# The 16 Greatest Film Directors of the 21st Century

> From blockbuster visionaries who fill multiplexes to arthouse auteurs beloved by critics, this lineup gathers the filmmakers who have shaped modern cinema. Which one tops your list?

*By YPB Team · Published August 30, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-16-greatest-film-directors-of-the-21st-century*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Christopher Nolan** — score 1000/1000
   The blockbuster auteur behind Inception, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer.
2. **Martin Scorsese** — score 861/1000
   The living legend who kept redefining cinema this century with The Departed and The Irishman.
3. **Wes Anderson** — score 778/1000
   The unmistakable stylist behind The Grand Budapest Hotel and Asteroid City.
4. **Paul Thomas Anderson** — score 708/1000
   The revered director of There Will Be Blood, The Master, and Phantom Thread.
5. **Greta Gerwig** — score 658/1000
   The acclaimed director of Lady Bird, Little Women, and the billion-dollar Barbie.
6. **Damien Chazelle** — score 610/1000
   The youngest Best Director Oscar winner, behind Whiplash and La La Land.
7. **Chloé Zhao** — score 466/1000
   The Oscar-winning director of Nomadland and Marvel's Eternals.
8. **Quentin Tarantino** — score 466/1000
   The stylistic maverick behind Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
9. **Barry Jenkins** — score 466/1000
   The director of the Best Picture winner Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk.
10. **Denis Villeneuve** — score 384/1000
   The visionary behind Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and the Dune saga.
11. **Jordan Peele** — score 290/1000
   The genre-redefining director of Get Out, Us, and Nope.
12. **Bong Joon-ho** — score 290/1000
   The South Korean master whose Parasite made Oscar history.
13. **Guillermo del Toro** — score 290/1000
   The imaginative craftsman behind Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water.
14. **Sofia Coppola** — score 290/1000
   The distinctive director of Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and Priscilla.
15. **Alfonso Cuarón** — score 179/1000
   The Oscar-winning director of Children of Men, Gravity, and Roma.
16. **David Fincher** — score 179/1000
   The meticulous director of Zodiac, The Social Network, and Gone Girl.

Tags: movies, directors