Top Indie Filmmakers to Look Out For

1. Christopher Smith

Christopher Smith was born in 1970 in Bristol, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Triangle (2009), Severance (2006) and Black Death (2010).

Tom McCarthy is an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for direct and write The Station Agent (2003), The Visitor (2007), Win Win (2011), and Spotlight (2015), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Director.

McCarthy...

3. Joseph Khan

Director | The Peak of My Heart

Joseph Khan is known for The Peak of My Heart, Black Eyed Peas: Behind the Bridge to Elephunk (2004) and E! Live from the Red Carpet (1995).

4. Samuel Maoz

Director | Lebanon

Samuel Maoz was born on May 23, 1962 in Herzliya, Israel. He is a director and writer, known for Lebanon (2009), Foxtrot (2017) and It's Good to Die for Your Country.

5. Lynne Ramsay

Director | You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay was born on December 5, 1969 in Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK. She is a director and writer, known for You Were Never Really Here (2017), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) and Ratcatcher (1999). She was previously married to Rory Stewart Kinnear.

6. 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).

7. Ben Wheatley

Director | Free Fire

Ben Wheatley was born in May 1972 in Billericay, Essex, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Free Fire (2016), Kill List (2011) and Sightseers (2012).

8. Carlos López Estrada

Director | Raya and the Last Dragon

Carlos López Estrada was born on September 12, 1988 in Mexico City, Mexico. He is a director and writer, known for Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Blindspotting (2018) and Summertime (2020).

9. Alonso Mayo

Director | The Story of Luke

Alonso is a Film & Journalism graduate from the University of Lima, Peru, and the Film Directing program at the American Film Institute. His thesis film Wednesday Afternoon (2004) won the Student Academy Award (Gold Medal - Narrative, 2005). He's directed the documentaries Viva la causa (2008) and ...

10. Anthony Maras

Producer | Hotel Mumbai

Anthony Maras is known for Hotel Mumbai (2018), The Palace (2011) and Azadi (2005).

11. Claire McCarthy

Director | The Colour Room

Writer, director, producer and visual artist, Claire most recently completed production on THE COLOUR ROOM starring Phoebe Dynevor, Matthew Goode and Kerry Fox, due for theatrical release in October 2021 in Europe and the US. Prior to this she was set-up / lead director and EP for SKY series DOMINA...

12. Ishai Setton

Producer | The Big Bad Swim

Ishai Setton is known for The Big Bad Swim (2006), Purple Hearts (2022) and Special Ops: Lioness (2023).

13. Ash Christian

Producer | Fat Girls

Ash Christian was an Emmy Award-winning producer, director, and actor, with more than 15 feature films and television series to his credit.

Most recently, he produced the SXSW hit film 1985 (2018), which was released. Ash recently produced the thriller Burn (2019), released by eOne in 2019. He also ...

14. 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 ...

15. Shane Carruth

Composer | Upstream Color

Writer-director Shane Carruth, a former software engineer, burst onto the independent movie scene with his extremely low-budget science-fiction film Primer (2004) in 2004. Carruth also played one of the two leads in the film and composed its music. "Primer" won the Grand Jury Prize and the Alfred P...

16. Carl Bessai

Director | Normal

Carl Bessai is known for Normal (2007), Unnatural & Accidental (2006) and Severed (2005).

17. 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 ...

18. 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 ...

19. Benh Zeitlin

Director | Beasts of the Southern Wild

Born in New York City and raised in Sunnyside, Queens and then Westchester County, Benh Zeitlin began his career as a film-maker at the tender age of 6 years when he and a friend made a Batman movie. He continued making films as a child before attending Wesleyan University, where he majored in film...

20. Jim Hanon

Director | Beyond the Gates of Splendor

Jim Hanon is an award-winning narrative and documentary filmmaker who has filmed on every continent but Antarctica. With an extensive background in illustration, art directing, and advertising, Jim was a Vice President of Leo Burnett in Chicago before transitioning to a more community-driven street...

21. Lisa Cholodenko

Director | The Kids Are All Right

Lisa Cholodenko earned an MFA at Columbia University Film School where she made an award-winning short film Dinner Party (1997) Her feature High Art (1998) won the National Society of Film Critics award for Ally Sheedy's performance and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting award at Sundance. Both "High Art...

22. Ben Lewin

Writer | The Sessions

Ben Lewin's career as a writer and director is spread across three continents and includes award-winning documentaries, feature films, TV movies, mini-series and episodic programs. Born in Poland in 1946, he migrated to Australia with his family in 1949. As a young man, Lewin showed great passion ...

23. André Øvredal

Director | Trolljegeren

André Øvredal was born on May 6, 1973. He is a director and writer, known for Troll Hunter (2010), The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) and Tunnelen (2016).

24. Brady Corbet

Actor | Funny Games

American actor Brady James Monson Corbet was born on August 17, 1988, in Scottsdale, AZ. Brady made his film debut as Mason Freeland in 2003's "Thirteen" and later had roles as Brian Lackey in "Mysterious Skin" and as Alan Tracy in "Thunderbirds." He also has guest starred on the television shows "...

25. Nicolas Pesce

Director | The Eyes of My Mother

Nicolas Pesce was born on January 18, 1990 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for The Eyes of My Mother (2016), Piercing (2018) and The Grudge (2019).

26. Martha Coolidge

Director | Valley Girl

Martha Patterson Coolidge was born on August 17, 1946 in New Haven Connecticut. She studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design, but changed majors, becoming the first film major at the school. She attended and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she ...

27. J.D. Dillard

Director | Devotion

J.D. Dillard is known for Devotion (2022), Sweetheart (2019) and Sleight (2016).

28. Derek Cianfrance

Writer | Blue Valentine

Derek Cianfrance began making movies at age 13. He later attended The University of Colorado where he studied under avant-garde film legends Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. His first three films, 'Five O'clock Shadow', 'Raw Footage', and Brother Tied (1998), won consecutive Goldfarb Awards for best...

29. Anne Fontaine

Writer | Les innocentes

Anne Fontaine was born on July 15, 1959 in Luxembourg. She is an actress and writer, known for The Innocents (2016), Coco Before Chanel (2009) and Reinventing Marvin (2017). She is married to Philippe Carcassonne. They have one child.

30. Mia Hansen-Løve

Director | L'avenir

Cinema came into Mia Hansen-Løve's life when she was seventeen, as Olivier Assayas made her start as an actress in Late August, Early September (1998). Two years later, he gave her the part of "Aline" in his Les Destinées (2000). Their artistic collaboration was coupled by a union in real ...

31. 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).

32. Hannah Fidell

Writer | A Teacher

Hannah Fidell was born on October 7, 1985 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for A Teacher (2013), A Teacher (2020) and 6 Years (2015). She has been married to Jake Longstreth since September 23, 2017.

33. Gia Coppola

Director | Palo Alto

Gia Coppola was born on January 1, 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Palo Alto (2013), Mainstream (2020) and Somewhere (2010).

34. 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 ...

35. Kelly Reichardt

Director | Wendy and Lucy

Kelly Reichardt was born and raised in Miami-Dade Country, Florida, to a family of police officers. She had an interest in photography from a very young age. She started by using her father's camera, which he used for photographing crime scenes. She went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in ...

36. Andrew Dominik

Director | Chopper

Andrew Dominik was born on October 7, 1967 in Wellington, New Zealand. He is a director and writer, known for Chopper (2000), Blonde (2022) and Killing Them Softly (2012).

37. Laura Moss

Director | Fry Day

Laura Moss is known for Fry Day (2017), Allen Anders: Live at the Comedy Castle - Circa 1987 (2018) and Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Rights Movement (2009).

38. Jafar Panahi

Director | Taxi

Jafar Panahi (Born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. After several years of making short films and working as an assistant director for fellow Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi achieved ...

39. Kelly Fremon Craig

Writer | Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Kelly Fremon Craig is a writer and director from Whittier, California. She made her directorial debut with The Edge of Seventeen. James L. Brooks' Gracie Films acquired the project in 2012, and developed the screenplay with Fremon Craig. She graduated from UC Irvine with an English degree. Fremon ...

40. Gurinder Chadha

Writer | Bend It Like Beckham

Gurinder Chadha was born in Kenya, and grew up in Southall, London, England. She began her career as a news reporter with BBC Radio, directed several award winning documentaries for the BBC, and began an alliance with the British Film Institute (BFI) and Channel Four. In 2001, Chadha set up her own...

41. Ana Lily Amirpour

Director | A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Ana Lily Amirpour was born in Margate, Kent, England, UK. She is a director and writer, known for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), The Bad Batch (2016) and Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2021).

42. Andrea Arnold

Director | American Honey

Andrea Arnold was born on April 5, 1961 in Dartford, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for American Honey (2016), Fish Tank (2009) and Red Road (2006).

43. Jack Fessenden

Producer | Foxhole

Jack Fessenden, cited as one of "11 Great Indie Filmmakers 30 and Under You Need To Know" (Indiewire, 2017), completed his first feature film, Stray Bullets, during his sophomore year in high school. It received a 12-city theatrical release through Screen Media Films and was heralded by the ...

44. Amman Abbasi

Composer | Dayveon

Amman Abbasi is known for Dayveon (2017), The Exorcist: Believer (2023) and Halloween Kills (2021).

45. Nicole Holofcener

Director | Enough Said

Nicole Holofcener was born on March 22, 1960 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Enough Said (2013), Friends with Money (2006) and Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018). She was previously married to Benjamin Allanoff.

46. Xavier Legrand

Director | Jusqu'à la garde

Xavier Legrand was born on March 28, 1979 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne, France. He is an actor and director, known for Custody (2017), Just Before Losing Everything (2013) and The Successor (2023).

47. 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 ...

48. Rebecca Miller

Writer | Maggie's Plan

Rebecca Miller was born on September 15, 1962 in Roxbury, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Maggie's Plan (2015), Personal Velocity (2002) and Angela (1995). She has been married to Daniel Day-Lewis since November 13, 1996. They have two children.

49. Julia Hart

Writer | Fast Color

Julia Hart is known for Fast Color (2018), I'm Your Woman (2020) and Miss Stevens (2016). She has been married to Jordan Horowitz since 2008. They have two children.

50. Leslye Headland

Producer | Bachelorette

Leslye Headland was born on November 26, 1980 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Bachelorette (2012), Sleeping with Other People (2015) and Russian Doll (2019). She has been married to Rebecca Henderson since September 18, 2016. They have one child.

51. Joanna Hogg

Director | The Souvenir

Joanna Hogg was born on March 20, 1960 in London, England, UK. She is a director and writer, known for The Souvenir (2019), The Souvenir: Part II (2021) and Unrelated (2007).

52. 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 ...

53. Anna Rose Holmer

Director | The Fits

Anna Rose Holmer was listed as one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2015. Her narrative directorial debut, The Fits (2015 Venice International Film Festival, 2016 Sundance Film Festival), is a selection of the Venice Biennale College-Cinema 2014/2015 and the Sundance ...

54. Laura Poitras

Producer | Citizenfour

Laura Poitras was born on February 2, 1964 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She is a producer and director, known for Citizenfour (2014), The Oath (2010) and My Country, My Country (2006).

55. Cristian Mungiu

Producer | 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile

Cristian Mungiu was born on April 27, 1968 in Iasi, Romania. He is a producer and writer, known for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Graduation (2016) and Beyond the Hills (2012).

56. Andrea Arnold

Director | American Honey

Andrea Arnold was born on April 5, 1961 in Dartford, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for American Honey (2016), Fish Tank (2009) and Red Road (2006).

57. Andrew Ahn

Director | Spa Night

Andrew Ahn was born on March 10, 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Spa Night (2016), Andy (2010) and Dol (2011).

58. Babak Anvari

Director | Under the Shadow

Babak Anvari is known for Under the Shadow (2016), I Came By (2022) and Wounds (2019).

59. Anna Biller

Director | Viva

Anna Biller is a writer and director who creates unique, female-focused, highly visual films. She has a BA from UCLA in art and an MFA from CalArts in art and film. Her first feature Viva played in film festivals all over the world and gained minor cult status, and her second feature The Love Witch...

60. Steven Caple Jr.

Director | The Land

Steven Caple Jr. is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best know for The Land (2016) and Creed II (2018).

Caple also direct the short film A Different Tree (2014).

The Land was his feature film debut.

His directorial debut was in the short film Process of Elimination (2011).

61. Ciro Guerra

Director | El abrazo de la serpiente

Ciro Guerra was born on February 6, 1981 in Río de Oro, Cesar, Colombia. He is a director and writer, known for Embrace of the Serpent (2015), Birds of Passage (2018) and Los viajes del viento (2009). He is married to Cristina Gallego.

62. Kirsten Johnson

Producer | Dick Johnson Is Dead

Kirsten Johnson's "Dick Johnson is Dead" won the Jury Prize for Innovation in Nonfiction Storytelling at Sundance 2020. Kirsten went on to win a Primetime Emmy for Best Directing of the film, Critic's Choice Award for Best Documentary and the Cinema Eye Award for Best Directing. Listed on dozens of...

63. Nicolas Pesce

Director | The Eyes of My Mother

Nicolas Pesce was born on January 18, 1990 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for The Eyes of My Mother (2016), Piercing (2018) and The Grudge (2019).

64. Trey Edward Shults

Director | Waves

Trey Edward Shults was born on October 6, 1988 in Montgomery, Texas, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Waves (2019), It Comes at Night (2017) and Krisha (2015).

65. Sophia Takal

Actress | Green

Sophia Takal is known for Green (2011), Always Shine (2016) and V/H/S (2012).

66. Justin Tipping

Director | Nani

Justin Tipping is known for Nani (2012), Kicks (2016) and Black Monday (2019).

67. Alice Winocour

Writer | Mustang

Alice Winocour was born on January 13, 1976 in Paris, France. She is a writer and director, known for Mustang (2015), Proxima (2019) and Maryland (2015).

68. Elizabeth Wood

Director | White Girl

Elizabeth Wood is known for White Girl (2016), Spiritual Crisis and Autopilot (2010). She has been married to Gabriel Nussbaum since June 6, 2009. They have two children.

69. Elite Zexer

Director | Sufat Chol

Elite Zexer is known for Sand Storm (2016), Tasnim (2010) and Take Note (2008).

70. Maren Ade

Producer | Toni Erdmann

Maren Ade was born in Karlsruhe on 12 December 1976 to a couple of teachers.She studied cinema at Munich's Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film. As of 2001 she co-founded, together with Janine Jackowski, a fellow graduate from HFF, the "Komplizen" film company. It is through Komplizen that Maren would...

71. 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).

72. J.C. Chandor

Producer | A Most Violent Year

J.C. Chandor is known for A Most Violent Year (2014), Margin Call (2011) and All Is Lost (2013). He has been married to Mary Cameron Goodyear since 2004. They have two children.

73. Brian A. Metcalf

Producer | Underdeveloped

"I had a wonderful time working with the innovative, talented director Brian Metcalf. The young man has incredible integrity and vision. He has gained my respect." - Mickey Rourke

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Brian A. Metcalf (WGA, PGA, DGA, VES, ASCAP) is an Asian-American, award-winning writer, ...

74. Isabel Coixet

Director | My Life Without Me

Isabel Coixet was born on April 9, 1960 in Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. She is a director and writer, known for My Life Without Me (2003), The Secret Life of Words (2005) and The Bookshop (2017).

75. Claire Denis

Director | High Life

The films of Claire Denis frequently explore the fragile connections between people and the ways in which the most seemingly inconsequential relationship can have life-changing effects. At the heart of Denis' cinema is a fascination with the delights and difficulties of belonging and otherness, the...