With how many unique voices are working in the filmmaking industry today, choosing the best of the best is nigh impossible. Hollywood is currently a melting pot of different directors who each bring their own distinct brand of magic.
With that said, there are a few names that stand above their contemporaries as the most skilled filmmakers working today. Whether it be masters of a genre or experts in different fields, classic names, or brilliant newcomers, there is no shortage of names to choose from.
Honorable Mentions
- Jordan Peele– Get Out (2017), Us (2019), Nope (2022)
- James Mangold- Walk the Line (2005), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Wolverine (2013), Logan (2017), Ford v Ferrari (2019), Indiana Jones 5 (2023)
- Ari Aster- Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019)
- Paul Thomas Anderson- There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), Phantom Thread (2017), Licorice Pizza (2021)
- Guillermo Del Toro- Pans Labyrinth (2006), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Pacific Rim (2013), The Shape of Water (2017), Pinnochio (2022)
- Robert Eggers– The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), The Northman (2022)
- David Lowery- Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013), Pete’s Dragon (2016), A Ghost Story (2017), The Old Man & The Gun (2018)
- Steve McQueen- Shame (2011), 12 Years A Slave (2013), Widows (2018)
- Barry Jenkins- Moonlight (2016), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
- James Gunn– Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), The Suicide Squad (2021), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), Superman: Legacy (2025)
15. Joel and Ethan Coen
Notable Films: No Country for Old Men (2007), A Serious Man (2009), True Grit (2010), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Hail, Cesar (2016), The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Coen Brothers are one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, and for good reason. First emerging as among the best in the business in the late 90s with their threepeat of films in Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou, they have shown little signs of slowing down in the subsequent decades.
The brothers are widely considered to have reached their peak in the year 2007, with the all-time film No Country for Old Men. While they have not reached those astounding heights in the years since, they have still directed a number of acclaimed movies such as A Serious Man, True Grit, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Perhaps the only true mark against them is that they have not produced an all-time film in roughly a decade now. Now all there is to do is wait to see if they can recapture the magic of their earlier days and match the transcendent heights they once treaded with ease.
14. Edgar Wright
Notable Films: Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), The World’s End (2013), Baby Driver (2017), Last Night in Soho (2021)
One of the most acclaimed comedy directors of the 21st century, Edgar Wright first shot to fame with his famous “Cornetto Trilogy”. A trio of films spoofing zombie movies, buddy cop films, and end of the world fares respectively, each was considered amongst the best films in each genre in history. This was despite the fact that said movies were actively parodying and lampooning tropes of the genres.
This was in no small part to the fact these films did not tear down these qualities in a cynical way, but served as love letters and build upon the foundations of why these genres grew popular in the first place. Wright accompanied the trilogy with the lovably quirky Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the incredible Baby Driver, with the latter in particular being amongst the best films of the latter 2010s.
14. Yorgos Lanthimos
Notable Films: Dogtooth (2009), Alps (2011), The Lobster (2015), The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (2017), The Favourite (2018), Bleat (2022)
A man with a distinct directorial style, many find his film catalog to be offputting. Many of his films boast a bizarre, almost otherworldly tone that compliments a sense of black comedy. While it is an acquired taste, none can deny his unique voice in the industry. What none of his detractors can take away from him is that his films are instantly recognizable in the copy and paste void that is much of modern Hollywood.
This twisted sense of originality is his greatest strength as a director, and he will no doubt continue to produce wholly unique for years to come. With a filmography that boasts Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Favourite, he can already walk strongly amongst his many brilliant contemporaries.
13. Taika Waititi
Notable Films: Boy (2010), What We Do In The Shadows (2010), Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Jojo Rabbit (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Yet another director known for his quirky and funny sensibilities, what sets Taika Waititi apart from others is his ability to balance heart with comedy. Perhaps the best director at creating this balance aside from Wes Anderson, Waititi first shot into mainstream success with the acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok. A film that both respected the wider MCU mythos while simultaneously reinventing an established character, the film was widely acclaimed for its originality and personality in a genre suffering from a lack of unique voices.
Despite his earlier works being less publicized, What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt For the Wilderpeople are each incredible films in their own right, and Waititi followed up Ragnarok with the excellent Jojo Rabbit. With a massive public backing and the budget to match his vision, we have yet to see if Waititi will maintain the heart in the films that put him on the map in the first place, or whether he will be lost in the excess of modern blockbusters.
12. Greta Gerwig
Notable Films: Lady Bird (2017), Little Women (2019), Barbie (2023)
While not possessing a vast film catalog, Gerwig is living proof of quality over quantity. With her debut film Lady Bird, Gerwig served one of the rawest and most real films of the 21st century. This is especially impressive through the lens of it having been constructed by a first-time director. By following it up with an excellent adaptation of Little Women, Gerwig proved herself a name to look for many years to come.
Gerwig is a director with a distinct creative voice, and a penchant for artistic qualities that many of her contemporaries took decades to develop. Along with Alex Garland and Damien Chazelle, she perhaps has the highest capacity for growth of the directors on this list. With such a high ceiling, it is an exciting prospect of what she will achieve in the years to come.
11. Quentin Tarantino
Notable Films: Inglourious Bastards (2009), Django Unchained (2012), The Hateful Eight (2015), Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
No doubt one of the most recognizable names on this list, Tarantino is a legend of the film industry. Upon shooting into director superstardom with the seminal all-time great Pulp Fiction, he has all but continued to hone his craft in the decades since. A man with a very unique directorial style and flair, he is one of the seldom few directors who has crafted works of art without aiming to be artistic.
His films are often crude, full of violence and language, and not subtle at all in their depiction of themes and otherwise. Not everyone likes a Tarantino movie, but every viewer knows what they’re going to get when they watch one of his films. The way in which his movies are synonymous with his name is nearly unparalleled and is only present in the very greatest in Hollywood history. Like him or not, he has already carved his name in the Hollywood mythos.
10. Wes Anderson
Notable Films: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle Of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021)
A director whose style and flair are instantly recognizable, Wes Anderson is the creator of some of the most acclaimed and quirky dramedies of the 21st century. More so than perhaps any director on this side of Tim Burton, one can take any scene from one of his films and immediately know the director.
With Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson has three films of impeccable quality with heart and humor to spare. When adding the rest of his filmography to these three all-time greats, we are presented with one of the most complete film catalogs of any living director. A director who is known for his meticulous sets, painstaking attention to detail, and the heartwarming quirkiness in his projects, Anderson is no doubt one of the greatest directors of the modern era.
9. Alex Garland
Notable Films: Ex Machina (2014), Annihilation (2018), Men (2022)
A director with a penchant for the near unbearably disturbing, Garland has carved a niche for himself as a master of surreal horror. The three films under his belt each have the ability to crawl under your skin like no other. Garland is a true master of his craft, and what he can achieve in the coming decades is incomprehensible.
Having proven himself to be able to tackle heavy concepts and produce at a high level, Garland is showing no signs of slowing down. His films are full of horrific symbolism, and no doubt will stay with the viewer for long past the credits. It is a terrifying and exciting prospect of what he will direct as he hones his craft further.
8. Bong Joon-Ho
Notable Films: The Host (2006), Mother (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017), Parasite (2019)
Is it that surprising that the man who directed the first foreign best picture winner in Academy Awards history finds himself on this list? A vastly underrated filmmaker for most of his career on account of most of his work being an overseas affair, he has cemented his place amongst the greats with the seminal Parasite. Joon-Ho is one of the few directors working today who has yet to make a “bad” film and is unique for how he is seemingly only getting better over time.
We the audience are seemingly witnessing a direct entering his prime, and there is no telling whether he has reached his apex as of yet. His films are undoubtedly works of art to the highest degree, and he is well on track to become one of the finest directors of all time. He is a man who has already made history, now we must only wait and see what other history he is yet to make.
7. Alejandro González Iñárritu
Notable Films: Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010), Birdman (2014), The Revenant (2015), Bardo (2022)
This filmmaker is without a doubt incredible, a once-in-a-generation type talent who has effortlessly made his mark on an industry full of individuals who put their heart and soul into everything they do. His movies are often unrelenting, real experiences that embed themselves in the viewer without any remorse. With Birdman, Iñárritu crafted a wholly unique film experience unlike any before it. He followed this up with the brutal, harrowing experience that is The Revenant.
Perhaps what stands out most about Iñárritu is that he does not make movies on a basic level; he more than most of his contemporaries understands and turns his movies into experiences. His ability to translate originality onto the screen is incredibly impressive, as all of his films truly feel full of life. The soul at the heart of his films is his greatest achievement, and why he is more than deserving to be amongst the greatest directors working today.
6. Alfonso Cuarón
Notable Films: Children of Men (2006), Gravity (2013), Roma (2018)
Cuarón is an artist, no doubt of it. He is able to capture both the beauty and ugliness of life in equal measure and simultaneously translate the multifaceted nature of the world to screen flawlessly. He both makes the simple complex and the complex simple. He first rose to prominence with the excellent Y Tu Mamá También and then cemented his place in the industry by directing the single best Harry Potter movie in a franchise full of great films.
He directed what many consider to be his magnum opus Children of Men in the following years, a movie that many consider to be amongst the greatest of all time. Somehow, he has only slightly stooped down from those transcendent heights in the years since. He put out two of the most acclaimed movies of the 2010s in Gravity and the seminal Roma, and no doubt has set his sights on his next masterpiece now. His ability to imbue his heart and soul into his films is almost unmatched, and as with most on this list, he has an argument for being the best director in the business today.
5. Martin Scorsese
Notable Films: The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010), Hugo (2011), The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013), The 50 Year Argument (2014), Silence (2016), The Irishman (2019)
Yet another director whose name has been carved into the Hollywood mythos, Scorsese needs little introduction. He could retire today and still be widely considered not just as one of the greatest directors right now, but of all time. A man with a genuine argument to be the greatest in history, it is hard to look into the history of cinema without hearing his name. The name Scorsese has been synonymous with greatness since his early masterpieces towards the end of the 20th century such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, and more.
He entered the 21st century with The Gangs of New York and never looked back. He has directed great film after great film, with many having genuine claims to being amongst the best of the 21st century. What he has achieved throughout his incredible career is nothing short of remarkable, and now only time will tell if he has any other masterpieces waiting in the wings before his inevitable retirement.
4. David Fincher
Notable Films: Zodiac (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Social Network (2010), The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011), Gone Girl (2014), Mank (2020)
Of course, David Fincher would be on this list, it would have been foolish to think otherwise. He has had a vice grip on the film industry since his incredible duo of films in Se7en and Fight Club in the late 90s and has only increased his skill in filmmaking since then. Every single film he has directed in the 21st century has been nothing short of outstanding, each with varying degrees of greatness in its own regard.
His directorial efforts Zodiac, The Social Network, and Gone Girl in particular are widely regarded as some of the greatest works of art to have come from the film industry in the 21st century. How a director could so consistently make such transcendent pieces of fiction is an insane concept, and yet Fincher has continued to wow audiences for going on three decades.
3. Damien Chazelle
Notable Films: Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016), First Man (2018), Babylon (2022)
A relatively new name, but one who has shot up the ranks by the virtue of his films being amongst the best of the 21st century. Chazelle blasted into the public consciousness with the incredibly intense Whiplash, and then cemented his place there with one of the greatest films of all time in the beautiful love letter to classic Hollywood, La La Land.
Few directors have made such a splash with their directorial debuts, and even fewer have followed up a masterpiece with an all-time film. While First Man did not match the heights of his previous films, it was still a great film and it served as proof that Chazelle is a director who is not complacent being confined to one niche. This exploratory nature is exciting, and only time will tell whether he is able to match the magic of his earlier ventures.
2. Christopher Nolan
Notable Films: The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017), Tenet (2020), Oppenheimer (2023)
The director who for many years was considered the greatest in the world, Christopher Nolan is a man whose name is synonymous with quality. Perhaps no other director commands the respect and reverence his name brings. Just by his name being attached to a movie, the project instantly shoots up to the top of most anticipated upcoming films.
This sort of fame is well deserved and is not achieved without a director being anything less than a master of their craft. When a filmography reads off as a list of the best films of the 21st century, that is a sign a director has achieved cinematic greatness. What is there to be said about Nolan that has not already been said? While he has some detractors, his filmography is widely considered to be amongst the best in history. With near unparalleled range, there is next to nothing Nolan can’t do.
1. Denis Villeneuve
Notable Films: Incendies (2010), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), Sicario (2015), Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Dune (2021), Dune: Part II (2023)
While many may be surprised that the revered Christopher Nolan finds himself in second place, I have no doubt he has been usurped as the greatest director working today. Villeneuve has proven himself an artist with no equal, having tackled different genres and produced all-time films in each. The string of critically acclaimed films is unmatched by any other director today and stands amongst the greatest runs by any director in the history of cinema.
While his more grounded efforts such as Prisoners and Sicario are rightfully considered amongst the best films of the 2010s, where Villeneuve has truly shined is his unparalleled work in the science fiction genre. His threepeat of Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and Dune stand as some of the greatest in the genre of all time. Whether tackling abstract sci-fi concepts or adapting the unadaptable, Villeneuve has yet to be slowed down.
The true question now is not whether he is the greatest director working today, but whether he will end up being considered the greatest of all time by the time he retires from the business. For now, we can all rest easy he will no doubt deliver many more masterpieces in the coming years.
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