7 Directors Who Made A Lasting Impact On The World Of Cinema

Crucial to filmmaking, directors have the opportunity to create a lasting impact on the entire world when they direct movies, and some of the world’s most renowned directors have picked up numerous awards for their talents.

Below is a list of 7 of the greatest film directors to have left their mark on cinema, and whose works will likely never be forgotten:

• Steven Spielberg

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946, American screenwriter, producer and director, Steven Spielberg’s career in filmmaking started in the new era of Hollywood. Now one of the world’s wealthiest and most respected Hollywood directors, he is arguably one of the most influential, too, receiving many awards during his illustrious career, including no less than 3 Oscars.

• Ang Lee

Born in Pingtung County in South Taiwan, in 1954, Ang Lee is perhaps best known for his 2012 film, Life of Pi, for which he was nominated for 11 Oscars and won four. Having made his first English-language film in 1995 (Sense and Sensibility), he soon began receiving praise and accolades from all over the world, and has directed several other films that won academy awards.

• Clint Eastwood

American film director and actor, Clint Eastwood Jr was born in 1930, and has a career spanning more than 60 years. Beginning his career as a small-time actor, he then branched out into directing in his later career, and has both starred in, and directed, a whole host of movies for which he won several awards, including four Oscars.

• Peter Jackson

Born in New Zealand in 1961, Peter Jackson began his career in filmmaking, with the production of a number of comedy horrors in his home country, including the 1987 film, Bad Taste. Later receiving a variety of accolades for his work, and winning three Oscars, he is perhaps most famous for writing, directing and producing the trilogy, Lord of the Rings.

• James Cameron

With an innovative filmmaking approach, Canadian born film editor, screenwriter, producer, and director, James Cameron, is best known for his development and use of new technologies within the industry, such as those used in films like Aliens (1986) and The Terminator (1984). With numerous awards under his belt, he has won three Oscars in his career so far.  

• Francis Ford Coppola

American born film director and screenwriter, Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939, and in the 60s and 70s, was recognized as being one of the most influential and significant figures within the era of new Hollywood. Following his debut movie, Dementia (1963), he has gone on to win five Oscars, and many more awards.  

• Billy Wilder

Born in 1906, Billy Wilder was a film director of Austrian-American descent, who died in 2002. With a career spanning five decades, he is considered by many to be a versatile and talented moviemaker from the classic Hollywood era, and cinematic world as a whole. His first directorial Oscar nomination came in 1944 with the work of Double Indemnity, and his career was peppered with other nominations and awards.

While the best filmmaker of all time might be entirely subjective according to the style and genre of film you enjoy watching, it’s hard to deny the talent of such directors as those listed above, particularly in light of the many awards they’ve been nominated for and won, over the decades.