Top 25 Directors Worldwide
NOVEMBER 2022 Update
The list of 25 best directors from whole world based on titles I have watched.
The list of 25 best directors from whole world based on titles I have watched.
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- Writer
- Producer
- Director
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 black comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), before achieving both critical and commercial success with his subsequent films: the crime thriller Memories of Murder (2003), the monster film The Host (2006), the science fiction action film Snowpiercer (2013), and the black comedy thriller Parasite (2019), all of which are among the highest-grossing films in South Korea, with Parasite also being the highest-grossing South Korean film in history.
All of Bong's films have been South Korean productions, although both Snowpiercer and Okja (2017) are mostly in the English language. Two of his films have screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival-Okja in 2017 and Parasite in 2019; the latter earned the Palme d'Or, which was a first for a South Korean film. Parasite also became the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award nominations, with Bong winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, making Parasite the first film not in English to win Best Picture. In 2017, Bong was included on Metacritic's list of the 25 best film directors of the 21st century. In 2020, Bong was included in Time's annual list of 100 Most Influential People and Bloomberg 50.RANK = 1
RATING POINTS = 1064
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Flandersui gae (2000)
Memories of Murder (2003)
Gwoemul - The Host (2006)
Tokyo! (2008)
Madeo (2009)
Snowpiercer (2013)
Okja (2017)
Gisaengchung (2019)- Writer
- Producer
- Director
James DeMonaco was born in 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Purge: Anarchy (2014), The Purge: Election Year (2016) and The First Purge (2018).RANK = 2
RATING POINTS = 1063
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
The Purge (2013)
The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
The Purge: Election Year (2016)- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Jeethu Joseph is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil and Bollywood films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the 2007 police procedural film Detective and later went on to direct five successful films: the family drama Mummy & Me (2010), the comedy My Boss (2012), the thriller Memories (2013), the family-thriller Drishyam (2013), the revenge-drama Oozham (2016) and the action-thriller Aadhi (2018). Jeethu gained popularity after the release of Drishyam, which became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever. Jeethu made his Tamil debut with Papanasam (2015), Thambi (2019) and Hindi with The Body (2019).RANK = 3
RATING POINTS = 1054
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Detective (2007)
Drishyam (2013)
Drishyam 2 (2021)- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Pete Docter is the Oscar®-winning director of "Monsters, Inc.," "Up," and "Inside Out," and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. He is currently directing Pixar's feature film "Soul" with producer Dana Murray, which is set to release June 19, 2020.
Starting at Pixar in 1990 as the studio's third animator, Docter collaborated and help develop the story and characters for "Toy Story," Pixar's first full-length animated feature film, for which he also was supervising animator. He served as a storyboard artist on "A Bug's Life," and wrote initial story treatments for both "Toy Story 2" and "WALL.E." Aside from directing his three films, Docter also executive produced "Monsters University" and the Academy Award®-winning "Brave."
Docter's interest in animation began at the age of eight when he created his first flipbook. He studied character animation at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California, where he produced a variety of short films, one of which won a Student Academy Award®. Those films have since been shown in animation festivals worldwide and are featured on the "Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 2." Upon joining Pixar, he animated and directed several commercials, and has been nominated for eight Academy Awards® including Best Animated Feature-winners "Up" and "Inside Out" and nominee "Monsters, Inc.," and Best Original Screenplay for "Up," "Inside Out" and "WALL.E." In 2007, "Up" also was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.RANK = 4
RATING POINTS = 1043
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Up (2009)
Inside Out (2015)
Soul (2020)- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Park Chan-wook was born on 23 August 1963 in Seoul, South Korea. He is a producer and writer, known for Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016) and Decision to Leave (2022). He is married to Eun-hee Kim. They have one child.RANK = 5
RATING POINTS = 1034
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Oldeuboi (2003)
Ah-ga-ssi (2016)- Writer
- Editor
- Producer
Rajkumar Hirani is an Indian film director and editor. Hirani has directed five Hindi films, including Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Lage Raho Munnabhai, 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju, and all of which have been commercial and critical successes. Most of which have won several awards, including the national awards. Among his awards, include 11 Filmfare Awards. He is the founder and owns the production house Rajkumar Hirani Films.RANK = 6
RATING POINTS = 1028
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Munnabhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Lage Raho Munnabhi (2006)
3 Idiots (2009)
PK (2014)
Sanju (2018)- Additional Crew
- Editorial Department
- Editor
Lee Unkrich is an Academy Award-winning director at Pixar Animation Studios. He most recently directed Disney.Pixar's critically-acclaimed "Coco", which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Song.
As the director of Disney.Pixar's "Toy Story 3," Lee was also awarded an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Lee joined Pixar in 1994, and has played a variety of key creative roles on nearly every animated feature film made at the studio. Before co-directing the Oscar-winning "Finding Nemo," he was co-director of "Monsters, Inc." and the Golden Globe-winning "Toy Story 2."
He began his Pixar career as a film editor on "Toy Story" and was supervising film editor on "A Bug's Life." Lee also contributed his editing skills to numerous Pixar films, including his role as supervising film editor on "Finding Nemo".
In 2009 Lee and his fellow directors at Pixar were honored at the 66th Venice International Film Festival with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
Prior to joining Pixar, Lee worked in television as an editor and director. He graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema/Television in 1991.
He grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.RANK = 7
RATING POINTS = 1002
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Coco (2017)- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Anthony J. Russo is an American filmmaker and producer who works alongside his brother Joseph Russo. They have directed You, Me and Dupree, Cherry and the Marvel films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Endgame is one of the highest grossing films of all time.RANK = 8
RATING POINTS = 985
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Nitesh Tiwari is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist. He was born and raised in Tiwari family at Itaasi, Madhya Pradesh. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, in 1996 with a Bachelor's degree in Metallurgy and Material Science Engineering. He is married to Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, who was his colleague and creative director at Leo Burnett. She is also a film director, producer, and writer.
He made his directorial debut by co-directing Chillar Party (2011), which won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film for that year. He then directed the supernatural political drama Bhoothnath Returns (2014).
In 2016, Tiwari scripted and directed Dangal which was screened at the Beijing International Film Festival in April 2017 and the second annual BRICS Film Festival in June 2017.
He has garnered the Filmfare Award for Best Director at the 62nd Filmfare Awards, and the Telstra People's Choice Award at the 2017 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. His next, Chhichhore (2019), a comedy, earned him numerous nominations and acclaim as well.RANK = 9
RATING POINTS = 984
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Chillar Party (2011)
Bhoothnath Returns (2014)
Dangal (2016)
Chhichhore (2019)- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Robert Anthony Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA, to Rebecca (Villegas), a nurse, and Cecilio G. Rodríguez, a salesman. His family is of Mexican descent.
Of all the people to be amazed by the images of John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi parable, Escape from New York (1981), none were as captivated as the 12-year-old Rodriguez, who sat with his friends in a crowded cinema. Many people watch films and arrogantly proclaim "I can do that." This young man said something different: "I WILL do that. I'm gonna make movies." That day was the catalyst of his dream career. Born and raised in Texas, Robert was the middle child of a family that would include 10 children. While many a child would easily succumb to a Jan Brady sense of being lost in the shuffle, Robert always stood out as a very creative and very active young man. An artist by nature, he was very rarely seen sans pencil-in-hand doodling some abstract (yet astounding) dramatic feature on a piece of paper. His mother, not a fan of the "dreary" cinema of the 1970s, instills a sense of cinema in her children by taking them on weekly trips to San Antonio's famed Olmos Theatre movie house and treats them to a healthy dose of Hollywood's "Golden Age" wonders, from Sergio Leone to the silent classic of Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
In a short amount of time, young Robert finds the family's old Super-8 film camera and makes his first films. The genres are unlimited: action, sci-fi, horror, drama, stop-motion animation. He uses props from around the house, settings from around town, and makes use of the largest cast and crew at his disposal: his family. At the end of the decade, his father, a salesman, brings home the latest home-made technological wonder: a VCR, and with it (as a gift from the manufacturer) a video camera. With this new equipment at his disposal, he makes movies his entire life. He screens the movies for friends, all of whom desperately want to star in the next one. He gains a reputation in the neighborhood as "the kid who makes movies". Rather than handing in term papers, he is allowed to hand in "term movies" because, as he himself explains, "[the teachers] knew I'd put more effort into a movie than I ever would into an essay." He starts his own comic strip, "Los Hooligans". His movies win every local film competition and festival. When low academic grades threaten to keep him out of UT Austin's renowned film department, he proves his worth the only way he knows how: he makes a movie. Three, in fact: trilogy of short movies called "Austin Stories" starring his siblings. It beats the entries of the school's top students and allows Robert to enter the program. After being accepted into the film department, Robert takes $400 of his own money to make his "biggest" film yet: a 16mm short comedy/fantasy called Bedhead (1991).
Pouring every idea and camera trick he knew into the short, it went on to win multiple awards. After meeting and marrying fellow Austin resident Elizabeth Avellan, Robert comes up with a crazy idea: he will sell his body to science in order to finance his first feature-length picture (a Mexican action adventure about a guitarist with no name looking for work but getting caught up in a shoot-'em-up adventure) that he will sell to the Spanish video market and use as an entry point to a lucrative Hollywood career. With his "guinea pig" money he raises a mere $7,000 and creates El Mariachi (1992). But rather than lingering in obscurity, the film finds its way to the Sundance film festival where it becomes an instant favorite, wins Robert a distribution deal with Columbia Pictures and turns him into an icon among would-be film-makers the world over. Not one to rest on his laurels, he immediately helms the straight-to-cable movie Roadracers (1994) and contributes a segment to the anthology comedy Four Rooms (1995) (his will be the most lauded segment).
His first "genuine" studio effort would soon have people referring to him as "John Woo from south-of-the-border". It is the "Mariachi" remake/sequel Desperado (1995). More lavish and action-packed than its own predecessor, the movie--while not a blockbuster hit--does decent business and launches the American film careers of Antonio Banderas as the guitarist-turned-gunslinger and Salma Hayek as his love interest (the two would star in several of his movies from then on). It also furthers the director's reputation of working on low budgets to create big results. In the year when movies like Batman Forever (1995) and GoldenEye (1995) were pushing budgets past the $100 million mark, Rodriguez brought in "Desperado" for just under $7 million. The film also featured a cameo by fellow indie film wunderkind, Quentin Tarantino. It would be the beginning of a long friendship between the two sprinkled with numerous collaborations. Most notable the Tarantino-penned vampire schlock-fest From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). The kitschy flick (about a pair of criminal brothers on the run from the Texas Rangers, only to find themselves in a vamp-infested Mexican bar) became an instant cult favorite and launched the lucrative film career of ER (1994) star George Clooney.
After a two-year break from directing (primarily to spend with his family, but also developing story ideas and declining Hollywood offers) he returned to "Dusk till Dawn" territory with the teen sci-fi/horror movie The Faculty (1998), written by Scream (1996) writer, Kevin Williamson. Although it's developed a small following of its own, it would prove to be Robert's least-successful film. Critics and fans alike took issue with the pedestrian script, the off-kilter casting and the flick's blatant over-commercialization (due to a marketing deal with clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger). After another three-year break, Rodriguez returned to make his most successful (and most unexpected) movie yet, based on his own segment from Four Rooms (1995). After a string of bloody, adult-oriented action fare, no one anticipated him to write and direct the colorful and creative Spy Kids (2001), a movie about a pair of prepubescent Latino sibs who discover that their lame parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are actually two of the world's greatest secret agents. The film was hit among both audiences and critics alike.
After quitting the Writers' Guild of America and being introduced to digital filmmaking by George Lucas, Robert immediately applied the creative, flexible (and cost-effective) technology to every one of his movies from then on, starting with an immediate sequel to his family friendly hit: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) which was THEN immediately followed by the trilogy-capper Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003). The latter would prove to be the most financially-lucrative of the series and employ the long-banished movie gimmick of 3-D with eye-popping results. Later the same year Rodriguez career came full circle when he completed the final entry of the story that made brought him to prominence: "El Mariachi". The last chapter, Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), would be his most direct homage to the Sergio Leone westerns he grew up on. With a cast boasting Antonio Banderas (returning as the gunslinging guitarist), Johnny Depp (as a corrupt CIA agent attempting to manipulate him), Salma Hayek, Mickey Rourke, Willem Dafoe and Eva Mendes, the film delivered even more of the Mexican shoot-'em-up spectacle than both of the previous films combined.
Now given his choice of movies to do next, Robert sought out famed comic book writer/artist Frank Miller, a man who had been very vocal of never letting his works be adapted for the screen. Even so, he was wholeheartedly convinced and elated when Rodriguez presented him with a plan to turn Miller's signature work into the film Sin City (2005). A collection of noir-ish tales set in a fictional, crime-ridden slum, the movie boasted the largest cast Rodriguez had worked with to that date. Saying he didn't want to mere "adapt" Miller's comics but "translate" them, Rodriguez' insistence that Miller co-direct the movie lead to Robert's resignation from the Director's Guild of America (and his subsequent dismissal from the film John Carter (2012) as a result). Many critics cited that Sin City was created as a pure film noir piece to adapt Miller's comics onto the screen. Co-directing with Frank Miller and bringing in Quentin Tarantino to guest-direct a scene allowed Rodriguez to again shock Hollywood with his talent.
In late 2007, Rodriguez again teamed up with his friend Tarantino to create the double feature Grindhouse (2007). Rodriguez's offering, Planet Terror (2007), was a film made to be "hardcore, extreme, sex-fueled, action-packed." Rodriguez flirts with his passion to make a showy film exploiting all of his experience to make an extremely entertaining thrill ride. The film is encompassed around Cherry (Rose McGowan), a reluctant go-go dancer who is found wanting when she meets her ex-lover El Wray (played by Freddy Rodríguez) who turns up at a local BBQ grill. They then, after a turn of events, find themselves fending off brain-eating zombies whilst trying to flee to Mexico (here we go off to Mexico again). Apart from directing, Rodriguez also involves himself in camera work, editing and composing music for his movies' sound tracks (he composed Planet Terror's main theme). He also shoots a lot of his own action scenes to get a direct idea from his eye as the director into the film. In El Mariachi (1992), Rodriguez spent hours in front of a pay-to-use, computer editing his film. This allowed him to capture the ideal footage exactly as he wanted it. Away from the filming aspect of Hollywood, Rodriguez is an expert chef who cooks gourmet meals for the cast and crew. Rodriguez is also known for his ability to turn a low-budgeted film with a small crew into an example of film mastery. El mariachi was "the movie made on seven grand" and still managed to rank as one of Rodriguez' best films (receiving a rating of 92% on the Rotten Tomatoes film review site).
Because Rodriguez is involved so deeply in his films, he is able to capture what he wants first time, which saves both time and money. Rodriguez's films share some similar threads and ideas, whilst also having differences. In El Mariachi (1992), he uses a hand-held camera. He made this decision for several reasons. First, he couldn't afford a tripod and secondly, he wanted to make the audience more aware of the action. In the action sequences he is given more mobility with a hand-held camera and also allows for distortion of the unprofessional action sequences (because the cost of all special effects in the film totaled $600). However, in Sin City (2005) and Planet Terror (2007), the budget was much greater, and Rodriguez could afford to spend more on special affects (especially since both films were filmed predominately with green screen) and, thus, there was no need to cover for error.
Playing by his own rules or not at all, Robert Rodriguez has redefined what a filmmaker can or cannot do. Shunning Hollywood's ridiculously high budgets, multi-picture deals and the two most powerful unions for the sake of maintaining creative freedom are decisions that would (and have) cost many directors their careers. Rodriguez has turned these into his strengths, creating some of the most imaginative works the big-screen has ever seen.RANK = 10
RATING POINTS = 978
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Four Rooms (1995)
Sin City (2005)- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Sriram Raghavan is an Indian filmmaker who works in the Hindi film industry. He is regarded as a writer of neo-noir thrillers that fall under the action genre. He was brought up in Pune, where he attended St. Vincent's High School. He went to Fergusson College in Pune to study economics.
After finishing college, Raghavan first wished to build a career in journalism. He took up a job at Stardust magazine but moved on to join the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune to pursue a course in direction.
After completing his studies, Raghavan worked on a short feature, Raman Raghav - A City, A Killer. It was based on the crimes of Raman Raghav (a serial killer of Bombay) and his arrest. Raghavan cast Raghubir Yadav to play the character of Raman. The feature was made on a low budget and was never released.
Raghavan later started writing for television serials. He wrote several episodes of Aahat (1995) and C.I.D. (1998). He also wrote and directed an episode in First Kill.
Raghavan's career took a new turn after Ram Gopal Varma liked his work in Raman Raghav - A City, A Killer. and signed him up to direct Ek Hasina Thi (2004). The film starred Saif Ali Khan and Urmila Matondkar in the lead roles. This thriller received positive reviews from critics. It was shown at the New York Asian Film Festival.
Raghavan's next directorial venture was another thriller, Johnny Gaddaar (2007). It was the debut film of Neil Nitin Mukesh. The story revolves around a group of five individuals who want to make a fortune through a shortcut. But things go out of hand suddenly when one of the group members gets killed, and the money he was holding goes missing. Though the film wasn't a commercial success, it succeeded in impressing the critics.
In 2012, Raghavan released his third film, Agent Vinod (2012), a spy thriller starring Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. The story revolves around the secret mission of Agent Vinod to discover the reason behind his colleague's death. The film received mixed reviews from critics and failed to make a mark at the box office.
Raghavan's fourth film was Badlapur (2015), a revenge action thriller that features Varun Dhawan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Yami Gautam in lead roles. The storyline is based on Death's Dark Abyss, a novel written by Massimo Carlotto. The story is based on the theme of revenge and shows a devastated man out to avenge the death of his family. The movie got positive reviews from critics. It also earned him a nomination for Best Director at the 61st Filmfare awards.
Raghavan explored the genre of black comedy in his crime thriller Andhadhun (2018). The film stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, and Radhika Apte. The movie's storyline revolves around a blind piano player involved in the murder of a former actor. The film earned rave reviews from critics. The worldwide collection for the film surpassed Rs. 450 crores, which made it a huge hit. The movie is also one of Indian cinema's biggest-grossing movies.
Raghavan won several awards for Andhadhun (2018), including the National Film Award 2018 for Best Feature Film in Hindi, IIFA Award 2019 for Best Director, Best Story, and Best Screenplay, and Screen Award 2018 for Best Director and Best Film Writing (Story and Screenplay).RANK = 11
RATING POINTS = 960
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Ek Hasina Thi (2004)
Johnny Gaddaar (2007)
Agent Vinod (2012)
Badlapur (2015)
Andhadhun (2018)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Stephen Chow was the only boy of his family, and has grown up as a Bruce Lee fan and a martial arts addict. His career started on TV, where he presented a children show ( "430 Space Shuttle" (1983)) and started becoming popular. He got some supporting roles, after that, and won the Taiwanese Golden Horse award for best supporting actor.
He had his first starring role in 1990 in a 'Chow Yun-Fat' spoof: All for the Winner (1990) - "All for the Winner" and started excelling in the comedy genre. In Hong-Kong, his particular nonsense style is called "Mo Lei Tau". It's also on the set of this movie that he encountered his fellow sidekick Man-Tat Ng.
One of the last HK biggest star which have not been bought by Hollywood, even if Miramax (who'll surely release Shaolin Soccer (2001) - "Shaolin Soccer" this year in the USA - after remastering it, ouch.) has probably planned something for him...RANK = 12
RATING POINTS = 958
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat (1994)
Daai laap mat taam Ling Ling Fat (1996)
Sik san (1996)
Siu Lam juk kau (2001)
Kung fu (2004)- Director
- Animation Department
- Producer
Byron Howard was born on 26 December 1968 in Misawa, Japan. He is a director and producer, known for Zootopia (2016), Encanto (2021) and Tangled (2010).RANK = 13
RATING POINTS = 957
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Bolt (2008)
Tangled (2010)
Zootopia (2016)- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Bandreddi Sukumar, popularly known as Sukumar, is a screenwriter, film director, and producer of Telugu films.
Sukumar was born to Tirupathi Rao Naidu, a rice trader, and Veera Veni, a homemaker. He studied at a Zilla Parishad High School in Razole in Andhra Pradesh. He went on to complete his master's degree in Mathematics.
Before joining the film industry, Sukumar worked as a mathematics lecturer at a junior college in Bhimavaram. He decided to switch careers when he felt his life as a lecturer had become too mundane.
After moving to Hyderabad to pursue a career in the film industry, he began writing for TV serials and films. He later worked as an assistant director in a few movies, including Manasichi Choodu (1999).
Sukumar made his directorial debut with Arya (2004), a romantic entertainer starring Allu Arjun, Siva Balaji, and Anuradha Mehta. He also wrote the screenplay for the film. The story revolves around three college students with love as the key theme. The film was a massive blockbuster and ran over 420 days across eight centres. Sukumar won the Filmfare South Award (2004) for Best Director - Telugu for this movie. He also won the Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer in 2004. The film brought him into the limelight overnight.
His second directorial venture was Jagadam (2007), an action movie that had Ram Pothineni and Isha Sahani playing the lead roles. He was the screenplay writer for this movie as well. The film depicts the story of a child who wants to become a thug growing up and the challenges he has to face later in his life due to his fascination.
He then wrote and directed Arya 2 (2009) next. It was the namesake sequel of Arya (2004) and featured Allu Arjun, Navdeep, and Kajal Aggarwal in lead roles. The film deals with the love-hate relationship between two childhood friends who fall in love with the same girl. Arya 2 received mixed reviews from critics.
In his next film, 100% Love (2011), Sukumar explored the romantic comedy genre in which Naga Chaitanya Akkineni and Tamannaah Bhatia portrayed the main characters. The storyline was about the ego hassles between two college students who are very competitive in their studies and have fallen in love with each other. The movie proved to be a big hit.
In 2014, Sukumar directed the psychological action thrille 1: Nenokkadine (2014), with Mahesh Babu and Kriti Sanon in lead roles. The film was about a rockstar with a psychological condition who seeks to avenge his parent's death, and it received mixed reviews from critics.
The same year, he directed I Am That Change (2014), a short film starring Allu Arjun. It received a positive response.
He next directed To Father with Love (2016), an action thriller in which N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Rajendra Prasad, and Rakul Preet Singh played the lead characters. The film revolves around the emotional relationship between a son and his father, spanning the last month of the latter's life. It got positive responses from critics.
His next venture as a writer-cum-director was Rangasthalam 1985 (2018), a period drama starring Ram Charan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Aadhi in pivotal roles. The film narrates the story of two brothers and their fight against corrupt village governance. It was a massive hit at the box office and became one of the highest-grossing Telegu movies of 2018.
Sukumar then directed Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 (2021), in which the lead roles were played by Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, and Rashmika Mandanna. The film traces the story of a labourer name Pushpa who rises through the ranks of a smuggling syndicate dealing in red sandalwood and his tussle with the law regarding illegal trade. The film was a huge commercial success and became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2021.
Sukumar married Thabitha Sukumar in 2009.The couple met at a screening of his directorial film, Arya. They gradually fell in love, but Thabitha's parents were opposed to the match. The couple married in the presence of Sukumar's parents and her sister. Thabitha's parents later accepted their relationship. The couple has two kids, a son and a daughter.RANK = 14
RATING POINTS = 957
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Arya (2004)
Jagadam (2007)
Arya 2 (2009)
100% Love (2011)
1 - Nenokkadine (2014)
Nannaku Prematho (2016)
Rangasthalam (2018)- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Mark Randolph Osborne is an American film director, writer, producer and animator from Trenton, New Jersey who is known for co-directing the Oscar nominated Kung Fu Panda (2008) and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) (the live-action sequences), as well as directing The Little Prince (2015) himself. He also worked on 4 episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) and wrote and directed two episodes of Cartoon Monsoon (2003); The Stump: The Homeroom Menace (2003) and The Stump: Science Unfair (2003), as well as writing and directing the Oscar nominated short More (1998).
Mark Osborne has two children, Kimb and Madison (whom he dedicated More to), and a brother, Kent Osborne.RANK = 15
RATING POINTS = 1351
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Dropping Out (2000)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
The Exhibitionist (2011)- Producer
- Director
- Writer
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 and music videos after signing with N. Lee Lacy in Hollywood. He went on to found Propaganda in 1987 with fellow directors Dominic Sena, Greg Gold and Nigel Dick. Fincher has directed TV commercials for clients that include Nike, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Heineken, Pepsi, Levi's, Converse, AT&T and Chanel. He has directed music videos for Madonna, Sting, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, George Michael, Iggy Pop, The Wallflowers, Billy Idol, Steve Winwood, The Motels and, most recently, A Perfect Circle.
As a film director, he has achieved huge success with Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1999) and, Panic Room (2002).RANK = 16
RATING POINTS = 942
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Alien 3 (1992)
Se7en (1995)
The Game (1997)
Fight Club (1999)
Panic Room (2002)
Zodiac (2007)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
The Social Network (2010)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Gone Girl (2014)- Writer
- Producer
- Director
S.S.Rajamouli is an Indian filmmaker who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is one of the most celebrated filmmakers ever of the Indian film industry and pioneered the Pan-Indian films movement. Rajamouli was born in a Telugu family to V. Vijayendra Prasad and Raja Nandini. Both his parents hail from Andhra Pradesh.
Rajamouli has directed 12 feature films so far, including mega blockbusters like Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali: The Conclusion, and RRR. Through his Baahubali series, Rajamouli pioneered the Pan-Indian films movement. His next film, tentatively called SSMB29, is a globetrotting action adventure & first collaboration with "Superstar" Mahesh Babu which is is expected to begin its production in 2024.
Eega (2012) won nine awards at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, including the Most Original Film. Baahubali films have received six Saturn Award nominations with Baahubali 2 (2017) winning the Best International Film. His latest directorial "RRR" (2022) received various international accolades including the 1st Academy Award for India, a Golden Globe Award for the song "Naatu Naatu" & nomination for Best Foreign language film, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
A self confessed "film freak", Rajamouli's penchant for filmmaking is best captured by the word "emotion". He has often stated that his films are based on stories driven by human emotions. While scaling up his work with "larger-than-life" themes over the years, Rajamouli maintained his signature style of filmmaking that allows audience to simmer in the thrills and emotions of the story with less dialogue.
He is a recipient of various national and international honors including a prestigious New York Film Critics Circle award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Saturn Awards, and four National Film Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri (fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India), for his contributions in the field of art. In 2023, he was included on the Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the worldRANK = 17
RATING POINTS = 942
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Student No. 1 (2001)
Simhadri (2003)
Sye (2004)
Chatrapathi (2005)
Vikramarkudu (2006)
Yamadonga (2007)
Magadheera (2009)
Maryada Ramanna (2010)
Eega (2012)
Bahubali: The Beginning (2015)
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Tony Tarantino, is an Italian-American actor and musician from New York, and his mother, Connie (McHugh), is a nurse from Tennessee. Quentin moved with his mother to Torrance, California, when he was four years old.
In January of 1992, first-time writer-director Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) appeared at the Sundance Film Festival. The film garnered critical acclaim and the director became a legend immediately. Two years later, he followed up Dogs success with Pulp Fiction (1994) which premiered at the Cannes film festival, winning the coveted Palme D'Or Award. At the 1995 Academy Awards, it was nominated for the best picture, best director and best original screenplay. Tarantino and writing partner Roger Avary came away with the award only for best original screenplay. In 1995, Tarantino directed one fourth of the anthology Four Rooms (1995) with friends and fellow auteurs Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez and Allison Anders. The film opened December 25 in the United States to very weak reviews. Tarantino's next film was From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), a vampire/crime story which he wrote and co-starred with George Clooney. The film did fairly well theatrically.
Since then, Tarantino has helmed several critically and financially successful films, including Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Django Unchained (2012) and The Hateful Eight (2015).RANK = 18
RATING POINTS = 937
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Four Rooms (1995)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Sin City (2005)
Death Proof (2007)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Django Unchained (2012)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Chris Williams was born on 23 April 1968 in Missouri, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014) and The Sea Beast (2022). He has been married to Astrid Sealey since 10 July 2004. They have two children.RANK = 19
RATING POINTS = 936
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Bolt (2008)
Big Hero 6 (2014)- Producer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Douglas Eric Liman is a Jewish-American filmmaker and producer who directed Swingers, The Bourne Identity, Chaos Walking, Jumper, Go, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fair Game, Locked Down, Edge of Tomorrow, The Wall and American Made. He executive produced the Bourne sequels except The Bourne Legacy, The Phantom and The Killing Floor.RANK = 20
RATING POINTS = 936
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Jumper (2008)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
American Made (2017)- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.
He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil obstetrician and gynecologist, and Nelliate C. Shyamalan, a Malayali doctor. His passion for filmmaking began when he was given a Super-8 camera at age eight, and even at that young age began to model his career on that of his idol, Steven Spielberg. His first film, Praying with Anger (1992), was based somewhat on his own trip back to visit the India of his birth. He raised all the funds for this project, in addition to directing, producing and starring in it. Wide Awake (1998), his second film, he wrote and directed, and shot it in the Philadelphia-area Catholic school he once attended--even though his family was of a different religion, they sent him to that school because of its strict discipline.
Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense (1999), which was a commercial success and later nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Shyamalan team up again with Bruce Willis in the film Unbreakable (2000), released in 2000, which he also wrote and directed.
His major films include the science fiction thriller Signs (2002), the psychological thriller The Village (2004), the fantasy thriller Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), After Earth (2013), and the horror films The Visit (2015) and Split (2016).RANK = 21
RATING POINTS = 933
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Unbreakable (2000)
The Last Airbender (2010)
Split (2016)
Glass (2019)- Director
- Actor
- Writer
RANK = 22
RATING POINTS = 931
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Yip Man (2008)
Yip Man 2 (2010)- Director
- Writer
- Producer
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 Premier Scenario contest, whilst his follow up The Quiet Family (1998) became not only his directorial debut, but also the source material for Takashi Miike's remake The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) in 2001.
With an official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Film award at the Fantasport Film Festival for "A Quiet Family", his next film, 2000's The Foul King (2000), was an instant domestic hit, maintaining the #1 spot for over 6 months, with over 2 million admissions, it was also a worldwide festival crowd-pleaser. The short Coming Out (2000) and his contribution to 3 Extremes II (2002) (alongside segments from Peter Ho-Sun Chan and Nonzee Nimibutr) followed and then he made the 2003 horror A Tale of Two Sisters (2003).
He is a fan of film-noir and claims that many of his films contain elements of noir, often mixed with black comedy. His movie A Bittersweet Life (2005) his full on film-noir gangster thriller masterwork.RANK = 23
RATING POINTS = 925
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
Choyonghan kajok (1998)
Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
Ang-ma-reul bo-at-da (2010)- Producer
- Animation Department
- Director
David Silverman was born on 15 March 1957 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Simpsons (1989), The Simpsons Movie (2007) and Monsters, Inc. (2001).RANK = 24
RATING POINTS = 922
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Neil Burger is an American film and television director, writer, and producer. Most recently, he wrote and directed Voyagers (2021), starring Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, and Lily-Rose Depp. He is also known for The Upside (2017), Divergent (2014), Limitless (2011), and The Illusionist (2006). For television, Burger directed and executive produced the first two episodes of Billions for Showtime starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis. He is currently in pre-production on The Marsh King's Daughter starring Daisy Ridley.
A graduate of Yale University with a degree in fine arts, Burger resides in New York City with his family.RANK = 25
RATING POINTS = 919
[BASED ON FOLLOWING TITLES]
The Illusionist (2006)
The Lucky Ones (2007)
Limitless (2011)
Divergent (2014)
The Upside (2017)