10 Directors to watch in 2013
2013 Directors to watch
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Steve McQueen was born on 9 October 1969 in London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Shame (2011) and Hunger (2008). He is married to Bianca Stigter. They have two children.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Writer, director, and producer Nicolas Winding Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1970, to Anders Refn, a film director and editor, and Vibeke Winding (née Tuxen), a cinematographer. Just before he turned 11, in 1981, he moved to New York with his parents, where he lived out his teen years. New York quickly became his city and soon began to shape Nicolas' future.
At seventeen, Nicolas moved back to his native Copenhagen to complete his high-school Education. After graduation, he swiftly flew back to New York, where he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. However, this education was cut short when Nicolas threw a desk at a classroom wall and was expelled from the Academy. Consequently, he applied to the Danish Film School and was readily accepted. This education too was to be short-lived, though, as one month prior to the start of the semester, Nicolas dropped out.
A short film Nicolas had written, directed, and starred in was aired on an obscure cable TV channel and lead to the offer of a life-time. Nicolas was spotted and offered 3.2 million kroners to turn the short into a feature. At only twenty-four, Nicolas had written and directed the extremely violent and uncompromising Pusher (1996), which became a cult phenomenon and won Nicolas instant international critical acclaim. The success of his debut spurred him to push the boundaries of his creative filmmaking further, which resulted in the close-to-the-edge and intricately gritty Bleeder (1999). Highly stylized and focused on introverted reactions to outward situations, this film was a marking point for the shaping of Nicolas's future career. The movie was selected for the 1999 Venice International Film Festival as well as winning the prestigious FIPRESCI Prize in Sarajevo.
Nicolas's fourth feature, the much-anticipated Fear X (2003) was also his first foray into English-language movies. Starring the award-winning actor John Turturro, "Fear X" made its world premiere at the Sundance Film festival. However, Fear X divided critics and it flopped, which made Nicolas Winding Refn broke and in debt.
Having to provide for his family and paying his debt, he returned to Denmark to revisit "Pusher." Refn was reluctant to revisit his past success but decided that he could both make commercially viable and artistically pleasing films. In just two years he managed to write, direct and produce the two sequels. Pusher II (2004) and Pusher III (2005) sealed the box and success of the internationally renowned "Pusher" trilogy. In 2005, the Toronto Film Festival held a "Pusher" retrospective showing all three features cementing its worldwide phenomenon.
In 2006 Nicolas embarked on a second English-language (and first digital) feature called Valhalla Rising (2009), which was inspired by a story his mother read to him at the age of five about a father and son who embark on a trip to the moon. Not recalling the ending of this story has been a long time fascination of Nicolas's with the unknown. During the pre-production on "Valhalla Rising," his long time collaborator and friend, Rupert Preston, urged him into accepting an offer to write and direct Bronson (2008), an ultra-violent, surreal, and escapist film following the real-life landmarks and self-entrapment of Charles Bronson, Britain's most notorious criminal. Before its cinematic release, "Bronson" was making waves inside and outside the film industry. The 2009 Sundance Film Festival selected the blistering film for its World Cinema Dramatic Competition and it soon became the talk of the festival. With such a prestigious premiere, "Bronson" went on to be selected for other major international film festivals and reap strong box-office rewards. But, even with such a buzz surrounding the film, no one could predict how the British press would bite at "Bronson's" bit. The content was close to the knuckle, the subject matter controversial, but Nicolas's take on this was even more inspired leading him to be labeled by the British media as the next great European auteur.
With such critical acclaim, Nicolas's reputation as a producer, writer and director was solidly reaffirmed. Nicolas and his wife Liv Corfixen were the subjects of an acclaimed documentary, Gambler (2006), which premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2005. In addition, Nicolas already received two lifetime-achievement awards (one from the Taipei International Film festival in 2006 and the second from the Valencia International Film Festival in 2007), and it was the winner of the Emerging Master Award from the Philadelphia International Film Festival 2005.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Richard Ellef Ayoade was born in Hammersmith, and grew up in Suffolk, in England, the son of a Norwegian mother, Dagny Amalie (Baassuik), and a Nigerian father, Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade. He studied Law at Cambridge university, and followed in the footsteps of British Comedy legends like Monty Python's Eric Idle, Hugh Laurie and Graeme Garden when he became the president of the Cambridge Footlights club.
Ayoade's first real TV break was directing, co-writing and starring with Matthew Holness in the cult classic Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004) a parody of shlocky 1980's science fiction television shows, and noticed for it's "so bad it's good!" aesthetic. Notably shy and self-effacing in interviews, his performance as the debauched, self-assured publisher/pornographer/nightclub owner 'Dean Learner' showcased the young comedian's acting talent.
After cameos in another cult series The Mighty Boosh (2003) as the shaman "Saboo", his position in the popular consciousness was cemented in the series The IT Crowd (2006) where Ayoade played the social oblivious, dweebish savant known as "Moss".
All the while Ayoade continued to direct music videos for Vampire Weekend, Kasabian, and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs before finally getting his chance to direct a feature film, Submarine (2010), based on the novel by Joe Dunthorne.
Submarine was followed by The Double (2013) co-written by Avi Korine and based on a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Welsh born writer/director, in 2003 directed a short film "Samurai Monogatari" telling the tale of a Samurai waiting to be executed. The short was in Japanese language and starred students from Tokyo who were studying at Cardiff University at the time.
In 2003 he also graduated with an MA in Scriptwriting for Film and Television at the University of Glamorgan but it was not until 2006 that he would see his first major production with the self-penned feature "Footsteps". In 2006 the film premiered at the Swansea Bay Film Festival where it was awarded the prize for "Best Film", it has since gone on to receive critical acclaim and is due to be released in the US through extreme cinema label, Unearthed Films in summer 2007.
Currently he is directing a documentary for Christine Hakim Films in Indonesia entitled "The Mystic Arts of Indonesia: Pencak Silat". The documentary is one of a five episode series covering the cultural heritage of Indonesia and is expected to broadcast once the series is complete in 2008.
Following this he is expected to begin work on a second feature in summer 2007.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Ben Wheatley was born in May 1972 in Billericay, Essex, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Free Fire (2016), Kill List (2011) and Sightseers (2012).- Director
- Producer
- Writer
John Hillcoat was born on 14 August 1961 in Queensland, Australia. He is a director and producer, known for The Proposition (2005), The Road (2009) and Lawless (2012).- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Adam Leon is a NYC based filmmaker. His feature debut, Gimme The Loot won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW, was an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival, and was released theatrically around the world.
His follow-up, Tramps, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 where it was acquired by Netflix.
His latest feature, Italian Studies, stars actress Vanessa Kirby and was released by Magnolia in January 2022.
Leon is a winner of the Independent Spirit Someone To Watch award and a Gotham Award nominee for Breakthrough Director.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Ari Folman was born on 17 December 1962 in Haifa, Israel. He is a writer and director, known for The Congress (2013), Waltz with Bashir (2008) and Saint Clara (1996).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Duncan Jones was born on 30 May 1971 in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Moon (2009), Source Code (2011) and Mute (2018). He has been married to Rodene Ronquillo since 6 November 2012. They have two children.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Nabil Ayouch works and lives in Casablanca and is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, the Académie des Césars and the Arab Film Academy. Nabil Ayouch is a director, writer, producer and is the founder of Ali n' Production, the main film and TV shows production company in Morocco.
In 1997, Nabil Ayouch directed his first feature film, Mektoub (1997) which, like Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000) represented Morocco at the Oscars. Next came Une minute de soleil en moins (2002) and Whatever Lola Wants (2007), produced by Pathé.
After directing several live shows such as the opening of Morocco Time in France at the Château de Versailles in 1999, he conceived and staged the closing show of the World Economic Forum in Davos later in 2009.
In 2011, he directed his first feature-length documentary, My Land (2011) which he shot in the Middle East. In 2012, he made Horses of God (2012). The film, based on the May 16, 2003, bombings in Casablanca, was selected in the official selection - Un Certain Regard, at the Cannes Film Festival and received the François Chalais Award. It represented Morocco at the Oscars and won 26 international awards.
In May 2015, his next film Much Loved (2015) was selected at the Cannes Film Festival, at the Directors' Fortnight. In September, it won the Valois d'Or and the Valois for Best Actress at Angoulême. Banned in Morocco, "Much Loved" was released in about twenty countries and was acquired by Netflix for the US and several other countries. It collected 12 international awards and reached 280,000 admissions in France, the biggest success ever for a Moroccan film.
In 2016, Nabil Ayouch made Razzia (2017). The film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017, won a dozen international awards. It was widely sold around the world, including in the US where it was distributed by Amazon.
In 2019, Nabil Ayouch produced the film Adam (2019), first feature film by Maryam Touzani, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard). The film, sold in 20 countries, won 23 awards and was both a public and critical success.
In 2021, Nabil Ayouch directed Casablanca Beats (2021). The film, which deals with the youth of the suburbs of Casablanca and with Hip Hop as a means of expression, was presented in world premiere in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival 2021, the first time for a Moroccan film.
In 2023, he produced The Blue Caftan (2022) by Maryam Touzani. Selected at the Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard, it won the FRIPESCI Prize. The film, representing Morocco at the Oscars, was shortlisted among the 15 best foreign films, the first time ever for Morocco. The film won more than 50 awards around the world. Sold in about thirty territories, it recorded more than 500,000 international admissions, a record for a Moroccan film.
In 2024, Nabil Ayouch will release Everybody Loves Touda (2024) his next film.
Beyond his films, Nabil Ayouch contributes, through Ali n' Productions, which he created in 1999, to energize the Moroccan cinematic landscape by supporting young talents.
Through the creation of the "Film Industry," he produced between 2005 and 2010, 40 genre films, contributing to the creation of a true film industry that would reveal and train talents in all areas of the film industry.
In 2006, he launched the Meda Films Development - with the support of the European Union and the Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation - a structure to accompany producers and screenwriters from the ten countries of the southern Mediterranean shore in the development phase of their films.
Very active in the socio-cultural field, Nabil Ayouch opened in 2014 through the Ali Zaoua Foundation - which he created and presides over - the Cultural Center "Les étoiles de Sidi Moumen," intended for young people in the peripheral neighborhood of Sidi Moumen from which the kamikazes who committed the May 16, 2003, bombings in Casablanca and who inspired "Les Chevaux de Dieu" came. To date, more than 1,000 children and teenagers are enrolled and learn all forms of artistic expression. This was followed by a second Cultural Center in Tangier in 2016, a third in Agadir in 2019, a fourth in Fez in 2020, and finally a fifth center in Marrakech in 2021.
In November 2014, the Louvre Museum paid tribute to Nabil Ayouch by offering him a carte blanche for 3 days during which a large part of his work was shown to the Parisian public.
In 2015, Nabil Ayouch exhibited in Paris and Casablanca a series of photographs that explore this part of society "On the margins" that haunts him and crosses his artistic work. In 2022, he signed a second series of photos "Aporia" which was exhibited in Casablanca.