Best Breakthrough Directors of 2019
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- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Actress and activist Olivia Wilde is a modern day renaissance woman, starring in many acclaimed film productions, while simultaneously giving back to the community.
She was born on March 10, 1984 in New York City. Her parents are Leslie Cockburn (née Leslie Corkill Redlich) and Andrew Cockburn. Her mother is American-born and her father was born in London, England to an upper-class British family; he also later became a citizen of Ireland. Wilde is the middle child, having an older sister, Chloe Cockburn, and, a younger brother, Charlie Cockburn. She is of English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Manx descent.
She was raised in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and spent her summers in Ardmore, County Waterford, Ireland. She attended the private Georgetown Day School, as well as, Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, graduating in 2002. She was accepted to Bard College, another highly selective private school in Duchess County, New York but deferred her enrollment three times in order to pursue an acting career. She later studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.
Wilde is known for her television roles as Alex Kelly in The O.C. (2003) from 2004-2005 and Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley in the medical-drama television series, House (2004) when she joined the cast in 2007 and appeared on the show until the series end in 2012.
Wilde is a board member of the organization "Artists for Peace and Justice," which supports communities in Haiti through programs in education, health care, and dignity through the performing arts. She has served as executive producer on several documentary short films, including, Sun City Picture House (2010), which is about a community in Haiti that rallies to build a movie theater after the disastrous 2010 earthquake and Baseball in the Time of Cholera (2012), which explored the cholera epidemic in Haiti.
Wilde is known for her roles in Year One (2009), Tron: Legacy (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), In Time (2011), People Like Us (2012), Her (2013), Rush (2013), Drinking Buddies (2013), The Longest Week (2014), Love the Coopers (2015), and Meadowland (2015).
Since 2011, Wilde had been in a relationship with Jason Sudeikis. They have two children together, Otis Alexander Sudeikis (born April 20, 2014) and Daisy Josephine Sudeikis (born October 11, 2016). In November 2020, they announced that they had ended their relationship.
Wilde made her Broadway debut in the play "1984" at the Hudson Theatre in New York City in 2017. She has recently starred in Life Itself (2018) and A Vigilante (2018).Booksmart- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Alex Wolff, an award-winning actor, musician, singer, and composer, was born on November 1, 1997 in New York, New York. He is the son of actress Polly Draper and jazz pianist Michael Wolff. His elder brother is actor and musician Nat Wolff.
He is most known for his work on The Naked Brothers Band (2007), Mr. Troop Mom (2008), In Treatment (2008), Hair Brained (2013), Stella's Last Weekend (2018), Patriots Day (2016), Hereditary (2018), Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), and The Cat and the Moon (2019).The Cat & the Moon- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Gene Stupnitsky was born on 26 August 1977 in Kiev, Ukraine. He is a producer and writer, known for The Office (2005), Good Boys (2019) and No Hard Feelings (2023).Good Boys- Producer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Alma Har'el is an award-winning director who brought to life visionary work in documentary, music videos, TV commercials and scripted narrative. She is also the first woman in DGA Awards history to be nominated for both commercial directing (2018) and narrative directing (2020).
Her most recent film, Honey Boy, written by, and starring, Shia LaBeouf, made her the first woman to win the DGA Award for First-Time Feature Film. The film was distributed by Amazon Studios.
In 2016, Har'el founded her non-profit, Free The Bid, which transformed the global hiring practices of female directors in advertising, and then grew beyond measurable success into FREE THE WORK. FTW advocates for, and showcases, over 2,000 underrepresented filmmakers in 21 countries worldwide.
Har'el's passion for encouraging equality across entertainment, along with her directing work, landed her in Fast Company's "Most Creative People of 2018", Adweek's "Disruptors of 2018" and on Indiewire's list of leading "Women Who Made the World of Filmmaking a Better Place in 2018."Honey Boy- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Tyler Nilson is a filmmaker from North Carolina. He explored the seas of the South Pacific as an adventurer for a handful of years, and eventually decided to take his rich desire to tell stories and move to Los Angeles. He has appeared in a Judd Apatow film alongside actors like John C Reilly, and in countless commercials selling products that people don't really need, like NFL jerseys and beer. He also is one of the world's top hand models and enjoys making easy money doubling his hands for actors like Brad Pitt. Last year he released a narrative short film called The Moped Diaries, which people seemed to enjoy. His first feature film The Peanut Butter Falcon is scheduled for release in 2017.& Michael Schwartz
The Peanut Butter Falcon- Director
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Melina Matsoukas was born on 14 January 1981. She is a director and producer, known for Queen & Slim (2019), Insecure (2016) and Beyoncé: Formation (2016).Queen & Slim- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Jake Lefferman is known for After Parkland (2019), ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (1953) and ABC News Nightline (1980).and Emily Taguchi
After Parkland- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Max Giorgio Choa Minghella is an English-born actor and filmmaker. He was born in Hampstead, London, England, the son of choreographer Carolyn Choa and the late Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella. He is the half-brother of Hannah Minghella, who has also worked in film.
Minghella is a former member of the National Youth Theatre. He attended Columbia University (2005-2009).
Minghella's acting credits include 'The Internship', 'The Ides of March' and 'The Social Network' (Minghella was nominated for a SAG award for his ensemble work). Minghella also starred alongside Blake Lively in cult favorite 'Elvis & Anabelle'.
In 2013, Minghella executive produced 'The Two Faces of January' for Working Title.
In 2014, Minghella directed the music video for Christopher Owens' 'Nothing More Than Everything To Me'.
Miramax's 'The 9th Life of Louis Drax' was Minghella's screen writing debut, and his first film as director was 'Teen Spirit' from 2018.
Minghella dated actress Kate Mara from 2010-2014.
His father was British (though of Italian descent) and his mother was born in Hong Kong (of over half Chinese, and smaller amounts of Indian Jewish, Parsi Indian, English, Irish, and Swedish, ancestry).Teen Spirit- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Rashid Johnson is known for Native Son (2019), Samuel in Space (2013) and A Hand Full of Dirt (2010).Native Son- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Paul Downs Colaizzo is known for Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) and LFE (2015).Brittany Runs a Marathon- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
- Writer
Lars Klevberg is a Norwegian director. He became interested in photography at a young age, and after graduating with a bachelor in filmmaking, Klevberg wrote and directed The Wall (2012) - a post-apocalyptic short film drama. The Wall screened at Palm Springs in 2013 where acclaimed film critic Betsy Sharkey from LA Times cited it as "the short they couldn't ignore". In 2014 Lars wrote and directed the highly acclaimed horror short film Polaroid (2015), which was subsequently developed as a feature film, Polaroid (2019), at Dimension Films.Child's Play- Writer
- Producer
- Director
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 Community College for two years before transferring to Temple University, where he graduated in 2002.Annabelle Comes Home- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Lulu Wang was born on 25 February 1983 in Beijing, China. She is a director and writer, known for The Farewell (2019), Touch (2015) and Family Meal.The Farewell- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Luke Snellin was born in Romford, Essex. He has been featured in Shots, The Telegraph and V Magazine among others and was named one of Screen International's 'Stars of Tomorrow' and one of Broadcast Magazine's 'Hot Shots'. His film Mixtape (2009) was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Short Film.
After directing on shows My Mad Fat Diary (2013), Banana (2015) and The A Word (2016) he was the lead director on Wanderlust (2018) written by Nick Payne, starring Toni Collette and Temple (2019) written by Mark O'Rowe, starring Mark Strong.
His debut feature film is Let It Snow (2019), an adaptation of John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle's YA novel starring Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, Odeya Rush, Kiernan Shipka and Joan Cusack. The film was released by Netflix in 2019 and was nominated for a GLAAD award in 2020.
In 2021 he won an RTS award for his directing work on Mae Martin and Joe Hampson's show Feel Good (2020) starring Mae Martin, Charlotte Ritchie and Lisa Kudrow. The show also won the NME Award for Best TV Series and was ranked at number 6 on The Guardian's 50 best TV shows of 2021.
Most recently he directed on the adaptation of David Nicholl's global best seller One Day (2024) released on Netflix in 2024.
Luke is writing and developing several film and TV projects and is represented by Curtis Brown in the UK and CAA & Grandview in the US. He is a member of the DGA, the DGGB and Directors UK.Let It Snow- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Justin Baldoni is an actor, director, producer, speaker, and entrepreneur who is focused creating impactful media and entertainment.
After creating and directing the award-winning documentary series, My Last Days, Baldoni made his feature film directorial debut this year with FIVE FEET APART. He also produced the film which went on to crush box office predictions and has grossed over $80 million worldwide. Baldoni will next direct CLOUDS for Warner Bros.
On the acting front, Baldoni is best known for playing "Rafael" on The CW's award-winning phenomenon, Jane the Virgin. The fifth and final season is currently airing.
As an entrepreneur, Baldoni co-founded Wayfarer Entertainment-a cause-driven media studio focused on creating content that highlights inspiration, unity, and the power of human connection. Through this platform, he created the dinner conversation series, Man Enough, which dives into traditional masculinity while focusing on topics like body image, relationships, and fatherhood. He has spoken about his own journey with masculinity in a viral TED talk as well as across college campuses in America.
Baldoni founded and is a chairman of The Wayfarer Foundation, a non-profit organization that puts on one of Los Angeles' largest volunteer events-The Carnival of Love-which provides connection, services, and resources to people who are experiencing homelessness in LA's Skid Row community and will expand nationally in 2020.
Baldoni currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.Five Feet Apart- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Cindy Chupack is best known as a Writer/Executive Producer of Sex and the City, where several episodes she penned (Evolution, Attack of the 5'10" Woman, Just Say Yes, Plus One is the Loneliest Number, I Love a Charade, and Splat!) were individually nominated for Writer's Guild and Emmy awards. In 2018 she directed her first episode of television (I'm Dying Up Here: Now You See Me, Now You Don't), and her first feature, Otherhood, starring Angela Bassett, Felicity Huffman, and Patricia Arquette, which was released on Netflix August 2, 2019.
Chupack grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and received a journalism degree from Northwestern University. She is the author of New York Times bestseller "The Between Boyfriends Book: A Collection of Cautiously Hopeful Essays," Chupack has written comic essays about dating and relationships for many magazines including Glamour and O, The Oprah Magazine (where she had her own columns). Her comic memoir about marriage and a baby quest, "The Longest Date: Life as a Wife," was published by Viking in February 2014.Otherhood- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Roxann Dawson was born in Los Angeles, California, to Richard and Rosalie Caballero. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (Theater Arts major). She soon landed her first role as Diana Morales in the Broadway production of "A Chorus Line". During her acting career, she performed in numerous productions including plays at Circle Reoertory Theatre, where she was a member and Julie Taymor's "The Tempest", George Abbott's "Tropicana", "Six Characters in Search of An Author" , "Accelerando", "Rose Tattoo", "Daughters", among others.
She has also been on many television series and movies - including popular series such as Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Baywatch (1989), Matlock (1986), Jake and the Fatman (1987), The Untouchables (1993), Nightingales (1989), Any Day Now (1998), Seven Days (1998), Coupling (2003), Another World (1964), The Fortunate Pilgrim (1988), The Round Table (1992), among others, but her television experience includes roles in a number of television movies such as Broken Angel (1988), Guilty by Suspicion (1991), Dirty Work (1992), Mortal Sins (1992), Pointman (1994), Greyhounds (1994) and Foto Novelas: Seeing Through Walls (1997).
Dawson works as a writer as well as director -- She made her directorial debut on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and continued directing on series like Any Day Now (1998), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) and Charmed (1998). She does also practice writing -- a trilogy called "Tenebrea" was co-written by her and Daniel Graham! She resides in Los Angeles with her husband Eric Dawson and their children.Breakthrough- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Scott Aukerman was born on 2 July 1970 in Savannah, Georgia, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019), Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis (2008) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).Between Two Ferns: the Movie- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Brie Larson has built an impressive career as an acclaimed television actress, rising feature film star and emerging recording artist. A native of Sacramento, Brie started studying drama at the early age of 6, as the youngest student ever to attend the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She starred in one of Disney Channel's most watched original movies, Right on Track (2003), as well as the WB's Raising Dad (2001) and MGM's teen comedy Sleepover (2004) - all before graduating from middle school.
Brie's work includes the coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall (2009) and the dark comedy, Just Peck (2009), with Marcia Cross and Keir Gilchrist. She earned critical praise for her role in the independent feature, Remember the Daze (2007) (aka "The Beautiful Ordinary"), singled out by Variety as the "scene stealer" of the film, opposite Amber Heard and Leighton Meester.
Brie garnered considerable acclaim for her series regular role of "Kate", Toni Collette's sarcastic and rebellious daughter, in Showtime's breakout drama United States of Tara (2009), created by Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody and based on an original idea by Steven Spielberg.
She starred in The Trouble with Bliss (2011) opposite Michael C. Hall, playing a young girl out to seduce him while, in turn, teaching him more about his own life. She also starred in Universal's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Noah Baumbach's Greenberg (2010). In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Brie played rock star "Envy Adams", former flame of Michael Cera, and in Greenberg (2010), she starred as a young temptress trying to flirt with Ben Stiller, a New Yorker traveling West to try to figure out his life.
In addition to her talents as an actress, Brie has simultaneously nurtured an ever-growing musical career. At 13, Brie landed her first record deal at Universal Records with Tommy Mottola, who signed her sight-unseen. Her first release in 2005 led to a nationwide tour.Unicorn Store- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Robin Bissell was born on 6 June 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Hunger Games (2012), Seabiscuit (2003) and The Best of Enemies (2019).The Best of Enemies- Director
- Additional Crew
- Script and Continuity Department
Noted TV series director Gail Mancuso grew up in suburban Cook County, Illinois. Mancuso began her career as an usher of the set of several television talk shows. Later, became a script supervisor for the Showtime Cable Network comedy "Brothers". In 1989, she began serving as associate director for the ABC-TV sitcom series "Roseanne". After one of the show's directors left in 1991, she had the chance to become one of the main directors and continued until the show's eighth season. She went on to direct episodes of many television series like the long-running NBC-TV sitcom "Friends", and the ABC sitcoms "Dharma and Greg" and "Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place". In 2007, Gail began working on the CBS-TV sitcom series "Rules of Engagement". She has also directed episodes of ABC-TV's "30 Rock" and NBC-TV's "Scrubs". In 2008, she won a Gracie Award for her work on "30 Rock". In 2011, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her "Modern Family" episode "Slow Down Your Neighbors". In 2012, she reunited with "Roseanne" co-stars Roseanne Barr and John Goodman, both of whom she directed on "Roseanne", in the pilot episode of "Downwardly Mobile", which was commissioned by NBC-TV, but ultimately did not get picked up by the network. In 2013, she won the Emmy Award for directing episode "Arrested" on "Modern Family". Gail is happily married to Brian Downs, a doctor; they have three children. The family divides its' time between their homes in Valencia, California and River Forest, Illinois.A Dog's Journey- Producer
- Writer
- Director
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 X-Files and was the co-creator of its spin-off The Lone Gunmen.
Both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul have received widespread critical acclaim, with Gilligan winning two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Writers Guild of America Awards, two Critics' Choice Television Awards and Producers Guild of America Awards, one Directors Guild of America Award and a BAFTA. Outside of television, he co-wrote the screenplay for the 2008 film Hancock.
Gilligan was born in Richmond, Virginia, the son of Gail, a grade school teacher, and George Vincent Gilligan Sr., an insurance claims adjuster. His parents divorced in 1974 and he and his younger brother, Patrick, were raised in Farmville and Chesterfield County, and attended the laboratory school run by Longwood College. Growing up, Gilligan became best friends with future film editor and film title designer Angus Wall. His interest in film began when Wall's mother, Jackie, who also taught alongside Gilligan's mother, would lend her Super 8 film cameras to him. He used the camera to make science fiction films with Patrick. One of his first films was entitled Space Wreck, starring his brother in the lead role. One year later, he won first prize for his age group in a film competition at the University of Virginia.
Jackie would take Wall and Gilligan to Richmond and drop them off at Cloverleaf Mall to see films, and encourage both of them to pursue a career in the arts. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Jackie. She was a wonderful lady and a real inspiration," he recalls. Gilligan was recognized for his talents and creativity at an early age. George Sr. described him as a "kind of a studious-type young man, and he liked to read, and he had a vivid imagination". He introduced Gilligan to film noir classics, as well as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood Westerns on late-night television. Gilligan won a scholarship to attend the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts. After eighth grade, he moved back to Chesterfield to attend high school.
After graduating from Lloyd C. Bird High School in 1985, Gilligan went on to attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts on a scholarship, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film production. While at NYU, he wrote the screenplay for Home Fries; Gilligan received the Virginia Governor's Screenwriting Award in 1989 for the screenplay, which was later turned into a film. One of the judges of the competition was Mark Johnson, a film producer. He was impressed by Gilligan, saying he "was the most imaginative writer I'd ever read".El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Nia DaCosta was born on 8 November 1989 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Candyman (2021), Little Woods (2018) and The Marvels (2023).Little Woods- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Sound Department
Stefon Bristol is a film director and screenwriter hailing from Brooklyn, New York. He co-wrote and directed the Netflix time travel film, See You Yesterday, released in 2019. Bristol studied at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and New York University's Graduate Film program, under mentor Spike Lee, who helped produce his debut feature. Bristol also acted as an assistant to Lee, while Lee was filming BlacKKKlansman. Bristol originally shot See You Yesterday as a short, for his thesis film, before expanding it into a feature film. It took five years to complete the film. Bristol received nominations for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay (with Fredica Bailey) at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards. Bristol and Bailey won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and thanked Lee in their acceptance speech. Bristol is set to direct the intense, sci-fi thriller Breathe with Thunder Road Films. The script, written by Doug Simon, was on the 2019 Black List. Basil Iwanyk and Brendon Boyea producing.See You Yesterday- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Nzingha Stewart was born on 13 July 1974 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Daisy Jones & The Six (2023), Little Fires Everywhere (2020) and From Scratch (2022).Tall Girl- Stunts
- Actor
- Director
Ben Hernandez Bray is a film and television director who was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in one of the toughest San Fernando Valley neighborhoods. He's the oldest of six children, raised by his Mother and Grandmother and is of Mexican and Irish descent. In the late 1980's his boxing skills led him into the stunt industry where he then became one of the very few successful latino stuntmen in Hollywood and eventually becoming one of the top action stunt coordinators and second unit directors, working specifically with "Smoking Aces" Joe Carnahan and "Silver Linings Playbook" David O Russell. After twenty five plus years in the industry and over one hundred fifty film and tv credits, Mr Bray made his television directorial debut in 2015 with Katie Heigl's tv series "State of Affairs" for NBC/Universal, he then went on to direct episodes for Fox/Bruckheimer, CW/Greg Berlanti and ABC/Freeform. In 2018 will be Bray's feature film debut which he co-wrote with Joe Carnahan called "El Chicano" a Mexican Super hero story about two brothers growing up in East L.A. The story was inspired and originally written by Bray 10 years earlier after losing his youngest brother to gang violence. The film is being produced by War Party Productions and Lorenzo di Bonaventura.El Chicano- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Nahnatchka Khan was born on 17 June 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Always Be My Maybe (2019), Totally Killer (2023) and Fresh Off the Boat (2015). She has been married to Julia Bicknell since November 2019.Always Be My Maybe- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Jeff Chan is an American filmmaker from Ridgewood, NJ. He graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He co-wrote and co-directed the feature film, Plus One, which stars Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. Plus One premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival where it won the Narrative Audience Award. He's also written for Hulu's Pen15 and directed for various TV series.and Andrew Rhymer
Plus One- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Mitzi Peirone was born and raised in Turin, Italy where she received an intensive classical humanistic education, focusing on philosophy, art history, Greek tragedy, opera and literature. After high school Peirone left Italy to study theater in New York City at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts: while acting in a few short films and modeling, Mitzi felt the need to write her own screenplay, Braid, which rapidly became her main focus. In 2016 Peirone partnered up with entrepreneur Joseph Lubin to create a new business model to finance her film, which became the first one ever to be fully financed through a cryptocurrency equity crowdsale. The sale raised 1.7M in two weeks. The film premiered at Tribeca in 2018 and won best picture at the Lausanne Underground Film Festival. Braid received worldwide distribution via Blue Fox Entertainment.Braid- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Emma Forrest was born on 26 December 1976 in London, England, UK. She is a writer and director, known for Untogether (2018), Liars (A-E) and The Boss of It All. She was previously married to Ben Mendelsohn.Untogether- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Robert D. Krzykowski is known for The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018), Grendel and Elsie Hooper (2016).The Man Who Killed Hitler and than the Bigfoot- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Joe Penna was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He began his career on YouTube, where his videos have garnered nearly 3 million subscribers and over 400 million views. After years directing commercials, music videos, and short films, Penna directed and co-wrote Arctic (2019) and Stowaway (2021). He is married to Sarah Penna. They have one child.Arctic- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Thurop Van Orman was born on 26 April 1976 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (2008), The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) and Hotel Transylvania (2012).Angry Birds 2