My Top Favorite Breakthrough Directors of 2018

1. Bradley Cooper

Bradley Charles Cooper was born on January 5, 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Gloria (Campano), is of Italian descent, and worked for a local NBC station. His father, Charles John Cooper, who was of Irish descent, was a stockbroker. Immediately after Bradley graduated from the ...

A Star is Born

2. Bo Burnham

Writer | Bo Burnham: Inside

Robert Pickering Burnham is an American actor, director, writer and producer. He is known for writing and directing the middle school comedy film Eighth Grade. He also acted in Funny People, Rough Night, American Virgin, Hall Pass, The Big Sick and Promising Young Woman.

Eighth Grade

3. 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 ...

Mid90s

4. Kay Cannon

Producer | 30 Rock

Kay Cannon is a screenwriter, actress and producer, best known for Pitch Perfect (2012), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017). She is also known for her work on NBC's 30 Rock (2006) and the Netflix Original Series Girlboss (2017).

Cannon has won three Writers Guild of America Awards ...

Blockers

5. Quinn Shephard

Actress | Blame

Quinn Shephard is a writer, director and actress based out of the New York area, with a career spanning two decades. At age 15, Shephard began writing her debut feature Blame (2017), inspired by playing Abigail Williams in a New Jersey regional production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. She went ...

Blame

6. 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).

Blindspotting

7. Polly Draper

Actress | Shiva Baby

Polly Carey Draper is an award-winning actress, writer, producer, and director. She was born on June 15, 1955 in Gary, Indiana, USA, to Phyllis (Culbertson), a Peace Corps administrator, and William Henry Draper III, who was the CEO of the United Nations. She is most known for her work on ...

Stella's Last Weekend

8. Lea Thompson

Actress | Back to the Future

Lea Katherine Thompson was born May 31, 1961 in Rochester, Minnesota. She is the youngest of five children. Her parents are Barbara and Cliff Thompson. Since all her siblings were much older than her, Lea says it seemed like she had more than two parents. The family lived in the Starlight motel, ...

The Year of Spectacular Man

9. Judy Greer

Actress | 13 Going on 30

Judy Greer was born and raised outside of Detroit, Michigan, as Judith Therese Evans. She is the daughter of Mollie Ann (née Greer), a hospital administrator and former nun, and Richard Evans, a mechanical engineer. She has German, Irish, English, Welsh, and Scottish ancestry. After training for ...

a Happening of Monumental Proportions

10. Ike Barinholtz

Actor | Suicide Squad

Isaac "Ike" Barinholtz, born February 18, 1977, is an American actor, comedian, voice actor and writer, known as a cast member on Mad TV (1995), from 2002-2007, and for his roles on The Mindy Project (2012) and Eastbound & Down (2009). He spent two years in Amsterdam with the famed comedy ...

The Oath

11. Jeff Tomsic

Producer | I'm Having a Difficult Time Killing My Parents

Jeff Tomsic is known for I'm Having a Difficult Time Killing My Parents (2011), Tag (2018) and Tickle Monsters ARE Robots! (2010).

Tag

12. Aneesh Chaganty

Writer | Searching

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

Searching

13. 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 ...

Heredtiary

14. Paul Dano

Actor | There Will Be Blood

An actor for all seasons and all kinds of roles (from dark, difficult characters to more loving ones) Paul Dano has an extensive body work that includes working with directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Steve McQueen, Dayton & Ferris, Ang Lee, Denis Villenueve and Paolo Sorrentino; acting with ...

Wildlife

15. Director X

Director | Robyn Hood

Director X (formerly known as Little X) was born on October 31st,1975 in Toronto, Canada, and is of Trinidadian and Swiss descent. About his nationality, he got discriminiated as being a 'black' person. Moving to New York City he became the protégé of pioneering hip hop director Hype Williams, X ...

Superfly

16. Drew Pearce

Producer | Hotel Artemis

Drew Pearce is an English filmmaker, producer and screenwriter known for directing Hotel Artemis starring Jodie Foster and Sofia Boutella. He wrote Hobbs & Shaw, a Fast & Furious spin-off and Iron Man 3, with the controversial Mandarin reveal clarified in All Hail the King and Shang-Chi and the ...

Hotel Artemis

17. Elizabeth Chomko

Writer | What They Had

Elizabeth Chomko is an American director, writer and actor. She is a 2016 Sundance lab fellow and in 2015 won an Academy Nicholl Fellowship for What They Had (2018), which she directed and premiered at 2018 Sundance Film Festival and TIFF. She is also a playwright and theatre actress, and has ...

What They Had

18. Boots Riley

Soundtrack | Sorry to Bother You

Boots Riley was born on April 1, 1971 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Sorry to Bother You (2018), I'm a Virgo (2023) and The Losers (2010).

Sorry to Bother You

19. Julius Avery

Director | Overlord

Julius Avery is known for Overlord (2018), Son of a Gun (2014) and Jerrycan (2008).

Overlord

20. Elijah Bynum

Writer | Magazine Dreams

Elijah Bynum is known for Magazine Dreams (2023), Hot Summer Nights (2017) and Red White and Beautiful.

Hot Summer Nights

21. Josie Rourke

Director | Mary Queen of Scots

Josie is the Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse. Her productions have transferred to Broadway, the West-End and won Olivier Awards. Her shows have been translated into live cinema broadcasts, including Coriolanus with Tom Hiddleston, Les Liaisons Dangereuses with Janet McTeer and Dominic ...

Mary Queen of Scots

22. Daniel Powell

Producer | Inside Amy Schumer

Daniel Powell is known for Inside Amy Schumer (2013), I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019) and That Damn Michael Che (2021).

and Elizabeth Rohrbaugh

Becks

23. Jonathan Baker

Director | Kin

Jonathan Baker is known for Kin (2018), Bag Man (2014) and Ursa Major.

and Josh Baker

Kin

24. Usher Morgan

Producer | Pickings

Usher Morgan is an award-winning screenwriter, film director, and producer residing in New York City. Morgan started his career in book publishing and later became involved with film production and distribution. He produced his first documentary film "The Thought Exchange" starring David Friedman ...

Pickings

25. Jonathan Watson

Director | Arizona

Jonathan Watson is a director and producer, known for "Vice Principals" (2017), "The Disaster Artist" (2017), "Futureman" (2019, 2020), "Preacher" (2019), "The Righteous Gemstones" (2022). His directorial debut "Arizona", was included in the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. He is dual citizen of the ...

Arizona

26. Cory Finley

Director | Thoroughbreds

Cory Finley is a director and writer. He made his directorial debut with the film Thoroughbreds (2017), starring Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Anton Yelchin in one of his last films.

He was also one the writers of the short film Sauna (2017).

Finley is a member of Youngblood, a collective of up ...

Thoroughbreds

27. Tim Kirkby

Director | The Pentaverate

Tim Kirkby was born on November 13, 1970 in Sidcup, Kent, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for The Pentaverate (2022), Last Looks (2021) and Fleabag (2016).

Action Point

28. Bart Layton

Writer | American Animals

Bart is a multi-award winning writer, director and executive producer known for creating ground-breaking work and pushing the boundaries of conventional story-telling techniques.

Bart has been the Creative Director of leading British production company RAW for the past 14 years where he has created ...

American Animals

29. Tyler Spindel

Producer | Love and Germophobia

After graduating from Harvard University, Tyler Spindel moved to Los Angeles to pursue his childhood dream of performing stand up comedy. Touring the country and hosting a weekly show at Hollywood's Laugh Factory nurtured a deeper understanding of comedy as an art form, eventually leading Tyler to ...

Father of the Year

30. Eva Vives

Director | All About Nina

Eva Vives was born in Madrid, Spain. She is a director and writer, known for All About Nina (2018).

All About Nina

31. Claire Scanlon

Director | Set It Up

Claire Scanlon directs single cam comedies for both network and cable. She started her career editing documentaries for PBS and the Discovery Channel. After supervising post and producing Last Comic Standing, she joined The Office in its fifth season. After directing The Office, Claire transitioned...

Set It Up

32. Christian Papierniak

Director | Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town

Christian Papierniak is best known as the writer/director/producer of the award winning indie feature, "Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town" as well as the Director of NBA2K's "My Career" story mode.

"Izzy" world premiered "in-competition" at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival. It was the Jury winner of ...

Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town

33. Heather Graham

Actress | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Heather Joan Graham was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Joan (Bransfield), a schoolteacher and children's book author, and James Graham, an FBI agent. She and her sister, actress Aimee Graham, were raised by their strictly Catholic parents. They relocated often, as a result of their father's ...

Half Magic

34. Sophie Brooks

Writer | The Boy Downstairs

Sophie Brooks' first short film, Malcolm, won second place at NYU's New Visions and Voices Festival. Her subsequent film, Maple Leaves, premiered at The Palm Springs International Short Film Festival in 2014. The Boy Downstairs is her first feature.

The Boy Downstairs will premiere at the 2017 ...

The Boy Downstairs

35. Kyle Newacheck

Producer | Game Over, Man!

Kyle Newacheck was born on January 23, 1984 in Walnut Creek, California, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Game Over, Man! (2018), Stranger in the Woods (2024) and Workaholics (2011).

Game Over, Man

36. Brian Shoaf

Writer | Aardvark

Brian Shoaf is a filmmaker and actor. He is the writer/director of the feature film Aardvark, and one of six directors to contribute to the anthology feature Bushwick Beats. He has worked on a number of projects with Periods Films, including the features Breakup at a Wedding and Periods. He was ...

Aardvark

37. Olivia Milch

Producer | Ocean's Eight

Olivia Milch is known for Ocean's Eight (2018), Dude (2018) and Hello Tomorrow! (2023).

Dude

38. Jennifer Morrison

Actress | House M.D.

Jennifer Marie Morrison was born in Chicago, Illinois, the oldest child of teachers David and Judy Morrison. She was raised in Arlington Heights, IL, with a younger sister and brother. She attended the same school her parents taught at, Prospect High School. As a child, she did some work as a model...

Sun Dogs

39. Abby Kohn

Writer | I Feel Pretty

Abby Kohn was born on April 9, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for I Feel Pretty (2018), How to Be Single (2016) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009).

and Marc Silverstein

I Feel Pretty

40. Robert Smigel

Writer | Saturday Night Live

Robert Smigel is an American actor, humorist, comedian, writer and director known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.

Smigel's most famous creation, however, would be the foul-mouthed puppet Triumph, the Insult...

The Week of

41. Ian Samuels

Director | Myrna the Monster

Ian Samuels is known for Myrna the Monster (2015), Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018) and The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021).

Sierra Burgess is a Loser

42. Mélanie Laurent

Actress | Inglourious Basterds

Mélanie Laurent was born in Paris, France. She is the daughter of Annick, a ballet teacher, and Pierre, a voice actor, who is most recognized for the French version of The Simpsons (1989). She has a younger brother, Mathieu, and has both Sephardi Jewish (from Tunisia) and Ashkenazi Jewish (from ...

43. Robert Mockler

Director | Like Me

Robert Mockler is known for Like Me (2017).

Like Me

44. Peter Livolsi

Director | The House of Tomorrow

Peter Livolsi is known for The House of Tomorrow (2017), Leonard in Slow Motion (2014) and Duncan Removed (2006).

The House of Tomorrow

45. Rob Greenberg

Producer | The Moodys

Rob Greenberg is known for The Moodys (2019), The Valet (2022) and Overboard (2018). He is married to Gabrielle Allan. They have two children.

and Bob Fisher

Overboard

46. Bill Kiely

Director | Age of Summer

American director Bill Kiely has spent his adult career telling stories. A graduate of the Art Center in Pasadena's film program, Bill founded Windowseat Pictures in Venice Beach (2003) and has directed commercial and documentary projects for brands such as Nike, USAF, Bud Light, and Vans.

Age of ...

Age of Summer

47. Bill Holderman

Producer | Book Club

Bill Holderman is known for Book Club (2018), The Old Man & the Gun (2018) and A Walk in the Woods (2015).

Book Club

48. Timothy McNeil

Writer | Anything

Timothy McNeil was born in 1958 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Anything (2017), Starship Troopers (1997) and Small Days (2010). He has been married to Judy McNeil since August 21, 1980. They have two children.

Anything

49. Jennifer Fox

Producer | The Tale

Jennifer Fox is known for The Tale (2018), My Reincarnation (2011) and Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman (2006).

the Tale

50. Oliver Daly

Director | A-X-L

Oliver Daly is known for A-X-L (2018), Miles (2015) and Arcadia (2020).

51. Dominic Cooke

Director | The Courier

Dominic Cooke is known for The Courier (2020), The Hollow Crown (2012) and Follies.

On Chesil Beach