The 20th century came and went, and the door remained open to new contenders to make a name for themselves. The bar set by the golden age of Hollywood was very high, and big names like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, James Cameron, and John Carpenter—among many others—had alreadymade some of the most iconic filmsof all time. Creative minds in the 21st century had some big shoes to fill.
In a time when studios rarely take chances with new IPs and audiences' experience is dictated by sequels, remakes, reboots, and adaptions of foreign films for the American market, it’s challenging to find something that stands out on its own merits. Yet, the most compelling stories ever told in cinema have been produced in the first 23 years of the 21st century by some of the most creative minds in the business. Though many of these directors took their first steps in the late 90s, it was the new century when they got to blossom and do some of their best work. The filmmakers listed below have redefined the art of filmmaking by creating some of the most captivating, thought-provoking, and visually stunning films in history.
Update July 29, 2025: This article has been updated with even more great filmmakers of the 21st century, as well as recent developments on some of these directors' latest movies.
15Edgar Wright
The mastermind behind the Cornetto Trilogy,Edgar Wright, is a self-confessed film fanatic and has put his encyclopedic knowledge of film to superb use when it comes to both screenwriting and directing. The filmmaker started out making the Western spoofA Fistful of Fingersbefore producing, perhaps, his most seminal work inShaun of the DeadandHot Fuzzin 2004 and 2007, respectively. He has since gone on to make classics likeScott Pilgrim vs. The WorldandBaby Driver. Recently, he stretched his creativity by stepping into the horror genre withLast Night in Soho.
What Makes Him One of the Best of the 21st Century
Wright has grown from a cult favorite director from the UK known for niche comedy genre mashups to being a mainstream force to be reckoned with. He is a filmmaker of such unique vision and creativity thathe backed out of making his passion project,Ant-Man, when it was clear Marvel didn’t want to make an Edgar Wright movie.Baby Driverwas his biggest box office hit, and his Cornetto trilogy andScott Pilgrim vs. the Worldare cult classics that have also shaped the industry thanks to their talented casts going on to become major stars also influencing a new generation of filmmakers in terms of editing and pacing.
14Yorgos Lanthimos
Irrefutably, one of the most artistically unrestrained filmmakers of the 21st century so far has been Greek directorYorgos Lanthimos. TheDogtoothauteur has helmed some of the most eccentric and stylistically unique movies of the last 20 years. Transitioning into the world of English-language movie-making with 2015’sThe Lobster, Lanthimos has strained specific emphasis on themes of dystopian society, the awkwardness of human interaction, and ideas around the concept of love.
He captures his films with this vivid, expansive lens, frequently employing wide-angled shots and, sometimes, even a fish-eye-like look. His style is perhaps the most easily identifiable of the assortment of directors on this list, and his focus on creating these geometric distortions taps into the filmmaker’s vision of manufacturing this disorienting dystopian society. With his recent contributions to the film industry being recognized by the Academy, with 2019’sThe Favouriteclaiming Olivia Colman the Best Actress award and 2023’sPoor Thingsnominated for 11 Academy Awards, Lanthimos has never been short of critical commendation.
13Chloé Zhao
Ever sinceChloé Zhaoburst onto the scene with her filmSongs My Brothers Taught Mein 2015, she has become one of the most exciting voices working today. She followed that up with the critically acclaimedThe Rider. Marvel Studios then hired her to doEternals, and due to delays on that film, she was also able to work on another movie,Nomadland.Nomadlandwon Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2021, and Zhao won Best Director, making her the second female filmmaker to win the top prize. WhileEternalswas seen as somewhat of a disappointment when it came out, it was something very different from the rest of the MCU.
What Makes Zhao One of the Best of the 21st Century
Across her filmography, Zhao has always been interested in exploring the beauty in everyday life. BothSongs My Brothers Taught MeandThe Riderare notable for not using actors. Even a major MCU film likeEternals, with all of its massive scope about alien gods and the end of the world, is about the beauty in humanity and the everyday wonders of the world. Her films are about exploring connections between people and how every day can be extraordinary. Zhao is currently working on two projects, anew sci-fi western version of Dracula for Universal Picturesand an adaptation of the book Hamnet, which is a fictional account of William Shakespeare’s son,Hamnet, who died at age eleven in 1596, focusing on his parents' grief. Zhao has an exciting future ahead of her, and audiences will reap the benefits.
12Alfonso Cuarón
What leaps out when assessing directorAlfonso Cuarón’s filmmaking credentials is his immense versatility and the fact he can seemingly turn his hand to any genre, style, or plot and make a distinctive, striking, and frequently dramatic screenplay. From 2001’sY tu mamá tambiénand 2004’sHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanto 2006’sChildren of Menand 2013’sGravity, this eclectic collage of movies are each standalone triumph. 2018 brought with it Cuaron’s cinematic homecoming in the delicate, monochromatic embrace with drama,Roma.This passion project would land Cuaron critical plaudits as well as four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film.
What Makes Alfonso Cuaron One of the Best of the 21st Century
Cuarón’s movies are always beautifully shot, mixing impressive cinematography signified with long takes and frames filled with visual information that packs so much detail into the worlds of these stories. His capacity to capture human emotion in the most fleeting of moments makes him such a dexterous filmmaker. Cuarón is a filmmaker who had gotten audiences to invest in an original film like Gravity to become a box office smash and watch a subtitled foreign language film,Roma, with no difficulties, showing his power as a director who has become mainstream but not needed to sacrifice his artistic identity.
11Lars Von Trier
This Danish director has been making films for more than 40 years; however, some of his most impactful contributions to cinema have been released over the past 20 years.Lars Von Trieris known for making uncompromising and challenging movies to push the boundaries of traditional storytelling. His films often deal with taboo subjects such as depression, addiction, and mental illness.
What Makes Lars Von Trier of the Best of the 21st Century
His depictions ofraw and unflinching human sufferinghave earned him accolades and many criticisms among his peers. Von Trier is known for his innovative use of camera techniques and willingness to take creative risks to tell stories in unconventional ways to provoke a strong emotional reaction from his audience. His incredibly powerful and individualistic techniques are brought to life in movies likeNymphomaniac Vol.1 and 2, Melancholia,as well asThe House That Jack Built.
10Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuvehas become one of the best-known filmmakers of the 21st century. He is a master of tension and suspense, with most of his films creating moody atmospheres full of complex characters who are not always what they seem. Villeneuve has a gift forimmersive and haunting worldsthat draw audiences into his stories. His ability to blend genres seamlessly allows him to invade your senses by mixing drama, thriller, and science fiction elements for thought-provoking experiences. Villeneuve’s films often deal with themes such as identity, memory, and morality, challenging audiences to think deeply about the world around them.
How Denis Villeneuve’s Versatility Makes Him One of the Best Directors of the 21st Century
Having made poignant movies on humanity about such as 2010’s Academy Award-nominated,Incendies, to delving into the complexities of cross-border criminal enterprise with 2015’sSicario.Villeneuve’s versatility lends itself to making the best of any genre or story, and while his penchant for making epic sci-fi flicks in recent years, withArrival,Blade Runner 2049, andDune,has propelled his career to stratospheric heights, the fact he has the can simply make the seamless transition back to affecting dramas or set-piece-filled action thrillers is indicative of his profound dexterity as a filmmaker.
9Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernaygot her start as a documentarian filmmaker, with her debut feature beingThis is My Life, before transitioning to narrative features with 2010’sI Will Follow. Since then, she has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in cinema with films likeMiddle of Nowhere,Selma,A Wrinkle in Time, andOrigin, along with the powerful documentaryThe 13th.
Why DuVernay Is One of the Greatest Filmmakers of the 21st Century
DuVernay’s films have always been extremely personal expressions, and oftentimes, she mixes her skills as a documentarian and a narrative storyteller in the best possible way. While many would criticize her movies for having messages that they feel she just delivers, what makes her such a great filmmaker is how these messages are compiled into fascinating narratives and compelling dramas that can stir the soul. She is a filmmaker who is using the medium of film and the power it possesses to give voice to not just her worldview but hopefully inspire positive change and conversation around important issues.
8Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwighas become a real trailblazer for women in the film industry. After a stellar 2023, when her blockbuster,Barbie,painted the world pink, the director’s stock has never been higher. Marrying cutting social commentaries with this characteristic humor that has become such a hallmark of her writing and directing, she has turned in winner after winner since 2017’sLady Bird.She then followed the successful A24 movie with the acclaimedLittle Womenand thenBarbie, which, at $1.4 billion worldwide, is the 14th highest-grossing movie of all time.
Why Greta Gerwig Deserves to be Recognised as a 21st Century Great
Her ability to squeeze every morsel of personality and ability out of her cast is a testament to the highly inspiring and comically gifted person she is. She is a filmmaker who has taken bold risk after bold risk. Following her persona life-story film likeLady Birdwith another adaptation ofLittle Women, only for it to be one of the best versions of the story with a unique cinematic perspective was already bold. Then she madeBarbie, a movie based on a plastic doll that many people would not have taken seriously, and made one of the biggest movies of all time by making both alaugh-out-loud comedyand satire but also an exploration of what it means to be a woman and finding one’s place in the world. Gerwig is both an auteur and a populist filmmaker.
7David Fincher
Most people would be afraid to know what’s onDavid Fincher’smind. While some of the director’s most famous movies might have come out in the 1990s, likeFight ClubandSe7en, the 21st century has featured some of his most acclaimedThe Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Zodiac, Gone Girl,and most recently,The Killer. The American director is known for his dark, brooding films exploring the most twisted complexities of the human psyche.
What Makes David Fincher One of the Best Directors of the Century
His unique, striking visual style combines traditional film techniques and visual effects, blending to tell cohesive yet haunting tales. Fincher has incredible skills to create tension, suspense, and a sense of desperation in all his stories. The director has a gift forbringing nuanced and subtle performancesfrom his actors to elevate all his films and explore complex themes such as personal identity, social power, and inner obsessions. The 21st century is when he developed his reputation as a meticulous filmmaker, one that is so careful about every frame and shot in his movies where he requires multiple takes, but it is one that has resulted in some of the best movies of the past twenty years.
6Wes Anderson
Only a few people can do comedy the wayWes Andersondoes. Despite his first two films, Bottle Rocket and Rushmore coming out at the tail end of the 1990’s, most of his work has been released in the 2000s and onward.The Royal Tenenbaumskicked off a run of films that also includesThe Life Aquaticwith Steve Zissou,The Darjeeling Limited, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom,The Grand Budapest Hotel,Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch, and his most recent film,Asteroid City.
How Anderson’s Unique Style Make Him a 21st-Century Directorial Icon
Anderson’s films have a penchant for taking the spectator to unique places by stimulating the imagination through the whimsical nature of his characters and his instantly recognizable, theatrically-inspired set design. The fabled director is renowned for making whimsical and visually stunning films, often opting for fast-paced comedies infused with melancholic elements such as grief, loss, social dysfunctionality, or even unlikely friendships. His unique approach tocharacter-driven storylines and attention to detailhas earned him universal praise in the film industry and a large following of fans.
