Best Up and Coming Directors (2016 Edition)
The 8th Edition of this list
defining the somewhat young careers of very good directors who have potential to be a formidable director among the greats of the industry...(Created by and in the opinion of Stephen H Koontz)
This list includes directors who...
-- Have at least one successful film finished and/or at least one promising film on the way
-- Have directed quality (rated 7/10) full-length features, that I've seen, for ten years or less.
The more promising films the director has on deck, the higher their rank.
But of course the quality in films they've completed is more important.
Italicized title indicates unreleased film
The other two lists in this series: Future Directing Greats (2016)
AND Most Accomplished ACTIVE Directors (2016)
Where did some directors move to?
Those who MOVED UP to Future Directing Greats:
PETE DOCTER
JAMES MARSH
DENIS VILLENEUVE
PAUL FEIG
JEAN-MARC VALLÉE
Those who were KNOCKED OUT from the List
BENH ZEITLIN
GAVIN O'CONNOR
RUBEN FLEISCHER
NICHOLAS STOLLER
JOSS WHEDON
©RinkBlinkPictures
...
Sort by:
Showing 1-50 of 55
Rating:
List Type:
2015 Rank: #48
2014 Rank: #48
2014 Rank: #48
a. Please Give (2010)
b. Enough Said (2013)
c. Parks and Recreation (TV: 2011 - 2013)
2015 Rank: #46
2014 Rank: #45
2013 Rank: #35
2012 Rank: #40
2014 Rank: #45
2013 Rank: #35
2012 Rank: #40
a. Let the Right One In (2008)
b. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
c. The Snowman (2017)
2015 Rank: #49
2014 Rank: #46
2013 Rank: #44
2014 Rank: #46
2013 Rank: #44
a. No End in Sight (2007)
b. Inside Job (2010)
c. Time to Choose (2016)
2015 Rank: #42
a. Waste Land (2010)
b. The Crash Reel (2013)
c. Buena Vista Social Club: Adios (2017)
2015 Rank: #36
2014 Rank: #38
2013 Rank: #43
2014 Rank: #38
2013 Rank: #43
a. Submarine (2011)
b. The Double (2014)
2015 Rank: #37
2014 Rank: #33
2013 Rank: #34
2012 Rank: #38
2011 Rank: #26
2010 Rank: #29
2014 Rank: #33
2013 Rank: #34
2012 Rank: #38
2011 Rank: #26
2010 Rank: #29
a. An Education (2009)
b. One Day (2011)
c. We Happy Few (2016)
2015 Rank: #32
2014 Rank: #19
2013 Rank: #23
2012 Rank: #30
2011 Rank: #18
2010 Rank: #16
2009 Rank: #32
2014 Rank: #19
2013 Rank: #23
2012 Rank: #30
2011 Rank: #18
2010 Rank: #16
2009 Rank: #32
a. The Illusionist (2006)
b. Limitless (2011)
c. Billions (TV: 2016)
d. All the Old Knives (2017)
2015 Rank: #40
2014 Rank: #42
2013 Rank: #50
2014 Rank: #42
2013 Rank: #50
a. Away from Her (2006)
b. Take This Waltz (2012)
c. Stories We Tell (2013)
d. Alias Grace (2017)
2015 Rank: #16
2014 Rank: #10
2013 Rank: #15
2012 Rank: #22
2011 Rank: #34
2010 Rank: #41
2009 Rank: #35
2014 Rank: #10
2013 Rank: #15
2012 Rank: #22
2011 Rank: #34
2010 Rank: #41
2009 Rank: #35
a. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
b. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
c. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
d. Limitless (TV: 2015)
e. Gifted (2017)
2015 Rank: #38
2014 Rank: #32
2014 Rank: #32
a. Shotgun Stories (2008)
b. Take Shelter (2011)
c. Mud (2013)
d. Midnight Special (2016)
e. Loving (2017)
2015 Rank: #39
a. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)
b. Iron Man 3 (2013)
c. The Nice Guys (2016)
d. The Predator (2018)
2015 Rank: #26
2014 Rank: #30
2013 Rank: #33
2012 Rank: #33
2014 Rank: #30
2013 Rank: #33
2012 Rank: #33
a. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)
b. OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009)
c. The Artist (2011)
d. The Search (2015)
e. Redoubtable (2017)
2015 Rank: #25
2014 Rank: #37
2014 Rank: #37
a. Animal Kingdom (2010)
b. The Rover (2014)
c. Flesh and Bone (TV: 2015)
d. War Machine (2017)
2015 Rank: #34
2014 Rank: #31
2013 Rank: #31
2012 Rank: #45
2011 Rank: #44
2014 Rank: #31
2013 Rank: #31
2012 Rank: #45
2011 Rank: #44
a. The Girl from Monaco (2008)
b. Coco Before Chanel (2009)
c. Gemma Bovary (2015)
d. The Innocents (2016)
2015 Rank: #44
2014 Rank: #49
2014 Rank: #49
a. Smashed (2012)
b. The Spectacular Now (2013)
c. The End of the Tour (2015)
d. The Circle (2017)
2015 Rank: #27
2014 Rank: #26
2013 Rank: #29
2012 Rank: #39
2011 Rank: #49
2014 Rank: #26
2013 Rank: #29
2012 Rank: #39
2011 Rank: #49
a. In Bruges (2008)
b. Seven Psychopaths (2012)
c. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
2015 Rank: #23
2014 Rank: #12
2013 Rank: #13
2012 Rank: #14
2011 Rank: #46
2014 Rank: #12
2013 Rank: #13
2012 Rank: #14
2011 Rank: #46
a. Thumbsucker (2005)
b. The Beginners (2011)
c. 20th Century Women (2016)
2015 Rank: #20
2014 Rank: #22
2013 Rank: #37
2014 Rank: #22
2013 Rank: #37
a. Primer (2004)
b. Upstream Color (2013)
c. The Girlfriend Experience (TV: 2016)
2015 Rank: #21
2014 Rank: #24
2013 Rank: #22
2012 Rank: #25
2011 Rank: #21
2010 Rank: #23
2009 Rank: #14
2014 Rank: #24
2013 Rank: #22
2012 Rank: #25
2011 Rank: #21
2010 Rank: #23
2009 Rank: #14
a. The Wackness (2008)
b. 50/50 (2011)
c. The Night Before (2015)
d. Brooklyn Castle (2017)
2015 Rank: #9
2014 Rank: #8
2013 Rank: #7
2012 Rank: #7
2011 Rank: #9
2010 Rank: #12
2009 Rank: #3
2014 Rank: #8
2013 Rank: #7
2012 Rank: #7
2011 Rank: #9
2010 Rank: #12
2009 Rank: #3
a. Along Came Polly (2004)
b. I love You, Man (2009)
c. Why Him? (2016)
2015 Rank: #35
a. Il Divo (2009)
b. This Must Be the Place (2011)
c. The Great Beauty (2014)
d. Youth (2015)
e. The Young Pope (TV: 2016)
2015 Rank: #19
2014 Rank: #20
2013 Rank: #28
2012 Rank: #37
2014 Rank: #20
2013 Rank: #28
2012 Rank: #37
a. Crazy Heart (2009)
b. Out of the Furnace (2013)
c. Black Mass (2015)
d. Hostiles (2017)
2015 Rank: #15
2014 Rank: OUT
2013 Rank: OUT
2012 Rank: #44
2011 Rank: #47
2010 Rank: #36
2009 Rank: #29
2014 Rank: OUT
2013 Rank: OUT
2012 Rank: #44
2011 Rank: #47
2010 Rank: #36
2009 Rank: #29
a. Sin Nombre (2009)
b. Jane Eyre (2011)
c. True Detective (TV: 2014)
d. Beasts of No Nation (2015)
e. Maniac (TV: 2016)
2015 Rank: #4
2014 Rank: #6
2013 Rank: #11
2012 Rank: #18
2011 Rank: #19
2010 Rank: #17
2009 Rank: #36
2014 Rank: #6
2013 Rank: #11
2012 Rank: #18
2011 Rank: #19
2010 Rank: #17
2009 Rank: #36
a. District 9 (2009)
b. Elysium (2013)
c. Chappie (2015)
d. Alien Sequel/Reboot (2017)
2015 Rank: #31
2014 Rank: #44
2014 Rank: #44
a. Margin Call (2011)
b. All is Lost (2013)
c. A Most Violent Year (2014)
d. Untitled Project (2018)
2015 Rank: #6
2014 Rank: #3
2013 rank: #5
2012 Rank: #6
2011 Rank: #2
2010 Rank: #11
2014 Rank: #3
2013 rank: #5
2012 Rank: #6
2011 Rank: #2
2010 Rank: #11
a. One Hour Photo (2002)
b. Never Let Me Go (2010)
c. The Parking Ticket (2018)
2015 Rank: #12
2014 Rank: #14
2013 Rank: #32
2014 Rank: #14
2013 Rank: #32
a. Hunger (2008)
b. Shame (2011)
c. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
d. Fela (2017)
and Jonathan Dayton
2015 Rank: #10
2014 Rank: #13
2013 Rank: #19
2012 Rank: #29
2011 Rank: #35
2010 Rank: #32
2009 Rank: #20
2015 Rank: #10
2014 Rank: #13
2013 Rank: #19
2012 Rank: #29
2011 Rank: #35
2010 Rank: #32
2009 Rank: #20
a. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
b. Ruby Sparks (2012)
c. Battle of the Sexes (2017)
d. I'm Proud of You (2019)
2015 Rank: #7
2014 Rank: #9
2013 Rank: #12
2012 Rank: #9
2011 Rank: #37
2010 Rank: #43
2009 Rank: #18
2014 Rank: #9
2013 Rank: #12
2012 Rank: #9
2011 Rank: #37
2010 Rank: #43
2009 Rank: #18
a. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
b. Killing Them Softly (2012)
c. One More Time with Feeling (2017)
2015 Rank: #18
2014 Rank: #18
2013 Rank: #25
2012 Rank: #32
2011 Rank: OUT
2010 Rank: #49
2009 Rank: #11
2014 Rank: #18
2013 Rank: #25
2012 Rank: #32
2011 Rank: OUT
2010 Rank: #49
2009 Rank: #11
a. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
b. How and Why (2014)
c. Anomalisa (2015)
Load more items (5 more in this list)
Added to
4 votes
Yearly Best Active Directors List Collection
(36 lists)list by Stehako
Published 4 years, 11 months ago
1 comment

People who voted for this also voted for
Harry Potter movie gifs ★
Andreea Diaconu for Free People
Faces So Beautiful It Hurts - Leslie Caron
Actors on Both Law & Order: SVU + Oz
Favorites of Toni Garrn
Male Directors as Feminist
ALBUMS I ♡
Movies from the "AFI 100 movie list" I watched
Funny Faces
My Top Favorite Actors
She's a Beauty: Jayne Mansfield
Artist Vladimir Volegov (2008 year)
Actresses who played Joan Crawford
Beautiful US Faces - Hannah Davis
She's A Beauty:Sophia Loren
More lists from Stehako
Most Accomplished Active Directors (2016 Edition)
Yearly Best Active Directors List Collection
2008: The Year of Failed Franchise Attempts
Top Ten Films - Howard Hawks
Top Ten Performances - Jennifer Jones
Top Ten Performances - Peter O'Toole
Best Films of 1952