Favourite directors

1. Takashi Miike

Takashi Miike was born in the small town of Yao on the outskirts of Osaka, Japan. His main interest growing up was motorbikes, and for a while he harbored ambitions to race professionally. At the age of 18 he went to study at the film school in Yokohama founded by renowned director Shôhei Imamura, ...

Fave films: Audition; Visitor Q; The Happiness of the Katakuris; 13 Assassins; Graveyard of Honor; Lesson of the Evil; Hara-Kiri; Shield of Straw; Imprint; Ichi the Killer; One Missed Call; As the Gods Will

2. 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...

Fave films: Se7en; Fight Club; Zodiac

3. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Director | Ruang talok 69

Pen-Ek studied from 1977 to 1985 in New York at the Pratt Institute and worked as freelance illustrator and designer with Designframe Incorporate. In Thailand he worked for five years as art director, before making his début with Fun Bar Karaoke, that was screened at many festivals after its ...

Fave films: Last Life in the Universe; Invisible Waves; 6ixtynin9; Mon-Rak Transistor

4. Hiroshi Inagaki

Director | Wasurerareta kora

Inagaki's career in film began as an actor--a child actor, in fact, appearing in numerous silent films beginning at the very dawn of Japanese cinema. This is probably why he was promoted to director at the unusually (for Japan) young age of 22. Along with producer Mansaku Itami (later the father of...

Fave films: The 'Samurai' trilogy; The 47 Ronin; The Incident at Blood Pass

5. Terry Gilliam

Writer | Brazil

Terry Gilliam was born near Medicine Lake, Minnesota. When he was 12 his family moved to Los Angeles where he became a fan of MAD magazine. In his early twenties he was often stopped by the police who suspected him of being a drug addict and Gilliam had to explain that he worked in advertising. In ...

Fave films: Brazil; Twelve Monkeys; Time Bandits

6. 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 ...

Fave films: The Host; Mother; Memories of Murder

7. Jee-woon Kim

Director | Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom

Kim Ji-woon was born in Seoul, South Korea. He began his career as an actor before becoming a stage director with productions such as "Hot Sea" in 1994 and "Movie, Movie" in 1995. He then began scripting for films, his first work, 97's "Wonderful Seasons" won Best Screenplay award at Korea's ...

Fave films: I Saw the Devil; A Bittersweet Life; A Tale of Two Sisters

8. Clint Eastwood

Actor | Million Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, to Clinton Eastwood Sr., a bond salesman and later manufacturing executive for Georgia-Pacific Corporation, and Ruth Wood (née Margret Ruth Runner), a housewife turned IBM clerk. He grew up in nearby Piedmont. At school Clint took interest in ...

Fave films: Unforgiven; The Outlaw Josey Wales; High Plains Drifter; Gran Torino; Letters From Iwo Jima

9. Yôji Yamada

Writer | Tasogare Seibei

Yamada Yoji graduated Tokyo University in 1954, the year he joined Shochiku as an assistant director. In 1969, he launched the popular "Tora-san" series, the world's longest theatrical film series. "The Twilight Samurai" (The Twilight Samurai (2002)) marks his 77th film as well as his 41th year as ...

Fave films: The Twilight Samurai; Love and Honour; The Hidden Blade

10. Wisit Sasanatieng

Writer | Fah talai jone

After training at Silpakorn University, Bangkok's most important art school, Wisit Sasanatieng worked as a commercials' director. He wrote scripts for his friend and colleague Nonzee Nimibutr, including for Nang Nak (1999). _Tears of the Black Tiger (2000)_, his directing début, is the first Thai ...

Fave films: Citizen Dog; Tears of the Black Tiger

11. Takeshi Kitano

Actor | Zatôichi

Takeshi Kitano originally studied to become an engineer, but was thrown out of school for rebellious behavior. He learned comedy, singing and dancing from famed comedian Senzaburô Fukami. Working as a lift boy on a nightclub with such features as comic sketches and striptease dancing, Kitano saw ...

Fave films: Hana-bi; Boiling Point; Sonatine; Zatoichi; Outrage; Outrage: Beyond

12. Sergio Leone

Writer | Once Upon a Time in America

Sergio Leone was virtually born into the cinema - he was the son of Roberto Roberti (A.K.A. Vincenzo Leone), one of Italy's cinema pioneers, and actress Bice Valerian. Leone entered films in his late teens, working as an assistant director to both Italian directors and U.S. directors working in ...

Fave films: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly; For a Few Dollars More; A Fistful of Dollars; Once Upon a Time in the West; Once Upon a Time in America; Duck, You Sucker (aka A Fistful of Dynamite)

13. 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 ...

Fave films: GoodFellas; Cape Fear; The Departed; Taxi Driver

14. Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director | Tokyo Sonata

Kiyoshi Kurosawa was born on July 19, 1955 in Kobe, Japan. He is a director and writer, known for Tokyo Sonata (2008), Pulse (2001) and Cure (1997).

Fave films: Pulse; Cure; Tokyo Sonata; Séance; Real; Retribution

15. Park Chan-wook

Director | Oldeuboi

Park Chan-wook was born on August 23, 1963 in Seoul, South Korea. He is a producer and director, known for Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016) and Decision to Leave (2022). He is married to Eun-hee Kim. They have one child.

Fave films: Oldboy; Sympathy for Lady Vengeance; Thirst; Sympathy for Mr Vengeance; Joint Security Area; I'm a Cyborg but That's OK

16. 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 ...

Fave films: The Dark Knight; Memento; Inception; The Prestige

17. Sion Sono

Director | Ai no mukidashi

Shion Sono is a Japanese director, writer and poet. Born in Aichi Perfecture in 1961 he started his career working as a poet before taking his first steps in film directing. As a student he shot a series of short films in Super 8 and managed to make his first feature films in the late 80s and early...

Fave films: Strange Circus; Why Don't You Play in Hell?; Suicide Circle; Noriko's Dinner Table; Tokyo Tribe; Cold Fish; Himizu; Love Exposure

18. Tetsuya Nakashima

Director | Kokuhaku

Tetsuya Nakashima was born on September 2, 1959 in Fukuoka, Japan. He is a director and writer, known for Confessions (2010), Kiraware Matsuko no isshô (2006) and Kamikaze Girls (2004).

Fave films: Confessions; Paco and The Magical Book; Memories of Matsuko; Kamikaze Girls

19. Chia-Liang Liu

Actor | Jui kuen II

Chia-Liang Liu was born on August 1, 1936 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. He was an actor and director, known for Drunken Master II (1994), Legendary Weapons of China (1982) and My Young Auntie (1981). He was married to Jing-Jing Yung and Hsiu-Hsia Ho. He died on June 25, 2013 in Hong Kong, China.

Fave films: Drunken Master II; The 36th Chamber of Shaolin; Heroes of the East; My Young Auntie

20. Makoto Shinkai

Writer | Suzume no Tojimari

Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese director, writer, producer, animator, editor, cinematographer, voice actor, manga artist and former graphic designer. Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University where he was a member of juvenile literature club where he drew picture books. In 1999, Shinkai ...

Fave films: 5 Centimetres Per Second; The Place Promised in Our Early Days; Voices of a Distant Star; Children Who Chase Lost Voices

21. Kore-eda Hirokazu

Director | Manbiki kazoku

Born in Tokyo in 1962. Originally intended to be a novelist, but after graduating from Waseda University in 1987 went on to become an assistant director at T.V. Man Union. Snuck off set to film Mou hitotsu no kyouiku - Ina shogakkou haru gumi no kiroku (1991). His first feature, Maborosi (1995), ...

Fave films: Nobody Knows; Air Doll; Maborosi; Hana; After Life

22. Katsuhito Ishii

Director | Cha no aji

Katsuhito Ishii was born on December 31, 1966 in Niigata, Japan. He is a director and writer, known for The Taste of Tea (2004), Naisu no mori: The First Contact (2005) and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003).

Fave films: Funky Forest; Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl; The Taste of Tea; Smuggler

23. Danny Boyle

Director | 127 Hours

Daniel Francis Boyle is a British filmmaker, producer and writer from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. He is known for directing 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, Millions, Shallow Grave, The Beach, Yesterday, and Steve Jobs. He won many awards for ...

Fave films: 28 Days Later; Sunshine; Slumdog Millionaire; Shallow Grave

24. 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...

Fave films: Shaun of the Dead; Hot Fuzz; The World's End

25. Hayao Miyazaki

Writer | Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking visuals in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan.

Miyazaki started his career in 1963 as an animator at the ...

Fave films: Princess Mononoke; My Neighbor Totoro; Spirited Away; Nausicaä of The Valley of The Wind; Laputa: Castle in the Sky; Porco Rosso; Kiki's Delivery Service

26. Shin'ya Tsukamoto

Actor | Tetsuo

Shin'ya Tsukamoto was born on January 1, 1960 in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), Vital (2004) and Tokyo Fist (1995).

Fave films: The 'Tetsuo' trilogy; Kotoko; Gemini; Hiruko the Goblin; A Snake of June; Tokyo Fist

27. David Cronenberg

Actor | The Fly

David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of Blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father, Milton Cronenberg, was a journalist and editor, and his mother, Esther (Sumberg), was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early...

Fave films: The Fly; Videodrome; The Brood; Scanners

28. Kenji Misumi

Director | Shogun Assassin

Kenji Misumi was born on March 2, 1921 in Kyoto, Japan. Misumi was the illegitimate child of a geisha mother and originally wanted to be a painter, but his father disapproved. Kenji attended Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. During this time Misumi met future Daiei studio head Kan Kikuchi, ...

Fave films: The four 'Lone Wolf and Cub' films he directed (Sword of Vengeance; Baby Cart at the River Styx; Baby Cart to Hades; Baby Cart in the Land of Demons)

29. Darren Aronofsky

Writer | Pi

Darren Aronofsky was born February 12, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Darren was always artistic: he loved classic movies and, as a teenager, he even spent time doing graffiti art. After high school, Darren went to Harvard University to study film (both live-action and animation). He won ...

Fave films: Requiem for a Dream; Pi; The Fountain

30. Satoshi Kon

Writer | Tôkyô goddofâzâzu

Satoshi Kon was born in 1963. He studied at the Musashino College of the Arts. He began his career as a Manga artist. He then moved to animation and worked as a background artist on many films (including Roujin Z (1991) by 'Katsuhiro Otomo'). Then, in 1995, he wrote an episode of the anthology film ...

Fave films: Perfect Blue; Millennium Actress; Tokyo Godfathers; Paprika

I also greatly enjoy Kon's work on the series 'Paranoia Agent'. We lost this gentleman far, far too soon.... :(

31. Peter Ho-Sun Chan

Producer | Tau ming chong

Peter Ho-Sun Chan is a Chinese film director, producer and screenwriter. Regarded as one of the most accomplished and successful Hong Kong filmmakers, Chan has directed 18 films, including the critically acclaimed Comrades, Almost a Love Story, Perhaps Love, The Warlords, and American Dreams in ...

Fave films: Wu Xia; The Warlords; Perhaps Love

32. Ho-Cheung Pang

Writer | Chi Ming yi Chun Kiu

In 1994, Pang Ho-cheung started his career in the media industry by working as a variety show scriptwriter for Asia Television. By this time, Pang was active in several media. He was working as a scriptwriter, a host for radio and television shows, a columnist, a magazine editor and a copywriter. ...

Fave films: Dream Home; Exodus; Beyond Our Ken

33. Kinji Fukasaku

Director | Batoru rowaiaru

Kinji Fukasaku was born on July 3, 1930 in Mito, Japan. He was a director and writer, known for Battle Royale (2000), Fall Guy (1982) and Crest of Betrayal (1994). He was married to Sanae Nakahara. He died on January 12, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan.

Fave films: Battle Royale; Battles Without Honor and Humanity; Japan Organised Crime Boss

34. Michael Mann

Producer | The Insider

As a director, screenwriter, and producer, four-time Academy Award nominee Michael Mann has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. After writing and directing the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television movie The Jericho Mile (1979), Mann ...

Fave films: Heat; Manhunter; Collateral

35. Johnnie To

Director | Hak se wooi

With over thirty directing and producing credits to his name, Johnnie To enjoyed international breakthroughs with Election (2005), Election 2 (2006) (aka "Triad Election") and Exiled (2006); those films enjoyed multiple international film festival appearances and were separately sold to more than ...

Fave films: Fulltime Killer; Exiled; Mad Detective; Election; Election 2; The Mission; Sparrow

36. Kim Ki-duk

Writer | Bin-jip

He studied fine arts in Paris in 1990-1992. In 1993 he won the award for Best Screenplay from the Educational Institute of Screenwriting with "A Painter and A Criminal Condemned to Death". After two more screenplay awards, he made his directorial debut with Crocodile (1996) ("Crocodile"). Then he ...

Fave films: 3-Iron; Samaritan Girl; Real Fiction; Pieta; The Isle; Time

37. Dario Argento

Writer | Profondo rosso

Dario Argento was born on September 7, 1940, in Rome, Italy, the first-born son of famed Italian producer Salvatore Argento and Brazilian fashion model Elda Luxardo. Argento recalls getting his ideas for filmmaking from his close-knit family from Italian folk tales told by his parents and other ...

Fave films: Suspiria; Deep Red; Inferno; Phenomena; Tenebre; Opera

38. George A. Romero

Writer | Land of the Dead

George A. Romero never set out to become a Hollywood figure; by all indications, though, he was very successful. The director of the groundbreaking "Living Dead" films was born February 4, 1940 ,in New York City to Ann (Dvorsky) and Jorge Romero. His father was born in Spain and raised in Cuba, and...

Fave films: Night of the Living Dead; Dawn of the Dead; Day of the Dead; Monkey Shines

39. Kang Woo-suk

Producer | Silmido

Kang Woo-suk was born on November 10, 1960 in Gyeonggi-do, Gyeongsan, South Korea. Kang is a producer and director, known for Silmido (2003), Moss (2010) and Two Cops (1993).

Fave films: The 'Public Enemy' trilogy; Silmido

40. John Carpenter

Writer | The Fog

John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky ...

Fave films: The Thing; In the Mouth of Madness; They Live; Big Trouble in Little China; Halloween

41. Kôji Shiraishi

Director | Kuchisake-onna

Koji Shiraishi is a Japanese writer, director and occasional actor. He was born and raised in Fukuoka, Japan. He went to Kyushu Sangyo University, but was expelled in his sophomore year for non-payment of tuition. Despite this, he remained in the university's film club, where he made several ...

Fave films: Noroi; The Slit-Mouthed Woman (aka Carved); Grotesque

42. Kihachi Okamoto

Director | Nikudan

Okamoto belonged to what one colleague called "the generation where most of them got killed": the leagues of university graduates who were drafted into and sacrificed to the last years of Japan's war in the South Pacific. Okamoto was drafted during the very worst of it, in 1943, but almost alone ...

Fave films: Kill!; The Sword of Doom; Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

43. Tsai Ming-liang

Director | Qingshaonian Nuozha

Born in Kuching, Malaysia, he graduated from the Drama and Cinema Department of the Chinese Cultural University of Taiwan and worked as a theatrical producer and TV director. His second feature film, Vive L'Amour (1994), won the Golden Lion (best picture) at the 1994 Venice Film Festival. His ...

Fave films: The Hole; What Time is it Over There?; The Wayward Cloud

44. John Woo

Director | Ying hung boon sik

Born in southern China, John Woo grew up in Hong Kong, where he began his film career as an assistant director in 1969, working for Shaw Brothers Studios. He directed his first feature in 1973 and has been a prolific director ever since, working in a wide variety of genres before A Better Tomorrow ...

Fave films: Hard Boiled; The Killer; A Better Tomorrow; Red Cliff; Red Cliff II

45. Gaspar Noé

Director | Enter the Void

Gaspar Noé is an Argentinian filmmaker and screenwriter who lives in France. He is the son of Luis Felipe Noé, an Argentinian artist. He directed I Stand Alone, Irréversible, Enter the Void, Love, Climax, Carne, Lux Æterna, Sodomites and Vortex. His films are known for having a sensory overload ...

Fave films: I Stand Alone; Irreversible

46. Guy Ritchie

Director | Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK on September 10, 1968. After watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as a child, Guy realized that what he wanted to do was make films. He never attended film school, saying that the work of film school graduates was boring and ...

Fave films: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch

47. Jae-young Kwak

Writer | Yeopgijeogin geunyeo

Jae-young Kwak was born on May 22, 1959 in South Korea. He is a writer and director, known for My Sassy Girl (2001), Cyborg She (2008) and Mu-rim-yeo-dae-saeng (2008).

Fave films: My Sassy Girl; Cyborg Girl; The Classic

48. Benny Chan

Director | Nou fo

Benny Chan Muk-Sing had worked for RTV and then for TVB as assistant director to Johnnie To Kay-Fung. He was later promoted to director. He served as the executive director for Raymond Wong Pak-Ming's "Goodbye Darling" in 1987 and then returned to ATV as producer and director. In 1990, he directed ...

Fave films: Shaolin; Invisible Target; Connected

49. Yimou Zhang

Director | Ying xiong

Yimou Zhang was born on November 14, 1951 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. He is a director and writer, known for Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He has been married to Ting Chen since December 2011. They have three children. He was previously married to ...

Fave films: Hero; House of Flying Daggers; Curse of the Golden Flower; A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

50. Herman Yau

Director | Chak dan juen ga 2

Herman Yau was born in 1961 in Guangzhou, China. He is a director and cinematographer, known for Shock Wave 2 (2020), Jing xin dong po (2004) and Shock Wave (2017).

Fave films: Ebola Syndrome; Rebellion; Gong Tau; The Untold Story; Ip Man: The Legend is Born

51. Corey Yuen

Actor | Zhi fa xian feng

Corey Yuen was born on February 15, 1951 in Hong Kong. He is an actor and director, known for Righting Wrongs (1986), Red Cliff (2008) and The Transporter (2002).

Fave films: Fong Sai Yuk; Fong Sai Yuk II; No Retreat, No Surrender (for pure camp value!)

52. Kang Je-kyu

Writer | Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo

Director Je-Kyu Kang was born in South Korea. Before directing his hit film Shiri (1999) pronounced "Shee Rhee", Kang nearly gave up the film business. After struggling for many years, he has finally become one of the premier directors in South Korea.

Fave films: Taegukgi; Shiri; My Way

53. Jackie Chan

Actor | Ngo si seoi

Hong Kong's cheeky, lovable and best-known film star, Jackie Chan endured many years of long, hard work and multiple injuries to establish international success after his start in Hong Kong's manic martial arts cinema industry.

Jackie was born Kong-sang Chan on April 7, 1954, on Hong Kong's famous ...

Fave films: Police Story; Police Story 2; Project A; Project A II; Armour of God; Armour of God II

54. Seong-gang Lee

Director | Mari iyagi

Seong-gang Lee was born on October 25, 1962. Seong-gang is a director and writer, known for My Beautiful Girl, Mari (2002), A Monster in the Reservoir (2012) and Texture of Skin (2007).

Fave films: My Beautiful Girl Mari; Yobi, the Five-Tailed Fox

55. Andrew Lau

Cinematographer | Mou gaan dou

Andrew Lau Wai-Keung was born in Hong Kong in 1960, and has been fond of photography as a child. He joined Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. after secondary school graduation. The first film he participated in as a semi-skilled worker in cinematography was Legendary Weapons of China directed by Chia-Liang Liu...

Fave films: Infernal Affairs; Daisy; The Storm Riders; The Duel

56. Alan Mak

Director | Mou gaan dou

Alan Mak Siu Fai was born in Hong Kong in 1965. In 1986, he studied in the School of Drama at the Hong Kong Academy for Performance Arts. Upon graduation in 1990, he started his movie career.

Mak made his directorial debut in 1997, with his first film being Nude Fear, which was written and produced ...

Fave films: Infernal Affairs; The Lost Bladesman; Overheard

57. Nobuhiko Ôbayashi

Director | Hausu

Nobuhiko Ôbayashi was born on January 9, 1938 in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. He was a director and editor, known for House (1977), Turning Point (1994) and The Discarnates (1988). He was married to Kyôko Ôbayashi. He died on April 10, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

Fave films: House; Sada

58. Rob Zombie

Writer | Grindhouse

Robert Bartleh Cummings, more famously known as Rob Zombie, was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts on January 12, 1965. He is the oldest son of Louise and Robert Cummings, and has a younger brother, Michael David (aka Spider One; b. 1968), who is the lead singer of Powerman 5000. Growing up, Zombie ...

Fave films: House of 1000 Corpses; The Devil's Rejects; Halloween; Halloween 2

59. Ronny Yu

Director | Bak fat moh lui zyun

Born in Hong Kong, Ronny Yan-Tai Yu dreamed of making films since he was a child. At only 9 months of age, Yu contracted polio, resulting in a long recovery that prevented him from developing an active childhood and had to spend much time in isolation. To cope with the loneliness, Yu created ...

Fave films: The Bride With White Hair; Fearless (particularly the Director's Cut which makes it almost a completely different film); Saving General Yang

60. Wilson Yip

Director | Ip Man

Wilson Yip is known for Ip Man (2008), Kill Zone (2005) and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019).

Fave films: SPL; Ip Man; Ip Man 2; Flashpoint

61. Hark Tsui

Producer | Di Renjie zhi Tongtian diguo

Tsui Hark recently became the fourth Chinese film director to join the board of judges for the 57th Cannes Film Festival in the feature films category this year.

An internationally acclaimed visionary director, Tsui started making experimental movies with 8mm film when he was only 13. After ...

Fave films: The Blade; Once Upon a Time in China 1-3; Detective Dee and The Mystery of the Phantom Flame; Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon

62. Ryu Seung-wan

Director | Beterang

Ryoo Seung-wan entered the global spotlight with his 2005 film CRYING FIST, starring Choi Min-sik (OLD BOY) and his younger brother Ryoo Seung-bum. The film displayed the director's capability to break traditional genre boundaries, and won him the FIPRESCI Prize at the 58th Cannes Film Festival and...

Fave films: The City of Violence; The Berlin File; The Unjust; Arahan

63. Ryûhei Kitamura

Director | The Midnight Meat Train

Ryûhei Kitamura was born on May 30, 1969 in Osaka, Japan. He is a director and writer, known for The Midnight Meat Train (2008), Azumi (2003) and Versus (2000).

Fave films: Versus; Azumi; Aragami; No One Lives; LoveDeath

64. Woo-Ping Yuen

Stunts | Wo hu cang long

Woo-Ping Yuen was born on January 1, 1945 in Guangzhou, China. He is a director and actor, known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Fearless (2006) and The Grandmaster (2013).

Fave films: Iron Monkey; Magnificent Butcher; Drunken Master; The Tai Chi Master; Wing Chun

65. Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Stunts | Ip Man

Born in Hong Kong, Sammo Hung's acting career began while he was training in acrobatics, martial arts and dance as a child at the China Drama Academy, and he received acclaim for his performance with a troupe called "The Seven Little Fortunes." He made his feature film debut as an actor at the age ...

Fave films: Winners and Sinners; Magnificent Butcher; Pedicab Driver; Eastern Condors; Once Upon a Time in China and America

66. Ha Yoo

Director | Biyeolhan geori

Ha Yoo is known for A Dirty Carnival (2006), A Frozen Flower (2008) and Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (2004).

Fave films: A Dirty Carnival; Frozen Flower

67. Stuart Gordon

Writer | Re-Animator

Stuart Gordon started his film directing career in 1985. After graduating from Lane Technical High School, Gordon worked as a commercial artist apprentice prior to enrolling at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Unable to get into the film classes, he enrolled in an acting class and ended up ...

Fave films: From Beyond; Re-Animator

68. Álex de la Iglesia

Director | El bar

Álex de la Iglesia is one of the most popular and respected European filmmakers of his generation. Considered a genre of his own, based on his skill and originality in a range of cinematographic art styles, he has currently finished shooting the second season of "30 Coins", the successful HBO Max ...

Fave films: 800 Bullets; Witching and Bitching; The Last Circus; Ferpect Crime

69. Akira Kurosawa

Writer | Kakushi-toride no san-akunin

After training as a painter (he storyboards his films as full-scale paintings), Kurosawa entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director, eventually making his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata (1943). Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater...

Fave films: Seven Samurai; Rashomon; Ikiru; Yojimbo; The Hidden Fortress

70. Yoshihiro Nakamura

Director | Fisshu sutôrî

Yoshihiro Nakamura was born on August 25, 1970 in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Fish Story (2009), A Boy and His Samurai (2010) and Dark Water (2002).

Fave films: Fish Story; Chonmage Purin (aka A Boy and His Samurai); The Snow White Murder Case; Booth

71. Hitoshi Matsumoto

Writer | Dai-Nihonjin

Hitoshi Matsumoto and his childhood friend Masatoshi Hamada teamed up as comedy duo Downtown. When they had their own TV shows in late 80s, they became phenomenal pop culture among young Japanese people. Unlike other comedy duos in Japan, they are still together, and they dominate prime time TV ...

Fave films: Big Man Japan; Symbol; R100