Most Exciting New Directors
Here's a list of filmmakers who have only made a couple of films, but are already on my radar. Can't wait to see what the future holds for these new talents. WORK IN PROGRESS
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- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Damien Sayre Chazelle is an American director and screenwriter. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother, Celia Sayre (Martin) Chazelle, is an American-Canadian writer and professor of history at The College of New Jersey. His father, Bernard Chazelle, is a French-American Eugene Higgins Professor of computer science at Princeton University, originally from Clamart, France. Chazelle has a sister, Anna, who is an actress and circus performer.Credits: "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" & "Whiplash"
I haven't seen his first feature, but Whiplash was a near perfect film. I have nothing else much to say than I am so pumped that we might be getting more movies from this guy.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Fede Alvarez was born on 9 February 1978 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is a writer and producer, known for Don't Breathe (2016), Evil Dead (2013) and The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018).Credits: "Evil Dead (2013)"
An unpopular opinion of mine is that I love the recent Evil Dead film. I loved how fearless it was, it never held back from anything. The horror was cranked up to 10, especially in the last 10 minutes and it was so hardcore and awesome. Fede handled the violence very well, and I never felt like it went too far. It surprised me how good some of the acting in the film was as well (specifically Jane Levy), which is always a good sign. I'm dying to know what else this dude has in store. I'll be first in line to see his next film.- 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.Credits: "Footsteps" "Merantau" "The Raid 1 & 2"
Boasting more credits than most of the people on this list is Gareth Evans. A Welsh director who knows how to handle action and blood more than most directors who have been around for decades. His action choreography is incredible, and what's also incredible is that he knows how to build up these scenes which is something that few people know how to do well. He's shown range in a lot of areas of action and even some horror, which shows he can keep things fresh with his career. Gareth is another guy where I'll be there on opening day for his next film.- Director
- Composer
- Writer
Born in New York City and raised in Sunnyside, Queens and then Westchester County, Benh Zeitlin began his career as a film-maker at the tender age of 6 years when he and a friend made a Batman movie. He continued making films as a child before attending Wesleyan University, where he majored in film. After graduation, Benh spent a summer in Prague working with a prominent animation artist. Returning to the U.S., he worked in a private school in Manhattan helping elementary students create short films.Credits: "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Although Beasts of the Southern Wild was a extremely bizarre film you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't at least find it interesting. Benh's involvement with that film was exponential, very few films have had so much commitment from one person. It apparently took him years to cast the right lead, get the right sets & environment, and everything else that went into it he was always there. That is passion at it's greatest, and thankfully this film was recognized for it. At the moment there's no film of his in development, but if he ever directs again he has my support.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Dan Gilroy was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Frank D. Gilroy, and sculptor and writer Ruth Dorothy. His brother Tony Gilroy is a screenwriter and director; and his fraternal twin brother, John Gilroy, is a film editor. Through his father, he is of Italian, Irish and German descent.
Gilroy wrote the script for 2005 gambling drama Two for the Money (2005), starring Al Pacino and Gilroy's wife Rene Russo. His earliest credit is as co-writer of science fiction thriller Freejack (1992), followed by co-writing Dennis Hopper-directed comedy Chasers. He was also one of the writers to contribute to the unmade Superman film Superman Lives.
He made his directorial debut with the 2014 crime thriller Nightcrawler (2014). He also wrote the screenplay, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Gilroy has been married to Rene Russo since 1992, and they have one daughter, named Rose. They reside in Brentwood, California.Credits: "Nightcrawler"
Being apart of the Gilroy family Dan has been working in Hollywood for years as a screenwriter. He just directed his first feature last year with Nightcrawler. While I felt the acting & screenwriting were superior to his direction I still think this guy has a really interesting future as a director.- Visual Effects
- Director
- Writer
Gareth James Edwards was born on June 1, 1975 in the English town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Growing up, he admired movies such as the 1977 classic "Star Wars", and went on to pursue a film career. He even cites George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as his biggest influences. Edwards studied BA (Hons) Film & Video at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham (formerly the Surrey Institute of Art & Design), graduating in 1996. In 2012, he received an honorary Master of Arts from UCA.
Edwards got his start in special visual effects, working on visual f/x for programs that aired on networks such as PBS, BBC and the Discovery Channel. In 2008 he entered (and won) the Sci-Fi-London 48-hour film challenge, where a movie had to be created from start-to-finish in just two days, within certain criteria. Edwards wrote and directed his first full-length feature, "Monsters", which was shot in only three weeks. Edwards personally created the film's special effects by using off-the-shelf equipment. Asides from the two main actors (real-life couple Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able), the crew consisted of just five people. The $500,000 thriller received a riotous reception at the South by Southwest festival, and was released by Veritgo Films to great success.
The success of "Monsters" resulted in Edwards getting offers from the major studios, especially Warner Bros., who tapped him to direct an English-language reboot of the 1954 Japanese classic "Gojira". Produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, "Godzilla" began development in 2011 with Edwards at the helm, and was released on May 16, 2014 to mixed reviews and tremendous box office success, grossing $529 million worldwide against a $160 million budget.
Following the success of "Godzilla", producer Kathleen Kennedy tapped Edwards to helm a spin-off of "Star Wars" for Lucasfilm Limited. In 2015, it was revealed that Edwards' "Star Wars" spin-off, written Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, would be titled "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", set for release on December 16, 2016. The film boasts an ensemble cast including Felicity Jones, Donnie Yen, Mad Mikkelsen and James Earl Jones among others.Credits: "Monsters" & "Godzilla"
Edwards already has a bright future ahead of him. He'll be directing Star Wars: Rogue One and Godzilla 2. Which is awesome, because this guy has a great eye. Godzilla had that big feel that has been missing from a lot of movies lately, and Monsters was a great character movie with an incredible setting. Love his work so far, and I'm glad that he's getting needed attention.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Destin Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker, writer and producer from Haiku, Hawaii. He is known for directing The Glass Castle, I Am Not a Hipster, Short Term 12, Just Mercy and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He is the second Asian-American filmmaker to direct a Marvel film following Ang Lee's Hulk.Credits: "Short Term 12"
No film is perfect, but films like Short Term 12 make me question that. Beautifully done film with some of the most real writing and performances I've seen from a film in years. His passion is huge, and I believe that we'll be seeing great things from him.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Jennifer Kent was born on 5 March 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and director, known for The Nightingale (2018), The Babadook (2014) and Monster (2005).Credits: "The Babadook"
The 2010's have been a very good decade for horror, and already one of the best is The Babadook. In my opinion it's not as scary as some of the films that have come out, but it utilizes horror elements better than most in the genre. This movie is about a grieving single mother with a child, and Kent incorporated the supernatural to the story beautifully. She also got an amazing performance out of her good friend Essie Davis, so it's clear she can work on a lot of levels as a director. I love seeing good horror films, and I love it when a woman gets the rare opportunity to direct a film period. So I am definitely championing her to do more work.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Credits: "Housebound"
Gerard has already proved himself with Housebound. A funny, scary, and at times touching film about a girl in house arrest. I don't want to talk about the film too much, because like all horror films it's best to go in knowing as little as possible. However, know that Gerard is definitely a name to look out for in the future.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Steven Knight is a British screenwriter and film director. He is best known for screenplays he wrote for the films Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and Eastern Promises (2007), and also directed as well as written the film Locke (2013).
Knight is also one of three creators of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, a game show that has been remade and aired in around 160 countries worldwide, and has written for BBC's Commercial Breakdown, The Detectives , Peaky Blinders and Taboo.
Others films based on screenplays that Knight has written include The Hundred-Foot Journey and Pawn Sacrifice both in 2014.Credits: "Locke" & "Redemption"
Knight is a very competent screenwriter who showed a lot of potential with Locke. Not only was he on his A-Game with the writing, but his direction along with Tom Hardy's incredible performance made me completely enthralled the whole time. I would love to see him take on some more films as a director.