Top Directors Today of Best Redemptive, Family Movies- Dr. Diane Howard, Movie Interviewer, Reviewer, Publicist

1. Terrence Malick

Terrence Malick was born in Ottawa, Illinois. His family subsequently lived in Oklahoma and he went to school in Austin, Texas. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in philosophy in 1965.

A member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, he attended Magdalen ...

2. Mel Gibson

Actor | Braveheart

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born January 3, 1956 in Peekskill, New York, USA, as the sixth of eleven children of Hutton Gibson, a railroad brakeman, and Anne Patricia (Reilly) Gibson (who died in December of 1990). His mother was Irish, from County Longford, while his American-born father is ...

3. Denzel Washington

Actor | Fences

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at ...

4. Jerry Jameson

Director | Land of the Free

Jerry Jameson was born on November 26, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Jerry is a director and producer, known for Land of the Free (1998), Airport '77 (1977) and Raise the Titanic (1980).

5. Steve Martino

Director | The Peanuts Movie

Steve Martino was born in 1959 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is a director, known for The Peanuts Movie (2015), Robots (2005) and Spies in Disguise (2019).

6. Gregg Champion

Producer | Stakeout

After attending the USC School of Cinema, Gregg Champion apprenticed with several directors including Blake Edwards, Nicholas Roeg, and John Badham, with whom he shared an eight-year association. Champion's feature producing credits include "Blue Thunder"(Columbia) "Short Circuit"(Tri-Star) and "...

7. Stephen Herek

Director | Critters

Stephen Herek was born on November 10, 1958 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Critters (1986), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995).

8. Harold Cronk

Director | God's Not Dead

Harold Cronk is known for God's Not Dead (2014), The Adventures of Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Treasure (2012) and War Prayer (2006).

9. Cyrus Nowrasteh

Writer | The Stoning of Soraya M.

Of Iranian descent, he was born in Boulder, Colorado, and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. He graduated from Madison West High School and was a city boys high school tennis champion. Nowrasteh attended New Mexico State University on an athletic scholarship and later transferred to the University of ...

10. Andrew Erwin

Producer | American Underdog

Andrew Erwin, is a director/ producer who began his career working as a duo with his brother Jon, known as the Erwin Brothers. After many years of directing award winning music videos for artists like Skillet, Switchfoot, Michael W. Smith, and Amy Grant, they went on to produced the award winning 9...

11. Jon Erwin

Producer | I Can Only Imagine

Jon & Andrew Erwin are a directing team that focus on developing and producing unique stories of redemption, faith, and triumph of the human spirit. The duo began their career as teenagers in their hometown of Birmingham, AL, working as camera operators for ESPN. Local games at the university of ...

12. Alex Kendrick

Actor | Courageous

Born in Athens, Georgia as the middle of Rhonwyn and Larry Kendrick's three sons. He grew up in Smyrna, Georgia and graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor's degree in Communications. He worked as a Christian DJ for two radio stations before attending New Orleans Baptist ...

13. Stephen Shin

Director | Hing dai

Stephen Shin is known for Brotherhood (1986), Love Me & My Dad (1988) and Black Cat (1991).

14. Stephen Chbosky

Writer | The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky was born on January 25, 1970 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Wonder (2017) and Rent (2005). He has been married to Liz Maccie since September 18, 2010. They have two children.

15. Dan Gilroy

Writer | Nightcrawler

Dan Gilroy was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Frank D. Gilroy, and sculptor and writer Ruth Dorothy. His brother Tony Gilroy is a screenwriter and director; and his fraternal twin brother, John Gilroy, is a film editor. Through his father, he is of ...

16. Michael Carney

Producer | Same Kind of Different as Me

Michael Carney is known for Same Kind of Different as Me (2017).

17. Patricia Riggen

Director | The 33

Patricia Riggen was born on June 2, 1970 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. She is a director and producer, known for The 33 (2015), La milpa (2002) and Under the Same Moon (2007). She is married to Checco Varese. They have one child.

18. Chuck Konzelman

Writer | God's Not Dead

Chuck Konzelman was born in 1960 in Wayne, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for God's Not Dead (2014), God's Not Dead 2 (2016) and Do You Believe? (2015).

19. Cary Solomon

Writer | Unplanned

Cary Solomon was born on September 7, 1958 in Wayne, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Unplanned (2019), God's Not Dead (2014) and Do You Believe? (2015).

20. Niki Caro

Director | Whale Rider

Niki Caro is a New Zealand film director and screenwriter, born in 1967. Caro was born in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. She was educated first at the Kadimah College in Auckland, and then the Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. The School is a private girls' school, and ranks ...

21. Sean McNamara

Producer | Hoovey

To capture the essence of Sean McNamara's skills as a Director, one need not look further than critics' reviews of his latest theatrical work on "Soul Surfer" for Tristar Pictures/FilmDistrict.

"Soul Surfer is the kind of sturdy, satisfying family drama that doesn't get made very often anymore. But ...

22. Jon Gunn

Producer | The Week

Jon Gunn was born on June 30, 1973 in the USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Week (2015), Like Dandelion Dust (2009) and My Date with Drew (2004).

23. John Lee Hancock

Writer | The Blind Side

John Lee Hancock was born on December 15, 1956 in Longview, Texas, USA. He is a writer and director, known for The Blind Side (2009), Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and The Highwaymen (2019).

24. 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...

25. Alejandro Monteverde

Director | Sound of Freedom

Alejandro Monteverde was born on July 13, 1977 in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. He is a director and writer, known for Sound of Freedom (2023), Little Boy (2015) and Bella (2006). He has been married to Ali Landry Monteverde since April 8, 2006. They have three children.

26. Kevan Otto

Producer | A Question of Faith

Kevan Otto is known for A Question of Faith (2017), Pardoned by Grace (2022) and My Brother's Keeper (2020).

27. Kevin Sorbo

Actor | Let There Be Light

Kevin spent 3 years traveling around the world, modeling for print ads and appearing in over 150 commercials, before landing in his breakout series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995).

Kevin David Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, on September 24, 1958, to Ardis (Thompson), a nurse, and Lynn ...

28. Robert Fernandez

Writer | Torchlighters: The Robert Jermain Thomas Story

Robert Fernandez is known for Torchlighters: The Robert Jermain Thomas Story (2015), Jesus: He Lived Among Us (2016) and John Wesley: The Faith That Sparked the Methodist Movement (2014).

29. Tim Janis

Composer | Buttons

Tim Janis is known for Buttons, A New Musical Film (2018), Reindeer Games (1996) and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (2013).

30. Terry Benedict

Producer | Hacksaw Ridge

Terry Benedict is known for Hacksaw Ridge (2016), The Conscientious Objector (2004) and The Terminator (1984).

31. Chad Burns

Director | Beyond the Mask

Chad Burns is known for Beyond the Mask (2015), Pendragon: Sword of His Father (2008) and War Room (2015). He has been married to Angela Burns since August 20, 2011.

32. Ben Smallbone

Director | Priceless

Ben Smallbone was born in Sydney, Australia. He is known for Priceless (2016), Homestead (2024) and Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon (2022). He has been married to Paige Smallbone since May 29, 2005. They have two children.

33. Chris Dowling

Writer | Blue Miracle

Chris Dowling was born in Flowood, Mississippi, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Blue Miracle (2021), Acidman (2022) and Run the Race (2018).

34. Ray Bengston

Director | To Have and to Hold

Ray Bengston is known for To Have and to Hold (2014), Alone Yet Not Alone (2013) and The Visit (2015). He is married to Barbara Divisek. They have two children.

35. Aaron Lieber

Director | Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable

Aaron Lieber is known for Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (2018), The Pursuit (2008) and Lakey Peterson: Zero to 100 (2013).

36. John Chester

Director | The Biggest Little Farm

Emmy-winning director John Chester has been a filmmaker and television director for the last 25 years. His recent short films for OWN's Super Soul Sunday (including Saving Emma, Worry for Maggie and The Orphan) have won five Emmy Awards, for outstanding directing, writing, and cinematography, among...

37. Jay Lyons

Director | The Long Goodbye-The Kara Tippetts Story

Jay Lyons is known for The Long Goodbye-The Kara Tippetts Story (2019), My 600-lb Life (2012) and Music Happens Here (2017).