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.
#11
Mia Hansen-Løve
One of the youngest filmmakers on our list, Hansen-Løve actually got her start as an actress in a pair of films by acclaimed filmmaker Olivier Assayas (with whom she has a daughter). She has actually surpassed Assayas as a filmmaker in the eyes of critics—at least according to their average Metascores. (Note that her 2007 debut All Is Forgiven did not get enough reviews to qualify for inclusion as it never played in the USA outside of a few festivals.)
| Films directed, 2000-2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ▣ | Things to Come | 2016 |
| ▣ | Eden | 2014 |
| ▣ | Goodbye First Love | 2011 |
| ▣ | Father of My Children | 2009 |