The New Elite: Top 10 Directors of the Last Decade

Move over Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. For the past 10 years, high-profile directors like Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas have become essentially disposable. The best films of the last 10 years have not come from any of these esteemed directors. Rather, there is a new band of elite directors that have shaped, and continue to shape, the contours of film. For the next 2 weeks, I will present the top 10 directors of the past decade, one each day, counting down backward.

Who will take the crown? Who will fail to make the list? Stay tuned!

(Methodological Note: I have only looked at films since 1994 for the purposes of this list. Therefore, a director like David Lynch, whose brilliant Blue Velvet easily marks the pinnacle of his career, would only have post-1993 films like Mulholland Drive, The Straight Story, and Lost Highway to help establish his prominence and influence. The criteria I have used to compile the list include a director's overall influence, ingenuity, and prolificness.)