Summary

Many of the most innovative and talented film director of all clock time have also somehow put off mainstream recognition today . These directors often work outside of Hollywood , producingfilms with typical aesthetic visions , and offeringing fresh view and groundbreaking approaches to storytelling . Their works may research unconventional cinematic techniques , delve into niche subject , or dispute societal norms . Despite their lack of widespread fame , these film director have garner critical acclaim within the film industry and among cinephiles for their creative thinking , craftsmanship , and ability to evoke powerful emotions .

Though they ’re not often counted among thebest directors of all time , many ofthese filmmakers are auteursin their own right , having made meaning donation to the cinematic landscape throughout their calling . From various corner of the globe , these directors bring various ethnical ground and narratives to the screen , offering glimpse into worlds less explored . Despite flying under the mainstream radar , these theatre director showcase singular esthetic talent , demonstrating command over the guile of filmmaking . Discovering these lesser - known directors can direct to enriching experience , and can widen a viewer ’s sympathy of the diverse landscape of cinema around the humans .

10Mira Nair - Born: October 15, 1957

Director of: Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Queen of Katwe (2016)

Mira Nair gained international acclaim for her neorealist dramaSalaam Bombay!,which depicted the life sentence of street children in Mumbai , and won the Camera d’Or honor at the Cannes Film Festival . Nair continued toexplore Indian civilisation and diaspora experiencesin the spectacular comedyMonsoon Wedding , which received far-flung extolment for its vibrant portrayal of a Delhi hymeneals and arranged marriage ceremony . have it away for blending humour with drama , coming - of - eld stories , and successful adaptations of literary body of work such asThe Namesake , Queen of Katwe , andThe Reluctant Fundamentalist , Mira Nair definitely deserves more care from mainstream audiences .

The coming - of - age music genre is beloved for its relatability and themes . However , movies in the literary genre centering around Black char are often overlooked .

9Krzysztof Kieslowski - Born: June 27, 1941, Died: March 13, 1996

Director of: Three Colours trilogy (1993-1994) and The Double Life of Veronique (1991)

Cast

comprise of the filmsBlue , White , andRed , each of the movies in Krzysztof Kieslowski’sThree Colourstrilogy put ironic twists on the several ideals of impropriety , equivalence , and frat - as represent by the color on the Gallic iris . In particular , Three Colours : Redis for the most part regarded as one of the good movies ever made . Meanwhile , The Double Life of Veroniqueexhibits Kieslowski ’s fascination with the metaphysical and the blurred boundaries between reality and dreams - bring home the bacon the Palme d’Or at Cannes . Typically underscore by a dreamlike ambiance , Kieslowski ’s work delves into the unsounded interconnection of single lives .

8Raya Martin - Born: June 30, 1984

Director of: Independencia (2009) and How to Disappear Completely (2013)

One of the manygreat directors who have n’t made new movies recently , Raya Martin isrelatively unknown due to the deep experimental nature of his films . The first Philippine filmmaker to be included in the Cinéfondation Résidence at Cannes , Martin rose to prominence withIndependencia , a traditionally produced soundless film that unravels the colonial , ethnic , and mythical story of the Philippines . InAutohystoria , Martin merges fable and documentary filmmaking . At the same fourth dimension , his moviesHow to Disappear altogether , little and Smaller Circles , andLa última películashow his voltage for mainstream recognition and success .

7Nagisa Ôshima - Born: March 31, 1932, Died: January 15, 2013

Director of: In the Realm of the Senses (1976) and Empire of Passion (1978)

Akey figure of the Nipponese New Wave movie motion , Nagisa Oshima ’s movie confront sexuality and power dynamic , and are known for courting controversy . Oshima is perhaps most notorious forIn the Realm of the Senses , an explicit retelling of the story of killer and geisha Sada Abe , which sport unsimulated sex scenes . InThe Ceremony , Oshima raise the comedic side of research the darker corners of the human experience . ThroughEmpire of Passion , Oshima violently drag ' 70 erotic horror into arthouse cinema . While all of these movies collect outside flick award , Nagisa Oshima never run short mainstream in the west .

Many central horror moving picture figure were established in the 1970s , thanks to classic genre films like Black Christmas , The exorciser , Alien , and Jaws .

6Leos Carax - Born: November 22, 1960

Director of: Holy Motors (2012) and Bad Blood/The Night is Young (1986)

As experience in his filmsBoy Meets Girl , The Lovers on the Bridge , andBad Blood , Leos Carax first gained critical acclaim throughmovies that subvert romanticize opinion of the city of Paris . Indeed , Carax ’s films often explore motif of love , identity , and existentialist philosophy with a surrealistic and enigmatic approach . Carax ’s magnum opus , Holy Motors , is hailed as a chef-d’oeuvre of contemporary plastic film , weaving together multiple narratives to create a surreal meditation on the nature of performance and world . Despite frequent quislingism with A - list actors , Carax remains an obscure theatre director beloved in the main by experimental movie theater enthusiast .

5Ann Hui - Born: May 23, 1947

Director of: Ordinary Heroes (1999) and A Simple Life (2011)

Unlike most well - knownHong Kong film masterpiece , which typically focalise on legal action , romance , or comedy , Ann Hui ’s moving-picture show diverge from these themes , and insteaddive into the city ’s societal , political , and ethnic chronicle . Ordinary Heroesis about societal reform activist in Hong Kong , whileOur Time Will Cometackles the geological era of Japanese occupation . Meanwhile , Hui ’s most awarded films -A Simple LifeandSummer Snow- are earnest play about average Hong Kong families . Despite countless award - including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Asian Film Awards - Ann Hui remains a cult political movie house figure .

4Wong Kar-Wai - Born: July 17, 1956

Director of: In the Mood for Love (2000) and Happy Together (1997)

Few other director have so affectingly captured the melancholy of erotic love and fall back as Wong Kar - Wai . These themes are explored through the experiences of a freewheel mates inHappy Together , an iconic queer film from the ' 90s . Meanwhile , In the Mood for Loveand2046tell the protract story of an unconsummated affair between two lovers . Even in the action epicAshes of Time , Kar - Wai ’s movies are all aboutbroken hearts and the pain in the neck of longing and desire . Although highly acclaimed , mainstream recognition has evade Wong Kar - Wai - but this could change after his approaching rags - to - riches drama seriesBlossoms Shanghai .

The TV serial publication Blossoms Shanghai is an coming tag end - to - rich people dramatic event serial and here ’s everything to lie with about the exit date , casting , and narration .

3Kenji Misumi - Born: March 2, 1921, Died: September 24, 1975

Director of: The Lone Wolf and Cub films (1972-1993) and Shogun Assassin (1980)

Though his name may be unfamiliar to most audience today , Kenji Misumi ’s expert shading of martial arts choreography and storytelling helpedelevate the samurai film genre to new height . He achieved plaudit as a director for theLone Wolf and Cubmovie series - base on the manga by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima - which featured fighting sequences ahead of its time . Misumi ’s natural process - drive dramatic trend arguably reach out its zenith inShogun AssassinandThe Last Samurai , his final lineament pic . Today , nearly every modern-day movie , show , or anime about samurai owe a debt of gratitude to Misumi ’s filmography .

2Satyajit Ray - Born: May 2, 1921, Died: April 23, 1992

Director of: The Apu Trilogy (1955-1959) and The Stranger (1991)

Intricate character field andpoignant portrayal of societal way out are distinctive of Satyajit Ray ’s film . Ray first went orbicular with his debut , Pather Panchali -one of thebest motion-picture show in Indian cinemahistory and the first installment in the acclaimedApu Trilogy , a come - of - age Bengali epic poem . He continued to make masterpieces throughout his calling , includingCharulata , The Music Room , andThe Stranger , each offering profound insight into the complexities of human nature and relationships . Apart from being a director , Ray was also a fecund poet and composer - who astonishingly never achieved mainstream fame in the Rebecca West .

1Wim Wenders - Born: August 14, 1945

Director of: The Road Trilogy (1974-1976) and The American Friend (1977)

Wim Wenders is most famed forThe Road Trilogy , the unofficial primogenitor of the road trip film literary genre . Wenders is a frequent awardee of the Cannes Film Festival ’s Ecumenical Jury Prize - most recently forPerfect Days , another road trip drama . He also directedThe American Friend -one of thebestTom Ripleymovies- andWings of Desire , a poetic speculation on Angel observing manhood in Berlin . Indeed , Wenders ' movies typically involve the component of travel , around which he evokes existential themes and cathartic introspection . Despite his relative obscurity , Wenders ' impact on contemporaneous road trip films is undeniable .

Whoopi Goldberg as Celie and Margaret Avery as Shug in a scene from The Color Purple.

Blended image of Seki in Empire of Passion and Jess in Black Christmas

A Bao (Hu Ge) staring to the side in a yellow-stylized screen for Blossoms Shanghai.

Custom collage featuring Kay M. (Eva Mendes) in Holy Motors by Leos Carax, Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) in In The Mood For Love by Wong Kar-Wai

Created by: Debanjana Chowdhury

Shafiq Syed as Krishna stares at Chanda Sharma as Sola Saal through the window of a car in Salaam Bombay!

Irène Jacob as Valentine Dussaut blows a bubble in Three Colors: Red

Cast Placeholder Image

The boy (Mika Agilos) lying next to a bolo with intricate carvings on the jungle floor in Independencia by Raya Martin

Tatsuya Fuji as Kichizō Ishida intimately touching Eiko Matsuda as Sada Abe in In the Realm of the Senses

Headshot Of eva mendes In The 2008 CFDA Fashion Awards

Loletta Lee as Sow Fung-tai with a serious look on her face in Ordinary Heroes

Headshot Of Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Subir Banerjee as Apu hides behind a column while spying in Pather Panchali

Rüdiger Vogler as Bruno Winter and Hanns Zischler as Robert Lander wearing matching sunglasses in Kings of the Road