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Jan 31, 2023 · With the help of some of our most celebrated moviemakers and industry professionals, we have counted down the directors who made the most difference—and continue to do so today. Whether the list provokes agreement or dissension, it is meant to encourage serious discussion about film.
- Rachid Bouchareb
- Kathleen Collins
- Ryan Coogler
- Ava Duvernay
- Leslie Harris
- Dianne Houston
- Barry Jenkins
- Spike Lee
- T.J. Martin
- Raoul Peck
The Parisian-born Algerian director has become one of France’s most honored working filmmakers, with his films united by a theme of fighting injustice around the world. His Oscar-nominated 1995 drama Dust of Life brought to the screen the true story of the labor camp experiences of a child of an African-American soldier and a Vietnamese woman, whil...
Long after her death in 1988, the work of this pioneering civil rights activist, writer, and educator jolted the world. Her film Losing Ground, which was initially given sparse exhibition in 1982, was rediscovered and reappraised as a masterpiece. The semi-autobiographical comedy – which was the very first sound American feature film to be directed...
Blockbuster barriers have been broken multiple times by this vital young American director since his powerhouse debut with Fruitvale Station (2013) starring his frequent acting collaborator, Michael B. Jordan. That film’s depiction of the tragic true story of Oakland’s Oscar Grant anticipated the Black Lives Matter movement. Coogler then went on to...
Initially embarking on her directing career while still working as a publicist, DuVernay has shattered barriers since making her debut as a filmmaker. Her acclaimed film Middle of Nowhere (2012) featured a look at the plight of incarcerated prisoners and the impact of their circumstances on their families, an approach she brought to major public aw...
Of the many filmmakers who shook up the independent film scene and took advantage of the widespread popularity of home video, Leslie Harris stood out as a female filmmaker with a distinctive voice as the writer, director and producer of Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.(1992). Here, we get inside the heart and soul of a young woman determined to over...
The first Black woman to earn an Oscar nomination for a film she directed, Houston moved audiences with her powerful short film, Tuesday Morning Ride (1995), based on a story by Harlem writer Arna Bontemps, about an aging couple (Ruby Dee and Bill Cobbs) dealing with a society they feel no longer has any use for them. Since then, she has gone on to...
The LGBT experiences of Black youths became a major topic of conversation with the release of Jenkins’ second feature film, Moonlight (2016), which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, as well as Oscars for Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney. He was nominated again for hi...
A list of this groundbreaking filmmaker’s achievements and impact would be far too long to cover here, of course, given that his filmography includes classic narrative films such as Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), BlacKkKlansman (2018), and so many more. However, his impact on the community may be best seen in his impressive short and ...
The first Oscar presented to an African-American director for a feature-length film went to Seattle-born documentarian Martin for Undefeated (2011), which he co-directed with Daniel Lindsay. This fly-on-the-wall look at a Memphis football team trying to turn around a punishing losing streak became a film festival favorite, putting Martin and Lindsa...
Dedicating his entire filmmaking career to social change through documentaries, Haitian-based Peck has offered a powerful perspective on politics, colonialism, and other pressing issues through films all the way up to last year’s Exterminate All the Brutes (2021). His voice reached a new level of exposure with his powerful Oscar-nominated documenta...
- 'A Short Film About Killing' (1988) Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski. Human beings have debated for millennia if and when killing can be justified. The death penalty as a punishment always draws strong opinions; after all, if killing is so bad, why is the State allowed to do it?
- 'JFK' (1991) Director: Oliver Stone. Oliver Stone wrote that he made JFK "as a metaphor for all those doubts, suspicions and unanswered questions." Of course, he was referring to the dozens of widely believed conspiracy theories that try to unravel the mysterious tragedy.
- 'Victim' (1961) Director: Basil Dearden. It is hard to think of a more revolutionary film than Victim, released in Britain in 1961 when homosexuality was considered not only immoral but a crime people could go to jail for.
- 'Top Gun' (1986) Director: Tony Scott. There are few big-screen efforts more exciting than Top Gun, one of the best movies of 1986. Because what could be more thrilling than piloting a supersonic jet?
Nov 3, 2022 · Some of the movies on this list went on to receive awards attention while others—despite critical acclaim—were completely ignored by the Academy but are still beloved by cinephiles today. Read on to discover some of the best movies to depict the lives of the filmmakers working behind the camera.
- Tim Bruns
Oct 12, 2023 · From suspenseful masterpieces to surreal dreamscapes, each director on this list has contributed to the rich tapestry of cinematic storytelling.
Sep 9, 2015 · 1. About Fritz Lang. One of the most influential pioneers of truly individualistic cinema was indeed the German-Austrian director, Fritz Lang whose ventures have an encyclopedic significance to this day.
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Jan 30, 2024 · The auteur meaning (when it comes to film and cinema) is a specific kind of director who has such a strong signature sensibility that you know his or her film without seeing their name on it. They authored the film.
