang Reitherman was a German-born American animator who was one of Disney's Nine Old Men.

He began working for Disney in 1933, along with future Disney legends Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl. The three worked together on a number of classic Disney shorts.

Reitherman directed several Disney animated ...

101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The AristoCats, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers (15 points = 2,14 + 0,7 = 2,84)

57. Tim Burton

Producer | Edward Scissorhands

Timothy Walter Burton was born in Burbank, California, to Jean Rae (Erickson), who owned a cat-themed gift shop, and William Reed Burton, who worked for the Burbank Park and Recreation Department. He spent most of his childhood as a recluse, drawing cartoons, and watching old movies (he was ...

Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (19 points = 1,33 + 1,5 = 2,83)

58. Fernando Meirelles

Director | The Constant Gardener

Fernando Meirelles was born in a middle class family in São Paulo City, Brazil.

He studied architecture at the university of São Paulo. At the same time he developed an interest in filmmaking. With a group of friends he started producing experimental videos and video art. They won a huge number of ...

City of God, The Constant Gardener, Blindness, The Two Popes (11 points = 2,75)

59. Pete Docter

Writer | Up

Pete Docter is the Oscar®-winning director of "Monsters, Inc.," "Up," and "Inside Out," and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. He is currently directing Pixar's feature film "Soul" with producer Dana Murray, which is set to release June 19, 2020.

Starting at Pixar in 1990 as the ...

Monster's Inc., Up, Inside Out, Soul (11 points = 2,75)

60. Ron Clements

Writer | Hercules

Ron Clements is an American animated film director who collaborates with John Musker. They directed various Disney animated films including The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog and Moana. The Little Mermaid and Aladdin are ...

The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, Moana (13 points = 2,16 + 0,6 = 2,66)

61. John Musker

Writer | Hercules

John Musker is an American animated film director who collaborates with Ron Clements. They directed various Disney animated films including The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog and Moana. The Little Mermaid and Aladdin are ...

The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, Moana (13 points = 2,16 + 0,6 = 2,66)

62. 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-...

American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, Skyfall, Spectre, 1917 (13 points = 1,85 + 0,7 = 2,55)

63. Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Director | Un long dimanche de fiançailles

Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a self-taught director who was very quickly interested by cinema, with a predilection for a fantastic cinema where form is as important as the subject. Thus he started directing TV commercials and video clips (such as Julien Clerc in 1984). At the same time he met designer/...

Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Alien: Resurrection, Amelie (10 points = 2,50)

64. Anthony Russo

Producer | Everything Everywhere All at Once

Anthony J. Russo is an American filmmaker and producer who works alongside his brother Joseph Russo. They have directed You, Me and Dupree, Cherry and the Marvel films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Endgame is one of ...

You Me and Dupree, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame (10 points = 2 + 0,5 = 2,50)

65. Joe Russo

Director | Avengers: Endgame

Joseph Vincent Russo is an American filmmaker and producer who works alongside his brother Anthony Russo. They have directed You, Me and Dupree, Cherry and the Marvel films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Endgame is one ...

You Me and Dupree, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame (10 points = 2 + 0,5 = 2,50)

66. John McTiernan

Director | Die Hard

John McTiernan was born on January 8, 1951 in Albany, New York, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Die Hard (1988), Rollerball (2002) and Last Action Hero (1993). He has been married to Gail Sistrunk since 2012. He was previously married to Kate Harrington, Donna Dubrow and Carol Land.

Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, Last Action Hero, Die Hard: With a Vengeance (10 points = 2 + 0,5 = 2,5)

67. Stephen Frears

Director | Dangerous Liaisons

Stephen started off in a career in the legal profession before switching to work as an assistant stage manager at London's Royal Court which led to work as an assistant director on films by Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson He directed his first short in 1967 and his feature debut, Gumshoe, in 1971....

High Fidelity, Dirty Pretty Things, The Queen, Philomena (10 points = 2,5)

68. Tomas Alfredson

Director | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tomas Alfredson was born on April 1, 1965 in Lidingö, Stockholms län, Sweden. He is a director, known for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Let the Right One In (2008) and The Snowman (2017). He is married to Charlotte Alfredson. They have one child. He was previously married to Cissi Elwin.

"Bert", Screwed in Tallinn, Four Shades of Brown, Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (10 points = 2 + 0,5 = 2,5)

69. Lasse Hallström

Director | What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Lasse Hallström inherited his enthusiasm for film from his father, who was an amateur filmmaker. In high school he made his first short film, which was released on Swedish television. Hallström then began working as a director, cameraman and editor for Swedish television. He also made music videos ...

My Life as a Dog, "Alla vi Barn i Bullerbyn", What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat (10 points = 2 + 0,5 = 2,5)

70. Rob Reiner

Actor | All in the Family

Robert Reiner was born in New York City, to Estelle Reiner (née Lebost) and Emmy-winning actor, comedian, writer, and producer Carl Reiner.

As a child, his father was his role model, as Carl Reiner created and starred in The Dick Van Dyke Show. Estelle was also an inspiration for him to become a ...

This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery (10 points = 2 + 0,5 = 2,5)

71. 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...

The Dead Zone, Naked Lunch, Crash, Existenz, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises (11 points = 1,83 + 0,6 = 2,43)

72. 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. ...

Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game, "The Haunting of Hill House", Doctor Sleep, "The Haunting of Bly Manor", "Midnight Mass" (12 points = 1,71 + 0,7 = 2,41)

73. Paul Feig

Producer | Freaks and Geeks

Paul Feig is an American film director and writer who is known for creating Freaks and Geeks and directing Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy and A Simple Favor. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy. He also directed the highly controversial 2016 reboot of ...

"Freaks & Geeks", Unaccompanied Minors, Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy, Ghostbusters, A Simple Favor (12 points = 1,71 + 0,7 = 2,41)

74. 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 ...

Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, Braindead, Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, The Lovely Bones, An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies (13 points = 1,08 + 1,2 = 2,28)

75. James Mangold

Producer | Logan

James Mangold is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer. Films he has directed include Girl, Interrupted (1999), Walk the Line (2005), which he also co-wrote, the 2007 remake 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Wolverine (2013), and Logan (2017).

Mangold also wrote and directed Cop...

Girl Interrupted, Identity, 3:10 to Yuma, Knight and Day, The Wolverine, Logan (10 points = 1,66 + 0,6 = 2,26)

76. Wilfred Jackson

Director | Cinderella

Wilfred Jackson was born on January 24, 1906 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a director, known for Cinderella (1950), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on August 7, 1988 in Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California, USA.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp (10 points = 1,42 + 0,7 = 2,12)

77. Richard Donner

Director | Superman

Richard Donner was born on April 24, 1930 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Superman (1978), Ladyhawke (1985) and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980). He was married to Lauren Shuler Donner. He died on July 5, 2021 in Los Angeles, ...

The Omen, Superman, Superman II, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon, Scrooged, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 4, 16 Blocks (11 points = 1,22 + 0,9 = 2,12)

78. Chris Columbus

Producer | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Ohio, Chris Columbus was first inspired to make movies after seeing "The Godfather" at age 15. After enrolling at NYU film school, he sold his first screenplay (never produced) while a sophomore there. After graduation Columbus tried to sell his fourth script, "...

Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Mrs. Doubtfire, Nine Months, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (10 points = 1,42 + 0,7 = 2,12)

79. 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 ...

Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future Part II, Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump, Contact, Cast Away, The Polar Express, The Walk (10 points = 1,11 + 0,9 = 2,01)

80. 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 ...

The VVitch: A New England Folktale, The Lighthouse (9 points)

81. 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).

In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (9 points)

82. Ken Loach

Director | I, Daniel Blake

Unlike virtually all his contemporaries, Ken Loach has never succumbed to the siren call of Hollywood, and it's virtually impossible to imagine his particular brand of British socialist realism translating well to that context.

After studying law at St. Peter's College, Oxford, he branched out into ...

The Wind That Shakes the Barley, I Daniel Blake, Sorry We Missed You (9 points)

83. Milos Forman

Director | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Milos Forman was born Jan Tomas Forman in Caslav, Czechoslovakia, to Anna (Svabova), who ran a summer hotel, and Rudolf Forman, a professor. During World War II, his parents were taken away by the Nazis, after being accused of participating in the underground resistance. His father died in ...

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Hair, Amadeus (9 points)

84. Yimou Zhang

Director | Ying xiong

Yimou Zhang was born on November 14, 1951 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. He is a director and writer, known for Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He has been married to Ting Chen since December 2011. They have three children. He was previously married to ...

Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower (9 points)

85. Bernardo Bertolucci

Writer | Il conformista

Bernardo Bertolucci, the Italian director whose films were known for their colorful visual style, was born in Parma, Italy. He attended Rome University and became famous as a poet. He served as assistant director for Pier Paolo Pasolini in the film Accattone (1961) and directed The Grim Reaper (...

Last Tango in Paris, Novecento, The Last Emperor (9 points)

86. Cary Joji Fukunaga

Producer | Beasts of No Nation

Cary Joji Fukunaga is a Japanese-American film director, screenwriter, cinematographer and producer from Oakland, California who is known for directing the James Bond film No Time to Die, Kofi, Beasts of No Nation, Jane Eyre and Sin Nombre. He co-wrote the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King ...

Sin Nombre, "True Detective S1", No Time to Die (9 points)

87. Sam Peckinpah

Writer | The Wild Bunch

"If they move", commands stern-eyed William Holden, "kill 'em". So begins The Wild Bunch (1969), Sam Peckinpah's bloody, high-body-count eulogy to the mythologized Old West. "Pouring new wine into the bottle of the Western, Peckinpah explodes the bottle", observed critic Pauline Kael. That ...

The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, The Getaway, The Osterman Weekend (9 points)

88. 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 ...

Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment (9 points)

89. Valerie Faris

Director | Little Miss Sunshine

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have built an impressive body of work by perpetually seeking innovative projects in a variety of mediums.

After introducing bands such as REM and The Red Hot Chili Peppers on their ground breaking MTV show The Cutting Edge, Jonathan and Valerie continued to work in ...

Little Miss Sunshine, Ruby Sparks, Battle of the Sexes, "Living With Yourself" (9 points)

90. Jonathan Dayton

Director | Little Miss Sunshine

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have built an impressive body of work by perpetually seeking innovative projects in a variety of mediums.

After introducing bands such as R.E.M. and Red Hot Chili Peppers on their ground-breaking MTV show The Cutting Edge (1992), Jonathan and Valerie continued to ...

Little Miss Sunshine, Ruby Sparks, Battle of the Sexes, "Living With Yourself" (9 points)

91. 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, ...

Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester, Elephant, Milk (9 points)

92. David O. Russell

Director | American Hustle

David Owen Russell is an American film writer, director, and producer, known for a cinema of intense, tragi-comedic characters whose love of life can surpass dark circumstances faced in very specific worlds. His films address such themes as mental illness as stigma or hope; invention of self and ...

Flirting with Disaster, Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Joy (9 points)

93. Francis Lawrence

Director | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Francis Lawrence is an American filmmaker. He started directing over sixty music videos before he directed the cult classic Keanu Reeves film Constantine, I Am Legend and Water for Elephants. He also directed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2, and Red ...

Constantine, I Am Legend, Water for Elephants, Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part I, Mockingjay Part II, Red Sparrow (9 points)

94. Bryan Singer

Director | X-Men

Bryan Singer is an American film director and producer who got his start writing and co-directing the short film Lions Den with his classmates while he attended USC. He was hired by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men, which helped kick-start the superhero renaissance. He later directed three sequels....

The Usual Suspects, X-Men, X-Men 2, Valkyrie, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Bohemian Rhapsody (9 points)

95. 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 ...

Hereditary, Midsommar (8 points)

96. Hans Alfredson

Actor | Den enfaldige mördaren

During 1956-60 Hans Alfredson worked at Sveriges Radio together with Tage Danielsson. They wrote, directed and starred in several revues 1962-1982. As a director and scriptwriter for the screen Alfredson tried many different genres. He had his greatest critical successes with Ägget är l&...

Egg Egg, The Simple-Minded Murderer (8 points)

97. Dan Harmon

Writer | Rick and Morty

Dan Harmon was born on January 3, 1973 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He is best known as the creator, writing, and producer for Community (2009) and Rick and Morty (2013). He also is known for writing and producing earlier works such as Computerman (2003), and Laser Fart (2004). He was previously ...

"Community", "Rick & Morty" (8 points)

98. Sebastián Silva

Writer | Tyrel

Sebastián Silva was born on April 9, 1979 in Santiago, Metropolitan Region, Chile. He is a writer and director, known for Tyrel (2018), The Maid (2009) and Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus (2013).

Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus, Magic Magic, Nasty Baby (8 points)

99. Jonathan Glazer

Director | Under the Skin

Jonathan first found fame for his revolutionary work on Radiohead's 'Street Spirit' and Jamiroquai's multi-MTV award winning 'Virtual Insanity' video.

In 1999 he directed the ground-breaking Guinness 'Surfer', which picked up 2 D&AD Black Pencils and the top spot at most of the other awards ...

Sexy Beast, Birth, Under the Skin (8 points)

100. Mathieu Kassovitz

Actor | Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

Mathieu Kassovitz was born on August 3, 1967 in Paris, France. He is an actor and director, known for Amélie (2001), La haine (1995) and The Fifth Element (1997).

La Haine, The Crimson Rivers, Gothika (8 points)