Filmmakers to watch

1. Mike Flanagan

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. ...

Haunting of Hill House, Haunting of Bly Manor, Geralds Game, Doctor Sleep, Oculus, Hush, Midnight Mass, Before I Wake, Ouija: Origin of Evil, (Midnight Club, The Fall of The House of Usher)

2. 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...

Hot Fuzz, The Worlds End, Scott Pilgrim, Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead, Last Night in Soho, A Fistful of Fingers, (The Sparks Brothers, The Running Man)

3. 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 ...

Moonrise Kingdom, Grand Budapest, Fantastic Mr Fox, Life Aquatic, (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums, Darjeeling Limited, Isle of Dogs, French Dispatch)

4. 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...

Inglorious Basterds, Once Upon a Time, Hateful 8, Django, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Death Proof, (Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown)

5. 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 ...

Midsommar, Hereditary, (Disappointment Blvd.)

6. 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 ...

Inception, Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, (Following, Insomnia, The Prestige)

7. 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)...

Saw, Insidious 1+2, Conjuring 1+2, Aquaman, Dead Silence, Malignant, (Aquaman 2, Archive 81)

8. 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).

Evil Dead, Don't Breathe, (Calls, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Don't Breathe 2)

9. 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 Witch, The Lighthouse, (The Northman)

10. David F. Sandberg

Director | Shazam!

David F. Sandberg is a Swedish film director from Jönköping who is known for directing the superhero comedy film Shazam and the horror films Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. He lives on the autism spectrum. He also provided the voice of Mister Mind at the end of Shazam and made several short ...

Annabelle Creation, Shazam, Lights Out, (Shazam 2)

11. 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...

It Follows, Under the Silver Lake

12. Aneesh Chaganty

Writer | Searching

Aneesh Chaganty is known for Searching (2018), Run (2020) and Missing (2023).

Searching, Run, (Searching 2)

13. Baran bo Odar

Writer | Who Am I - Kein System ist sicher

Baran bo Odar was born on April 18, 1978 in Olten, Switzerland. He is a writer and director, known for Who Am I (2014), Dark (2017) and The Silence (2010).

Dark, Who am I, (1899)

14. 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 ...

Shutter Island, Wolf of Wallstreet, (Taxi Driver, King of Comedy, After Hours, The Departed)

15. 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 ...

The Raid 1+2, Apostle, Gangs of London, (Havoc, Blister)

16. Drew Goddard

Producer | The Martian

Drew Goddard was raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He attended Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, New Mexico and graduated in 1993. He then attended the University of Colorado, and worked as a production assistant in L.A. after graduation. A spec script Drew wrote based on Six Feet Under (2001) ...

Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale, (X-Force)

17. 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...

La La Land, Whiplash, 10 Cloverfield Lane, (Babylon, First Man)

18. 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...

Mindhunter, Zodiac, Gone Girl, Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, (Panic Room)

19. 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 ...

Split, The Visit, Signs, Servant, Glass, Unbreakable, (The Village, Sixth Sense, Old)

20. 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 ...

Super, Guardians of the Galaxy 1+2, The Suicide Squad, (Guardians 3, Slither, Peacemaker)

21. Andy Muschietti

Director | Mama

Andy Muschietti was born on August 26, 1973 in Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina. He is a producer and director, known for Mama (2013), It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).

IT 1+2, Mama, (Flash, Attack on Titan)

22. 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 ...

Kingsmen Secret Service, Kick Ass, Kingsmen 2, (The Kingsman)

23. 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 ...

Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, (X-Files)

24. Gary Dauberman

Writer | Annabelle Comes Home

Gary Dauberman is an American screenwriter. He is best known for writing The Conjuring Universe spin-off horror films Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation and The Nun, and co-writing the 2017 film adaptation of It, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. Dauberman attended Delaware County ...

IT 1+2, Annabelle Creation, Swamp Thing, (Salem's Lot)

25. Joaquim Dos Santos

Director | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Joaquim Dos Santos was born on June 22, 1977 in Lisbon, Portugal. He is a producer, known for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), The Legend of Korra (2012) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005).

Avatar, Korra, (Spiderverse 2)

26. Damien Leone

Special_effects | Terrifier 2

Damien Leone is known for Terrifier 2 (2022), Terrifier (2016) and Terrifier (2011).

Terrifier, All Hallows Eve, (Terrifier 2)

27. 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 ...

Knives Out, Breaking Bad, Looper (Knives Out 2&3)

28. Chris Peckover

Writer | Better Watch Out

Chris Peckover is known for Better Watch Out (2016) and Undocumented (2010).

Better Watch Out

29. 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, ...

Marriage Story, (Barbie)

30. Greta Gerwig

Writer | Barbie

Greta Gerwig is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and director. She has collaborated with Noah Baumbach on several films, including Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2012), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination, and Mistress America (2015). Gerwig made her solo directorial debut ...

Ladybird, (Little Women, Barbie)

31. Jennifer Kent

Director | The Nightingale

Jennifer Kent was born on March 5, 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and director, known for The Nightingale (2018), The Babadook (2014) and Monster (2005).

Babadook, Nightingale

32. 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 ...

Parasite, The Host, Snowpiercer (Memories of Murder, Mother)

33. 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...

Jojo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok, (WWDitS Serie, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Love and Thunder, Star Wars Film, We're Wolves)

34. 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 ...

The Invisible Man, Saw, Upgrade, Insidious 3 (Wolfman, Upgrade TV series)

35. Michael Dougherty

Writer | Krampus

Michael Patrick Dougherty is a writer, director, animator, and producer known for his work in a variety of genre films, both big and small. Beginning his career as an animator and illustrator, Dougherty's animated work was featured on MTV, Nickelodeon, and a line of twisted greeting cards published...

Trick'r Treat, King of Monsters, Krampus, (Trick'r Treat 2)

36. 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), ...

Prisoners, Arrival, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, Dune, (Enemy)

37. 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 ...

Pacific Rim, (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pinocchio)

38. Eli Roth

Producer | Thanksgiving

Eli Raphael Roth was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to Cora (Bialis), a painter, and Sheldon H. Roth, a psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, and clinical professor. His family is Jewish (from Austria, Hungary, Russia, and Poland). He began shooting Super 8 films at the age of eight; after watching Ridley ...

Hostel, Cabin Fever, Death Wish, (Hostel 2, Borderlands)

39. Sam Levinson

Writer | Euphoria

Sam Levinson was born on January 8, 1985 in the USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Euphoria (2019), The Idol (2023) and Malcolm & Marie (2021).

Euphoria, Malcom & Marie

40. 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 ...

Mulholland Drive, (Unrecorded Night, Twin Peeks, Eraserhead)

41. Leigh Janiak

Director | Fear Street: 1994

Leigh Janiak is a film director and screenwriter born on February 1, 1980 in Ohio, USA. She is the daughter of Karen L. Janiak and Nestor K. Janiak of Mentor, Ohio, USA. Her feature film directorial debut was horror/mystery Honeymoon (2014) starring Rose Leslie from Game of Thrones (2011), and ...

Fear Street Trilogy, Screm TV Series, (Honeymoon)

42. Karl Holt

Director | Benny Loves You

Karl Holt is known for Benny Loves You (2019), Eddie Loves You (2006) and The Pandemic Anthology (2020).

Benny Loves You

43. Ilya Naishuller

Director | Hardcore Henry

Ilya Naishuller is a film director, actor, producer, screenwriter and the frontman of indie rock band Biting Elbows, founded in 2008. From 8 to 14 he studied in London, and later graduated from the British International School in Yasenevo. Naishuller dropped out of the Institute of Television and ...

Hardcore Henry, (Nobody)

44. Zach Cregger

Actor | Barbarian

Zach Cregger was born on March 1, 1981 in Arlington, Virginia, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Barbarian (2022), The Whitest Kids U'Know (2007) and Wrecked (2016). He has been married to Sara Paxton since October 27, 2019.