15 More Directors I have little/no experience with. MEGACUT

A few months ago, I released a list focused upon the forty directors I needed to experience more of. As time has gone on I have discovered even more directors I need to see more work of. So here is a list of the fifteen directors not included on that original list, who probably should have been.

15. Abel Gance

Recently I have been watching The Story of Film: An Odyssey by Mark Cousins. I will probably cover this wonderful documentary series at point during this month, however one of the interesting filmmakers I discovered during the first few episodes was Abel Gance. Considered the grandfather of French impressionism and the inspiration for many filmmakers in the decades to follow, perhaps most significantly Jean Cocteau. La Roue appears to be one of the most daring films of the early 1920's, and his four-hour epic Napoleon seems to be a sublime masterwork from only the ffew frames I have seen.

14. Michelangelo Antonioni

Considered a master of Italian neo-realism. I am fervently fascinated by his film Blow-up and it's highly influential standing amongst filmmakers across the world. Not too much more to say about this filmmaker, other than I should have included him along the other legendary Italian filmmakers on my first list.

13. Xavier Dolan

This Canadian filmmaker is perhaps the most significant homosexual director working today. His highly acclaimed body of work despite his youth shows exceptional raw talent despite inexperience. Now all I need to do is see some of his films so I can praise him even more. Would be higher on this list if not for his fairly small filmography as of the time of writing this list.

12. Kim Ki-duk

Unlike many on this list, I did consider this filmmaker for the original list. I eventually cut him as I felt there wasn't enough to truly intrigue me. Recently however Taste of Cinema posted an interesting retrospective on this director's career. From this I have gotten a better idea of exactly how influential this director is to contemporary Asian cinema, and I am now curious to say the least.

11. Spike Lee

I will admit something here. This filmmaker was not on the previous list based on entirely petty reasons. Spike Lee directed the Oldboy remake, a concept which angers me so much that I have effectively avoided the director ever since. I now realise how petty it is to to dislike an artist based on a single recent work and I now look forward to seeing his films for what they are. Namely the premier works in African-American cinema, from one of the most assertive directors working today.

10. Andrey Zvyagintsev



Some have referred to this director as the most influential Russian filmmaker since Andrei Tarkovsky. Tarkovsky himself is a director who I also need more experience with than this one, and he probably remains my priority in terms of Russian cinema. However this apparent master of humanist cinema, with a handful of outlandishly praised films under his belt, is certainly fascinating in his own right.

9. Abbas Kiarostami



The multi-lingual, multi-national filmmaker has been steadily growing in influence since the 90's. At this point he stands as one of the most influential men in all world cinema. I have little else to say, other than this filmmaker practically seems like required viewing at this stage.

8. Peter Greenaway



Peter Greenaway, one of the most enduring names in British independent cinema. By taking inspiration from baroque art and Jacobean tragedies, Greenaway has forged one of the most unique cinematic identities out there. So, I certainly have high expectations for his actual work, because he has been so interesting to read about.

7. Pedro Almodovar



What do I even say about this filmmaker? Almodovar is considered by many to be one of the definitive idols of current world cinema. He is known for his boundary pushing concepts and his peerless raw delivery. These are all qualities that I highly admire within directors and I am once again surprised that I have not come across his work before now.


6. Buster Keaton



If you saw my previous list you will remember that silent film legend Charlie Chaplin featured near the top of the list. My lack of experience with the only other silent comedy legend on par with Chaplin, leads me to conclude that I need more silent comedy in my life. Once again, I have The Story of Film to blame for my increased interest in this filmmaker, particularly his magnum opus The General.

5. Roberto Rossellini



The man that pioneered Italian neo-realism, perhaps the most important period in Italian cinema history (alongside the Spagehtti Western and the giallo horror periods). His most well known film Rome Open City is even written by Fredrico Fellini, so I have no excuse to have not seen it yet. A beloved and highly important historical icon.

4. Ben Wheatley



This filmmaker is currently dominating British independent cinema and from sheer reputation alone is set to be the definitive British filmmaker of the 2010's. I have a friend who has bombarded me an order to see A Field in England and so due to this, I will probably see a film from this director before any other on this list.

3. Yimou Zhang



It is surprising that Chinese cinema has so little representation on this blog. Zhang is perhaps the most enduring idol of Chinese cinema, outside of the legendary Jackie Chan and the also legendary John Woo. With a a vast and highly varied filmography, Zhang seems like yet another gem of world cinema which I have failed to pay my respects to as of now. And also, Raise the Red Lantern looks absolutely phenomenal from what I have seen of it.

2. Wim Wenders



In retrospect, this director was probably the most egregious snub from my last list. Wim Wenders stands with Werner Herzog as the most influential German director of the last several decades. His filmography is praised beyond rationality and I am honestly shocked that I was not made aware of this filmmaker before recently. When this list was originally sketched out, Wenders was #1. However then I began watching The Story of Film... 

1. Carl Theodor Dreyer



Mark Cousins introduced me to so many filmmakers in the first few episodes of his documentary alone. This director, although I had some prior knowledge of The Passion of Joan of Arc, was by far the most fascinating. One of the most influential filmmakers in European history, hell, world history and with a career spanning several decades. Carl Theodor Dreyer was the obvious and indisputable choice to top this list, and I eagerly await tucking into his filmography.

By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film List