The Best Directors Ever - 2020s

1. Mstyslav Chernov

Mstyslav Chernov was born in 1985 in Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Kharkiv, Ukraine]. He is a director and writer, known for 20 Days in Mariupol (2023), Frontline (1983) and Moderated by Matt (2022).

859 points

2. Florian Zeller

Writer | The Father

Florian Zeller is a French writer and director. He is, according to the Times, "the most exciting playwright of our time." He has written more than 10 plays, which have been staged in more than 45 countries. His black-comedy play "The Father" is one of the outstanding hits of recent years. It has ...

843 points

3. Alexander Payne

Director | Nebraska

Director, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents, Peggy (Constantine) and George Payne, ran a Greek restaurant. His father is of Greek and German ancestry, and his mother is of Greek descent; the family name was originally Papadopoulos. He is the youngest...

837 points

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 ...

824 points

5. Paola Cortellesi

Actress | C'è ancora domani

Cortellesi debuted in the show business at the age of 13, as a singer for "Cacao meravigliao", the jingle of the popular RAI TV show "Indietro tutta!" by Renzo Arbore. At 19 she began studying as an actress at the Teatro Blu in Rome (the same theatre school that Kim Rossi Stuart, Gianmarco Tognazzi...

822 points

6. Santiago Mitre

Writer | Argentina, 1985

Santiago Mitre was born on December 4, 1980 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a writer and director, known for Argentina, 1985 (2022), Paulina (2015) and The Student (2011).

819 points

7. Edward Berger

Director | Im Westen nichts Neues

Edward Berger was born in 1970 in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. He is a director and writer, known for All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), Jack (2014) and Deutschland 83 (2015). He is married to Nele Mueller-Stöfen.

818 points

8. Davis Guggenheim

Producer | Training Day

Davis Guggenheim was born on November 3, 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Training Day (2001), Waiting for Superman (2010) and An Inconvenient Truth (2006). He has been married to Elisabeth Shue since August 1994. They have three children.

818 points

9. Justine Triet

Director | Anatomie d'une chute

Justine Triet is a graduate from the Paris National School of Fine Arts. Since then, she has directed a couple of films dealing with the place of the individual within a group: Sur place (2007) was shot right in the middle of the 2006 student protest; Solférino (2009) was filmed during the ...

810 points

10. Cord Jefferson

Writer | American Fiction

Cord Jefferson was born on January 26, 1982 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for American Fiction (2023), The Good Place (2016) and Watchmen (2019).

808 points

11. Chloé Zhao

Director | Nomadland

Chloé Zhao or Zhao Ting (born March 31, 1982) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and producer. Her debut feature film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015), premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Her second feature film, The Rider (2017), was critically acclaimed and received several accolades ...

804 points

12. Maria Schrader

Director | She Said

Maria Schrader was born in Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany, on September 27th, 1965. She directed and co-wrote the screenplay of the awards-winning film Liebesleben (2007). As well, she directed Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (2016) and the Emmy-award wining miniseries Unorthodox (2020) (...

512 points

13. Kenneth Branagh

Actor | Henry V

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and Joyce Branagh (born 1970). When he was nine, his family ...

399 points

14. J.A. Bayona

Director | La sociedad de la nieve

Juan Antonio García Bayona is a Spanish film director. He directed the 2007 horror film The Orphanage, the 2012 drama film The Impossible, and the 2016 fantasy drama film A Monster Calls. Bayona's latest film is the 2018 science fiction adventure film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the fifth ...

399 points

15. Emerald Fennell

Writer | Saltburn

Emerald Lilly Fennell is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Fennell first ...

399 points

16. Ruijun Li

Writer | Gaosu tamen, wo cheng baihe qu le

Ruijun Li was born on March 16, 1983 in Huaqiangzi, Gansu, China. He is a writer and director, known for Gaosu tamen, wo cheng baihe qu le (2012), River Road (2014) and Return to Dust (2022).

399 points

17. Darin J. Sallam

Director | Farha

Jordanian writer/director Darin J. Sallam holds an MFA from the Red Sea Institute for Cinematic Arts (RSICA), affiliated with the University of Southern California. To her credit are 5 award-winning shorts, including THE DARK OUTSIDE (2012) and THE PARROT (2016). A Berlinale Talent 2021, a Robert ...

397 points

18. 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 ...

395 points

19. Stéphanie Chuat

Director | Transatlantic

Stéphanie Chuat speaks French (mother language), English, German and Italian. She works as a "twin-engine" with Véronique Reymond. Both actresses, they have known each other since their childhood. They have performed in numerous theatrical productions and created many shows as a stage duo as well. ...

395 points

20. Véronique Reymond

Director | Transatlantic

Véronique Reymond speaks French (mother language), English, German and Italian. She works as a "twin-engine" with Stéphanie Chuat. Both actresses, they have known each other since their childhood. They have performed in numerous theatrical productions and created many shows as a stage duo as well. ...

395 points

21. Lukas Dhont

Director | Close

Belgian film director and screenwriter. He was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2019.

Dhont was born in Ghent, Belgium. His mother, Hilbe is a fashion teacher at an art school. He has a younger brother Michiel who is a producer. As a teenager, Dhont worked as a costume design assistant ...

394 points

22. Sarah Polley

Actress | My Life Without Me

Sarah Polley is an actress and director renowned in her native Canada for her political activism. Blessed with an extremely expressive face that enables directors to minimize dialog due to her uncanny ability to suggest a character's thoughts, Polley has become a favorite of critics for her ...

394 points

23. Pippa Ehrlich

Director | My Octopus Teacher

Pippa Ehrlich is known for My Octopus Teacher (2020), My Mercury (2024) and Pangolin.

393 points

24. Ali Tabrizi

Director | Seaspiracy

Ali Tabrizi is known for Seaspiracy (2021), Ocean on Fire and Vegan 2018 (2018).

393 points

25. Kevin Macdonald

Director | The Last King of Scotland

Kevin Macdonald was born on October 28, 1967 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is a director and producer, known for The Last King of Scotland (2006), The Mauritanian (2021) and How I Live Now (2013). He has been married to Tatiana Macdonald since July 2, 1999. They have three children.

392 points

26. Ilker Çatak

Director | Das Lehrerzimmer

Ilker Çatak was born on January 11, 1984 in Berlin, Germany. He is a director and writer, known for The Teachers' Lounge (2023), I Was, I Am, I Will Be (2019) and Fidelity (2014).

392 points

27. 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,...

392 points

28. Todd Field

Director | Tár

William Todd Field was born in Pomona, California, and began acting after graduating from high school in Portland, Oregon, where he was raised. A budding jazz musician as well, he skipped college in favor of a move east to New York to study acting. Once there, he began performing with the Ark ...

391 points

29. Panah Panahi

Director | Jaddeh Khaki

Panah Panahi was born in 1984 in Tehran,Iran. He is a director and writer, known for Hit the Road (2021), 3 Faces (2018) and Días de cine (1991).

391 points

30. 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 ...

390 points

31. Ron Howard

Producer | Arrested Development

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard is one of this generation's most popular directors. From the critically acclaimed dramas A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Apollo 13 (1995) to the hit comedies Parenthood (1989) and Splash (1983), he has created some of Hollywood's most memorable films.

Howard ...

389 points

32. Max Jabs

Director | Biking Borders

Max Jabs is known for Biking Borders (2021).

389 points

33. 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 ...

389 points

34. 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 ...

388 points

35. Paolo Sorrentino

Writer | È stata la mano di Dio

Director and screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino was born in Naples in 1970, and and became an orphan when he lost both of his parents at the age of 16. At the age of 25, after studying for a few years at the Faculty of Economics and Business in University of Naples Federico II, he decided to work in the...

258 points

36. Anders Thomas Jensen

Writer | Retfærdighedens ryttere

Anders Thomas Jensen was born on 6th April 1972 in Frederiksværk on Sjælland in Denmark to Carl Benny Jensen and Kirsten Jensen (born Sørensen). He attended the high school in Frederiksværk from 1988 to 1991. In 1990 while still in high school, he wrote and directed 10 år på bagen - 3 år i skyggen ...

258 points

37. Jasmila Zbanic

Writer | Quo vadis, Aida?

Jasmila Zbanic was born on December 19, 1974 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia. She is a writer and director, known for Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020), Grbavica (2006) and Na putu (2010). She is married to Damir Ibrahimovic. They have one child.

257 points

38. Jonah Hill

Actor | 21 Jump Street

Jonah Hill was born and raised in Los Angeles, the son of Sharon Feldstein (née Chalkin), a fashion designer and costume stylist, and Richard Feldstein, a tour accountant for Guns N' Roses. He is the brother of music manager Jordan Feldstein and actress Beanie Feldstein. He graduated from ...

257 points

39. Mohammad Rasoulof

Director | Dast-neveshtehaa nemisoosand

Mohammad Rasoulof was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1972. He is an independent director, writer and producer. He studied sociology. Rasoulof started his filmmaking with documentaries and short films. For his first film 'Gagooman'(The Twilight, 2002) Rasoulof won the prize for the best film at the Fajr ...

256 points

40. Aki Kaurismäki

Producer | Le Havre

Aki Kaurismäki did a wide variety of jobs including postman, dish-washer and film critic, before forming a production and distribution company, Villealfa (in homage to Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville (1965)) with his older brother Mika Kaurismäki, also a film-maker. Both Aki and Mika are prolific ...

256 points

41. Marc Forster

Producer | World War Z

Marc Forster is a German-born filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Monster's Ball (2001), Finding Neverland (2004), Stay (2005), Stranger than Fiction (2006), The Kite Runner (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), and World War Z (2013).

His breakthrough film was Monster's...

256 points

42. 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 ...

255 points

43. Daniel Scheinert

Director | Everything Everywhere All at Once

Daniel Scheinert was born on June 7, 1987 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He is a director and actor, known for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Swiss Army Man (2016) and Foster the People: Houdini (2012).

255 points

44. Iryna Tsilyk

Director | The Earth Is Blue as an Orange

Iryna Tsilyk is known for The Earth Is Blue as an Orange (2020), Ya i Felix (2022) and Home (2016).

255 points

45. Geertjan Lassche

Director | De boer die zou gaan emigreren

Geertjan Lassche is known for De boer die zou gaan emigreren (2008), Jongens Van De Bouw (2019) and De uitverkorenen (2013).

255 points

46. 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 ...

254 points

47. Lin-Manuel Miranda

Soundtrack | Hamilton

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the first incarnation of "In the Heights" his sophomore year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Off-Broadway, "In The Heights" received nine Drama Desk nominations, including best music, best lyrics, and it won the award for outstanding ensemble performance; received ...

254 points

48. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Director | Doraibu mai kâ

Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Hamaguchi, a graduate of Tokyo University and Tokyo University of Arts, attracted attention in his country with the movie Passion (2008), which he shot for his graduation.

Hamaguchi first gained international recognition with the film ...

254 points

49. Aaron Sorkin

Writer | The West Wing

Aaron Sorkin grew up in Scarsdale, a suburb of New York City where he was very involved in his high school drama and theater club. After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, Sorkin intended to pursue a career in acting. It took him only a short time to ...

253 points

50. Nora Fingscheidt

Director | Systemsprenger

Nora Fingscheidt was born on February 17, 1983 in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany. She is a director and writer, known for System Crasher (2019), The Unforgivable (2021) and Ohne diese Welt (2017).

252 points

51. Reinaldo Marcus Green

Director | King Richard

Reinaldo Marcus Green was born on December 16, 1981 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is a director and producer, known for King Richard (2021), We Own This City (2022) and Monsters and Men (2018).

252 points

52. Sally El Hosaini

Director | The Swimmers

Sally El Hosaini was born in 1976 in Swansea, Wales, UK. She is a director and writer, known for The Swimmers (2022), My Brother the Devil (2012) and Green Zone (2010).

252 points

53. Michal Gazda

Director | Wataha

Michal Gazda was born on May 13, 1972 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. Michal is a director and writer, known for Wataha (2014), Forgotten Love (2023) and Odwróceni. Ojcowie i córki (2019).

252 points

54. Audrey Diwan

Writer | L'événement

Audrey Diwan was born in 1980 in France. She is a writer and director, known for Happening (2021), The Connection (2014) and Just the Two of Us (2023). She is married to Cédric Jimenez. They have two children.

251 points

55. Pawel Lozinski

Kornél Mundruczó was born on April 3, 1975 in Gödöllõ, Hungary. He is an actor and director, known for Jupiter's Moon (2017), White God (2014) and Pieces of a Woman (2020). He is married to Kata Wéber.

186 points

68. Colm Bairéad

Director | An Cailín Ciúin

Colm Bairéad was born in 1981 in Dublin, Ireland. He is a director and writer, known for The Quiet Girl (2022), Lorg na gCos: Súil Siar ar Mise Éire (2012) and Frank O'Connor: Idir Dhá Shruth (2016). He is married to Cleona Ní Chrualaoí. They have two children.

186 points

69. Radha Blank

Producer | The Forty-Year-Old Version

Radha Blank is a proud Native New Yorker, Performer and Writer for TV, stage and film. Her plays include HappyFlowerNail, Casket Sharp, nannyland and the critically acclaimed SEED which The Huffington Post called "fresh, lively...and poetic". She's a Helen Merrill Playwriting Award recipient, an ...

185 points

70. Jan Komasa

Director | Sala samobójców

Jan Komasa was born on October 28, 1981 in Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Suicide Room (2011), The Hater (2020) and Warsaw '44 (2014).

185 points

71. Maggie Betts

Director | The Burial

Maggie Betts is an American screenwriter and film director. Born and raised in New York City, she attended Princeton University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. She is the daughter of Roland Betts (a real estate developer) and Lois Betts. In 2017, Maggie won the ...

184 points

72. Celine Song

Writer | Past Lives

Celine Song was born in 1988 in South Korea. She is a writer and director, known for Past Lives (2023), The Wheel of Time (2021) and Working in the Theatre (1976). She has been married to Justin Kuritzkes since June 11, 2016.

184 points

73. Justin Kurzel

Director | Snowtown

Known for his bold career growth, Australian director Justin Kurzel, who, after the striking debut feature The Snowtown Murders (2011), which conquered hearts of people on many festivals, has chosen a Shakespearean adaptation (Macbeth (2015)) starring famous international film actors Michael ...

184 points

74. Yann Gozlan

Writer | Boîte noire

Yann Gozlan is known for Black Box (2021), Burn Out (2017) and A Perfect Man (2015).

184 points

75. Franziska Stünkel

Director | Vineta

Franziska Stünkel was born in 1973 in Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. She is a director and writer, known for Vineta (2006), The Last Execution (2021) and Bonbon (2000).

184 points

76. Marc Rothemund

Director | Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage

After graduating from high school in 1988, Rothemund initially began working as a production manager and assistant director for his father and other filmmakers such as Bernd Eichinger. In 1994 he assisted French director Gérard Corbiau in the filming of the Oscar-nominated drama "Farinelli". ...

183 points

77. Andreas Kleinert

Director | Wege in die Nacht

Andreas Kleinert was born in 1962 in Berlin, Germany. He is a director and writer, known for Wege in die Nacht (1999), Verlorene Landschaft (1992) and Leb' wohl, Joseph (1989).

183 points

78. 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 ...

183 points

79. Mike Mills

Director | Beginners

Mike Mills was born in 1966, Berkeley, California. He graduated from Cooper Union, 1989.

He works as a filmmaker, graphic designer and artist. As a filmmaker, Mike has completed a number of music videos, commercials, short films, documentaries, and the feature film Thumbsucker (2005). Architecture ...

183 points

80. Ramin Bahrani

Emma Seligman was born on May 3, 1995 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is a director and writer, known for Shiva Baby (2020), Bottoms (2023) and Shiva Baby (2018).

145 points

89. Sebastian Meise

Stéphane Brizé was born on October 18, 1966 in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, France. He is a director and writer, known for At War (2018), The Measure of a Man (2015) and A Woman's Life (2016).

144 points

100. Ali Abbasi

Director | Gräns

Ali Abbasi was born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran. He is a director and writer, known for Border (2018), Holy Spider (2022) and The Last of Us (2023).

144 points