25 Best Film Directors of the 21st Century (So Far)
Which directors have received the best reviews from professional critics since 2000? Find out below, where we rank this century's top filmmakers by their average Metascores.
To be included, a director must have four or more eligible films. Such films have seven or more reviews from professional critics and were first released (in any country) on or after January 1, 2000, and must have been released (including as a straight-to-Netflix streaming release) at some point in the USA. Multi-director anthology films are excluded, as are theatrical re-releases of older films. Averages were calculated using Metascores from July 12, 2017, and include films released through July 7, 2017.
#13 (tie)
Kelly Reichardt
One of just a few women filmmakers to make the list (and you're going to find them all bunched together here), Kelly Reichardt writes and directs minimalist indie dramas that have made her a staple of the festival circuit. Though her debut, River of Grass, was released in 1995, all of her other full-length features have come in the past 11 years. Her first film credits came from a cameo (and as a member of the wardrobe department) on Hal Hartley's 1989 debut The Unbelievable Truth.
| Films directed, 2000-2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ▣ | Meek's Cutoff | 2010 |
| ▣ | Old Joy | 2006 |
| ▣ | Certain Women | 2016 |
| ▣ | Wendy and Lucy | 2008 |
| ▣ | Night Moves | 2013 |