21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films (Top 100 Directors)

Listed below are, according to TSPDT, the 100 most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the 21st Century (to date). To qualify for this top 100, each director (or directing team) needs to have a minimum of two films (from 2000 onwards) cited in ballots/lists that TSPDT has collated. Alongside each director's name (in brackets) is the position each director held in last year's version.
Wong kar-wai

1. Wong Kar-wai (1)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

David Lynch

2. David Lynch (2)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Apichatpong Weerasethakul

3. Apichatpong Weerasethakul (3)
7 films in the Top 1,000 / 11 other films cited GF

Paul Thomas Anderson

4. Paul Thomas Anderson (4)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Michael Haneke

5. Michael Haneke (5)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Lucrecia Martel

6. Lucrecia Martel (6)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Lars von Trier

7. Lars von Trier (9)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 6 other films cited GF

Bong Joon-ho

8. Bong Joon-ho (7)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited GF

Céline Sciamma

9. Céline Sciamma (8)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited GF

Hayao Miyazaki

10. Hayao Miyazaki (10)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Terrence Malick

11. Terrence Malick (11)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited GF

Tsai Ming-liang

12. Tsai Ming-liang (12)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 9 other films cited GF

Alfonso Cuarón

13. Alfonso Cuarón (13)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited GF

Jia Zhangke

14. Jia Zhangke (17)
9 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited GF

Claire Denis

15. Claire Denis (14)
8 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited GF

Agnès Varda

16. Agnès Varda (18)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Béla Tarr

17. Béla Tarr (15)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited GF

Christopher Nolan

18. Christopher Nolan (16)
7 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Richard Linklater

19. Richard Linklater (19)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 11 other films cited GF

Pedro Costa

20. Pedro Costa (20)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

21. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (21)
7 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Kelly Reichardt

22. Kelly Reichardt (23)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited GF

Barry Jenkins

23. Barry Jenkins (22)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Quentin Tarantino

24. Quentin Tarantino (24)
7 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited GF

Wes Anderson

25. Wes Anderson (25)
7 films in the Top 1,000 / 7 other films cited GF

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

26. Nuri Bilge Ceylan (27)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited GF

Ang Lee

27. Ang Lee (26)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Pedro Almodóvar

28. Pedro Almodóvar (28)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 7 other films cited GF

David Fincher

29. David Fincher (29)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited GF

Hong Sang-soo

30. Hong Sang-soo (37)
11 films in the Top 1,000 / 19 other films cited GF

Michel Gondry

31. Michel Gondry (31)
1 film in the Top 1,000 / 9 other films cited GF

Martin Scorsese

32. Martin Scorsese (30)
8 films in the Top 1,000 / 6 other films cited GF

Hou Hsiao-hsien

33. Hou Hsiao-hsien (33)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited GF

Steve McQueen

34. Steve McQueen (32)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 10 other films cited

Steven Spielberg

35. Steven Spielberg (34)
7 films in the Top 1,000 / 9 other films cited GF

Jonathan Glazer

36. Jonathan Glazer (38)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Peter Jackson

37. Peter Jackson (35)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 6 other films cited GF

Sofia Coppola

38. Sofia Coppola (36)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited GF

Wang Bing

39. Wang Bing (40)
1 film in the Top 1,000 / 16 other films cited

Jean-Luc Godard

40. Jean-Luc Godard (42)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 10 other films cited GF

Jordan Peele

41. Jordan Peele (39)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited

Gus Van Sant

42. Gus Van Sant (44)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Guillermo del Toro

43. Guillermo del Toro (46)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 7 other films cited GF

Asghar Farhadi

44. Asghar Farhadi (43)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited

Todd Haynes

45. Todd Haynes (41)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Roy Andersson

46. Roy Andersson (45)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited GF

Clint Eastwood

47. Clint Eastwood (47)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 13 other films cited GF

Park Chan-wook

48. Park Chan-wook (50)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited

Andrea Arnold

49. Andrea Arnold (49)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited

George Miller

50. George Miller (52)
1 film in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited GF

Lynne Ramsay

51. Lynne Ramsay (48)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited GF

Alejandro González Iñárritu

52. Alejandro González Iñárritu (51)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited

Lee Chang-dong

53. Lee Chang-dong (54)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited

Aleksandr Sokurov

54. Aleksandr Sokurov (53)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 7 other films cited GF

Lav Diaz

55. Lav Diaz (57)
8 films in the Top 1,000 / 14 other films cited

Hirokazu Koreeda

56. Hirokazu Koreeda (55)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 8 other films cited GF

Cristi Puiu

57. Cristi Puiu (56)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Leos Carax

58. Leos Carax (59)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne

59. Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne (58)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Maren Ade

60. Maren Ade (62)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Abbas Kiarostami

61. Abbas Kiarostami (61)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited GF

Darren Aronofsky

62. Darren Aronofsky (63)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited

Joshua Oppenheimer

63. Joshua Oppenheimer (60)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Jacques Audiard

64. Jacques Audiard (67)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited

David Cronenberg

65. David Cronenberg (66)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Jafar Panahi

66. Jafar Panahi (64)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited

Carlos Reygadas

67. Carlos Reygadas (65)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Denis Villeneuve

68. Denis Villeneuve (71)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited

Yorgos Lanthimos

69. Yorgos Lanthimos (76)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited

Andrew Stanton

70. Andrew Stanton (69)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Kenneth Lonergan

71. Kenneth Lonergan (72)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited

Alexander Payne

72. Alexander Payne (70)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Aki Kaurismäki

73. Aki Kaurismäki (68)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited GF

Andrey Zvyagintsev

74. Andrey Zvyagintsev (73)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited

Gaspar Noé

75. Gaspar Noé (78)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited

Spike Lee

76. Spike Lee (74)
6 films in the Top 1,000 / 11 other films cited GF

Patricio Guzmán

77. Patricio Guzmán (75)
1 film in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited GF

Olivier Assayas

78. Olivier Assayas (77)
5 films in the Top 1,000 / 8 other films cited

Charlie Kaufman

79. Charlie Kaufman (79)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 0 other films cited

Werner Herzog

80. Werner Herzog (83)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 14 other films cited GF

Paolo Sorrentino

81. Paolo Sorrentino (82)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited

Jonas Mekas

82. Jonas Mekas (87)
1 film in the Top 1,000 / 6 other films cited GF

James Benning

83. James Benning (81)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 20 other films cited

Miguel Gomes

84. Miguel Gomes (new)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited GF

Ryusuke Hamaguchi

85. Ryusuke Hamaguchi (98)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Cristian Mungui

86. Cristian Mungiu (80)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited

Steven Soderbergh

87. Steven Soderbergh (85)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 23 other films cited

Alice Rohrwacher

88. Alice Rohrwacher (new)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 3 other films cited GF

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

89. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (84)
1 film in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Abderrahmane Sissako

90. Abderrahmane Sissako (86)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Joanna Hogg

91. Joanna Hogg (88)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited

Jane Campion

92. Jane Campion (89)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Chloé Zhao

93. Chloé Zhao (90)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

94. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (94)
1 film in the Top 1,000 / 4 other films cited

Pete Docter

95. Pete Docter (93)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 1 other film cited

Noah Baumbach

96. Noah Baumbach (92)
4 films in the Top 1,000 / 6 other films cited

Chantal Akerman

97. Chantal Akerman (99)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 5 other films cited GF

Pawel Pawlikowski

98. Pawel Pawlikowski (91)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited

Kathryn Bigelow

99. Kathryn Bigelow (97)
2 films in the Top 1,000 / 2 other films cited GF

Kim Ki-duk

100. Kim Ki-duk (95)
3 films in the Top 1,000 / 8 other films cited

Exiting Directors

Directors that fell off this year's list-: Edgar Wright and Fernando Meirelles.