Directors ⌠American new-gen⌡
by angeliki_spatki | created - 02 Feb 2014 | updated - 4 days ago | PublicRecent times American Directors ♦ also see Near Past times
1. 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 ...
The Whale 2022, ⌂Dark Swan *** 2010 (starring Natalie Portman), The Wrestler *** 2008 (starring Mickey Rourke), The Fountain 2006, Requiem for a Dream 2000 ⌂ Brooklyn N.Y. US
2. Tom McCarthy
Writer | The Station Agent
Tom McCarthy is an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for direct and write The Station Agent (2003), The Visitor (2007), Win Win (2011), and Spotlight (2015), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Director.
McCarthy...
The Visitor **** 2007 (A movie about immigrants in N.Y.) ⌂ New Providence, New Jersey US
3. Alexander Payne
Director | Nebraska
Director, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents, Peggy (Constantine) and George Payne, ran a Greek restaurant. His father is of Greek and German ancestry, and his mother is of Greek descent; the family name was originally Papadopoulos. He is the youngest...
The Descendants *** 2011, Sideways *** 2009 ⌂ US
4. James Ponsoldt
Director | The Spectacular Now
James Ponsoldt was born on September 5, 1978 in Athens, Georgia, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Spectacular Now (2013), The Circle (2017) and The End of the Tour (2015). He has been married to Megan Holloway since September 25, 2010.
The end of the Tour *** 2015 (A 5-day interview with novelist David Foster Wallace) more about ⌂ Athens, Georgia US
5. Arie Posin
Director | Over My Dead Body
Arie Posin is known for Over My Dead Body (2002), The Chumscrubber (2005) and The Face of Love (2013).
The face of love ** 2013, The Chumscrubber 2005
6. Noah Baumbach
Writer | The Squid and the Whale
Born in Brooklyn in 1969 Noah Baumbach is the son of two film critics, Georgia Brown and Jonathan Baumbach (also a writer). His studies at Vassar College were the subject of his first film (made as he was 26 years old), Kicking and Screaming (1995). His second major picture, made ten years later, ...
Frances Ha ***, While we're young (2014) ***, Mistress America (2015)
7. Derek Cianfrance
Writer | Blue Valentine
Derek Cianfrance began making movies at age 13. He later attended The University of Colorado where he studied under avant-garde film legends Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. His first three films, 'Five O'clock Shadow', 'Raw Footage', and Brother Tied (1998), won consecutive Goldfarb Awards for best...
The Light between Oceans **** 2017, Blue Valentine 2010 ⌂ Lakewood, Colorado US
8. Steven Soderbergh
Director | Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Steven Andrew Soderbergh was born on January 14, 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the second of six children of Mary Ann (Bernard) and Peter Soderbergh. His father was of Swedish and Irish descent, and his mother was of Italian ancestry. While he was still at a very young age, his family moved to ...
Che Part I 2006, Ocean's Eleven 2001, Erin Brockovich 2000, Sex, Lies and Videotape **** 1989 ⌂ US, Atlanta, Georgia
9. Paul Thomas Anderson
Director | Punch-Drunk Love
Anderson was born in 1970. He was one of the first of the "video store" generation of film-makers. His father was the first man on his block to own a V.C.R., and from a very early age Anderson had an infinite number of titles available to him. While film-makers like Spielberg cut their teeth making...
Fhantom thread 2017, Inherent Vice 2014, There will be blood **** 2007, (starring Daniel Day-Lewis) The rise and fall of an oil minner at the begining of the century ⌂ California, US
10. Michael Showalter
Writer | Wet Hot American Summer
Michael Showalter is a director, writer, and producer who most recently directed the 2017 hit The Big Sick. Previously he directed and co-wrote the 2016 film Hello, My Name Is Doris starring Sally Field. Michael's first film was the The Baxter (2005) starring Michelle Williams and Justin Theroux. ...
Big Sick *** 2017, Hello my name is Doris *** 2015 ⌂ Princeton, New Jersey US
11. Tom Ford
Director | A Single Man
Tom Ford is an American fashion designer, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He gained fame as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2006, Ford launched his own "Tom Ford" label.
Ford directed the films A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016), both films were...
Nocturnal animals 2017 ****, "A Single Man" (A realistic look in the life of a solitary man, with Colin Firth) ⌂ US
12. Richard Linklater
Director | Waking Life
Self-taught writer-director Richard Stuart Linklater was born in Houston, Texas, to Diane Margaret (Krieger), who taught at a university, and Charles W. Linklater III. Richard was among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s. ...
Before Midnight ('13) **** - more on this movie, Watch Trailer, Before Sunset ('04), Before Sunrise ('95) (The 24 hours Trilogy), Boyhood ('14) (A 12 years narrative) ⌂ Houston (Texas) US
13. 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...
"Seven" (98), Panic Room *** (02) - (Director's TMs) ⌂ Denver, Colorado US
14. Jim Jarmusch
Director | Paterson
Moved to New York City at the age of seventeen from Akron, Ohio. Graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in English, class of '75. Without any prior film experience, he was accepted into the Tisch School of the Arts, New York.
Only lovers stay alive 2017, Broken Flowers 2005 ****, with Bill Murray, Stranger than Paradise 1984 ⌂ US
15. Ben Affleck
Producer | Argo
Benjamin Géza "Ben" Affleck-Boldt was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to mother Chris Anne (Boldt), a school teacher, and father Timothy Byers "Tim" Affleck, a social worker. Ben has a younger brother, actor Casey Affleck, who was born in 1975...
16. William Monahan
Writer | The Departed
William Monahan was born on November 3, 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Departed (2006), London Boulevard (2010) and Edge of Darkness (2010).
London Boulevard ** 2010 ⌂ US
17. Michael Hoffman
Director | A Midsummer Night's Dream
Michael Hoffman was born on November 30, 1956 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. He is a director and writer, known for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), The Last Station (2009) and Promised Land (1987). He is married to Samantha Silva.
The Last Station 2009 *** ⌂ Hawaii US
18. 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.
The Perks of being a Wallflower 2011 ⌂ US
19. Vincenzo Natali
Director | Cube
Vincenzo Natali was born on January 6, 1969 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Cube (1997), In the Tall Grass (2019) and Cypher (2002).
"Paris, je t' aime" 2006 - (segment "Quartier de la Madeleine"), "Cube" 1997 ⌂ Detroit, Michigan US
20. Gia Coppola
Director | Palo Alto
Gia Coppola was born on January 1, 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Palo Alto (2013), Mainstream (2020) and Somewhere (2010).
Palo Alto 2013, NY Stories (segment Life Without) 1989
21. Ramin Bahrani
Producer | 99 Homes
Ramin Bahrani was born on March 20, 1975 in North Carolina, USA. He is a producer and director, known for 99 Homes (2014), The White Tiger (2021) and Man Push Cart (2005).
At any price 2012 (Το τίμημα της επιτυχίας), Chop shop 2008
22. Todd Phillips
Producer | Joker
Todd Phillips is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.
Growing up on Long Island, New York, Todd Phillips fell in love with feature film teen comedies made in the 1980s, and claims they were his biggest influence in becoming a filmmaker. While studying film at New York University, ...
Joker 2019 ⌂ Brooklyn, NY US
23. Gary Winick
Producer | Tadpole
Gary Winick was born on March 31, 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Tadpole (2002), Charlotte's Web (2006) and The Tic Code (1998). He died on February 27, 2011 in New York City, New York, USA.
Letters to Juliette 2010
24. David O. Russell
Director | American Hustle
David Owen Russell is an American film writer, director, and producer, known for a cinema of intense, tragi-comedic characters whose love of life can surpass dark circumstances faced in very specific worlds. His films address such themes as mental illness as stigma or hope; invention of self and ...
25. Douglas McGrath
Writer | Emma
Douglas McGrath was born on February 12, 1958 in Midland, Texas, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Emma (1996), Bullets Over Broadway (1994) and Happiness (1998). He was married to Jane Read Martin. He died on November 3, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
26. Spike Lee
Director | Do the Right Thing
Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...
Do the right thing 1999 (...when hate and bigoltry smolders) ⌂ Atlanta, Georgia US - (Director's TMs)
27. Robert Zemeckis
Writer | Back to the Future
A whiz-kid with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone (1984), 1941 (1979)) and special effect ...
Allied *** 2016, The Walk The biography of Philippe Petit who crossed the twin towers (61m distance) in N.Y. (2015) ****, Cast Away **** (2000), Forest Gamp (1994) **** (Won Best director Oscar '95) ⌂ Chicago, Illinois US
28. Judd Apatow
Producer | Girls
Judd Apatow is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He directed The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40, Funny People, Trainwreck and The King of Staten Island. He also developed the television shows Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Girls, Love and Crashing. He is ...
This is 40 ** 2012 ⌂ US
29. Quentin Tarantino
Writer | Reservoir Dogs
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...
Once in Hollywood *** 2019, Inglourious Basterds *** 2009 ⌂ Tennessee, US
30. Nick Cassavetes
Actor | Face/Off
Nick Cassavetes was born in New York City, the son of actress Gena Rowlands and Greek-American actor and film director John Cassavetes. As a child, he appeared in two of his father's films: Husbands (1970) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974). After spending so much of his youth surrounded by the...
Unhook the Stars 1996 ⌂ New York, US
31. John Curran
Director | Chappaquiddick
John Curran was born on September 11, 1960 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Chappaquiddick (2017).
The Painted Veil 2006
32. George Hickenlooper
Director | Dogtown
George Hickenlooper graduated from Yale University in 1986. He was born on May 25, 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri and raised there, Boston, and San Francisco. His interest in film began in childhood and stemmed from his great-uncle's (Leopold Stokowski) involvement in the movie Fantasia (1940). ...
Factory Girl 2006, The Man from Elysian Fields 2000 ⌂ (1963 - 2010) ⌂ St. Louis, Missouri US
33. George Clooney
Actor | The Ides of March
George Timothy Clooney was born on May 6, 1961, in Lexington, Kentucky, to Nina Bruce (née Warren), a former beauty pageant queen, and Nick Clooney, a former anchorman and television host (who was also the brother of singer Rosemary Clooney). He has Irish, English, and German ancestry. Clooney ...
Suburbicon 2017 ***, The monuments men 2014 ⌂ Lexington, Kentucky US
34. Michelle Schumacher
Director | I'm Not Here
Michelle Schumacher started her career on Broadway as an actor, singer and dancer. Her first two features as Director received US theatrical releases and were distributed globally. She is married to actor J.K. Simmons and they have two children. Michelle is a registered black belt with the Kukkiwon...
I'm not here 2017 ***
35. Sarah Polley
Actress | My Life Without Me
Sarah Polley is an actress and director renowned in her native Canada for her political activism. Blessed with an extremely expressive face that enables directors to minimize dialog due to her uncanny ability to suggest a character's thoughts, Polley has become a favorite of critics for her ...
Take this waltz 2011 ***
36. Catherine Hardwicke
Director | Twilight
Hardwicke's first film as a director was the Sundance winner THIRTEEN which explored the transition into teenage years with an authenticity that still captures young audiences (1.3 billion Tik Tok engagements.) Hardwicke directed LORDS OF DOGTOWN before she became best known as the director of ...
Miss you already 2015
37. Nancy Meyers
Writer | It's Complicated
Nancy Jane Meyers is an American filmmaker. She has written, produced, and directed many critically and commercially successful films including Private Benjamin (1980), Irreconcilable Differences (1984), Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), Father of the Bride Part II (1995), The Parent ...
The Holiday 2006
38. Susannah Grant
Writer | Erin Brockovich
Susannah Grant was born on January 4, 1963 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Erin Brockovich (2000), Unbelievable (2019) and The 5th Wave (2016). She has been married to Christopher Henrikson since 1995. They have two children.
Catch and Release 2006
39. Kathryn Bigelow
Director | The Hurt Locker
A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in an old bank vault, where she made art and waited to be ...
The Hurt Locker 2009
40. Peter Farrelly
Producer | Green Book
Peter Farrelly was born on December 17, 1956 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Green Book (2018), There's Something About Mary (1998) and Dumb and Dumber (1994). He has been married to Melinda Farrelly since December 31, 1996. They have two children.
Green book 2018 ****
41. David Frankel
Director | The Devil Wears Prada
David Frankel was born on April 2, 1959 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and producer, known for The Devil Wears Prada (2006), One Chance (2013) and Band of Brothers (2001).
One Chance 2013, The Big year 2011, The devil wears Prada 2006 ** ⌂ New York, New York City US
42. Joel Coen
Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Joel Daniel Coen is an American filmmaker who regularly collaborates with his younger brother Ethan. They made Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, Hail Caesar and other projects. Joel ...
US
43. Ethan Coen
Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The younger brother of Joel, Ethan Coen is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning writer, producer and director coming from small independent films to big profile Hollywood films. He was born on September 21, 1957 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In some films of the brothers- Ethan & Joel wrote, Joel...
US
44. Todd Robinson
Writer | The Last Full Measure
Todd Robinson is known for The Last Full Measure (2019), White Squall (1996) and Lonely Hearts (2006). He has been married to Elizabeth A. Robinson since September 1, 1990. They have two children.
Lonely Hearts 2017
45. Luke Greenfield
Director | Let's Be Cops
Luke was born in Manhassett, New York and grew up in Westport, Connecticut.
He's best known for creating films that are unpredictable and surprising to audiences such as his film, "The Girl Next Door." His films tend to have high-concept ideas that combine drama and comedy, or comedy and suspense. ...
Something borrowed 2011
46. Michael House
Director | Braille Music
Michael House is an American filmmaker and composer who resides in London. Since 2008 his films have been broadcast in more than a dozen countries and have screened in film festivals such as The Telluride International Film Festival, Montréal's Le Festival international du film sur l'art (FIFA) and...
Revealing Mr Maugham 2016 ࿏ documentary
47. Mark Pellington
Director | Arlington Road
Mark Pellington was born on March 17, 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Arlington Road (1999), The Mothman Prophecies (2002) and Jerry Maguire (1996). He was previously married to Jennifer Barrett Pellington.
Last Word 2017 *** starring Shirley McLaine ⌂ Baltimore, Maryland US
48. Ken Kwapis
Director | One Mississippi
Ken Kwapis is an award-winning director of motion pictures and television. He has directed eleven feature films, among them A Walk In The Woods, based on Bill Bryson's acclaimed comedic memoir; He's Just Not That Into You, inspired by the New York Times bestselling advice book; and The Sisterhood ...
A Walk in the Woods 2015, He's just not that into you 2009
49. Tate Taylor
Producer | Get on Up
Tate Taylor was born on June 3, 1969 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Get on Up (2014), The Help (2011) and The Girl on the Train (2016).
The Help 2011
50. David Mirkin
Producer | The Simpsons
David Mirkin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. David is a producer and writer, known for The Simpsons (1989), Get a Life (1990) and Heartbreakers (2001).
Romy & Michelle 1997
51. Drake Doremus
Director | Equals
Drake Doremus was born on March 29, 1983 in Orange, California, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Equals (2015), Like Crazy (2011) and Spooner (2009).
Breathe in *** 2013 ⌂ California US
52. John Dahl
Director | The Last Seduction
John Dahl was born on June 15, 1956 in Billings, Montana, USA. He is a director and writer, known for The Last Seduction (1994), Kill Me Again (1989) and Rounders (1998). He is married to Beth Jana Friedberg. They have four children.
Joy Ride 2001
53. Andrew Bergman
Writer | Striptease
Andrew Bergman was born on February 20, 1945 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Striptease (1996), Blazing Saddles (1974) and Fletch (1985). He has been married to Louise Fay since 1973. They have two children.
Sriptease 1996, I could happen to you 1994
54. Marc Lawrence
Writer | Miss Congeniality
Marc Lawrence was born on October 22, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Miss Congeniality (2000), Two Weeks Notice (2002) and Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009).
Two weeks notice 2002, Did you hear about the Morgans? 2009
55. Neil LaBute
Writer | In the Company of Men
Acclaimed and highly discussed filmmaker Neil LaBute has made himself a force to be reckoned with and a name to watch. With his true-to-life cynical and self-absorbed characters and all-too-true social themes, he has firmly established himself as an unforgiving judge of the ugliest side of human ...
Out of the Blue 2022, Possession 2002
56. Dan Fogelman
Writer | This Is Us
Dan Fogelman was born on February 19, 1976 in River Vale, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for This Is Us (2016), Life Itself (2018) and Tangled (2010). He has been married to Caitlin Thompson since June 13, 2015. They have one child.
Life itself 2018
57. Judd Apatow
Producer | Girls
Judd Apatow is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He directed The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40, Funny People, Trainwreck and The King of Staten Island. He also developed the television shows Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Girls, Love and Crashing. He is ...
58. Viggo Mortensen
Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Since his screen debut as a young Amish farmer in Peter Weir's Witness (1985), Viggo Mortensen's career has been marked by a steady string of well-rounded performances.
Mortensen was born in New York City, to Grace Gamble (Atkinson) and Viggo Peter Mortensen, Sr. His father was Danish, his mother ...
Falling 2021
59. Rob Marshall
Director | Mary Poppins Returns
Rob Marshall was born on October 17, 1960 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Chicago (2002) and Into the Woods (2014).
Memoirs of a Geisha 2007
60. Tom Dolby
Producer | The Artist's Wife
Tom Dolby's feature film writing and directing debut, Last Weekend, starring Patricia Clarkson, was released in 2014 by IFC/Sundance Selects. Tom's latest film, The Artist's Wife, starred Lena Olin and Bruce Dern and was released in 2020 by Strand Releasing.
Tom is the founder of Water's End ...
The Artist's Wife 2019
61. Bryan Singer
Director | X-Men
Bryan Singer is an American film director and producer who got his start writing and co-directing the short film Lions Den with his classmates while he attended USC. He was hired by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men, which helped kick-start the superhero renaissance. He later directed three sequels....
62. Danny Strong
Producer | Dopesick
Danny Strong started his career as an actor in numerous classic films and TV shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls, then transitioned into screenwriting, exploding onto the scene with his 2007 script Recount which was #1 on the Hollywood Blacklist and became an award winning HBO ...
Rebel in the Rye 2017 NY US
63. James Gray
Director | The Immigrant
Writer/director James Gray made his first film Little Odessa (1994) at the age of twenty-five. The film, which starred Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell, received critical acclaim and was the winner of the Venice Film Festival's prestigious Silver Lion Award in 1994.
...
Armaggedon Time 2022 (•_•),
64. Miguel Somoza
Producer | Under the Lights: Maradona
CREATIVE DIRECTOR - MEDIA SALES LEADER Skilled in driving global content creation, distribution and production. 20 years of experience innovating creative and profitable media solutions for distribution across multiple platforms including over-the-air, over-the-top, and other broadcast and digital ...
65. Rian Johnson
Producer | Knives Out
Rian Johnson was born in Maryland and at a young age his family moved to San Clemente, California, where he was raised. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His first feature film, Brick (2005), was released in 2005 ...
66. Terry Zwigoff
Director | Ghost World
Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Zwigoff held several jobs before making his breakthrough feature: the documentary Crumb (1994) in 1994. His previous jobs included musician, shipping clerk, printer and welfare office worker. In fact, Zwigoff traces his film career back to discovering a rare blues ...
67. Justin Zackham
Writer | The Bucket List
Justin Zackham is known for The Bucket List (2007), Second Act (2018) and One Chance (2013).
68. Greg Berlanti
Director | Love, Simon
WGA, DGA and Golden Globe nominated writer, director, and producer, Greg Berlanti, is the force behind several of the most inventive and acclaimed works of film and television.
He is the writer, director and producer behind several of the most creative and lauded television series, including ABC's "...
69. Gus Van Sant
Director | Elephant
Gus Green Van Sant Jr. is an American filmmaker, painter, screenwriter, photographer and musician from Louisville, Kentucky who is known for directing films such as Good Will Hunting, the 1998 remake of Psycho, Gerry, Elephant, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Milk, Last Days, Finding Forrester, ...
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