American science fiction film directors

Steven Allan Spielberg is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema and he is the second highest-grossing film director of all time. Among other accolades, he has received three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, four BAFTA Awards, twelve Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award, as well as the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995, an honorary knighthood in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2006, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2009, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and the National Medal of Arts in 2023. According to Forbes, he is one of the world's wealthiest celebrities. He is one of 22 people to achieve EGOT status.

Stanley Kubrick was an American filmmaker and photographer. A prominent figure of the New Hollywood era, Kubrick is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers. His films spanned a number of genres and gained recognition for their attention to detail, innovative cinematography, extensive set design, and dark humor.

American filmmaker and philanthropist (born 1944)

Sir Christopher Edward Nolan is a British and American filmmaker. A significant auteur of his generation, he has been a major figure in the 21st century Hollywood. Nolan's films have earned over $6 billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing film director. His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. Nolan was appointed as a CBE in 2019 and was knighted in 2024 for his contributions to film.

Timothy Walter Burton is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for pioneering goth subculture in Hollywood, with his films employing a distinctive style that blends gothic horror and dark fantasy aesthetics with whimsical and surreal elements. He has received numerous accolades, including one Emmy Award and nominations for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three BAFTA Awards. He was honored with the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2007 and France's Order of Arts and Letters in 2010.

American author, screenwriter, film director (1942–2008)

American born-British filmmaker, comedian, and actor (born 1940)

American screenwriter, film producer and director (born 1952)

American actor (1931–2015)

American filmmaker (born 1963)

Austrian filmmaker (1890–1976)

Kathryn Ann Bigelow is an American filmmaker. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

American filmmaker (1966-)

American filmmaker (born 1970)

American film director and producer (born 1965)

American filmmaker (born 1958)

American filmmaker (born 1966)

American filmmaker, composer and actor (born 1948)

American director, screenwriter, and producer (born 1964)

American film director, film producer and film editor (1914–2005)

American film directors, screenwriters, and producers

American film director, writer and producer

American film director, producer, and actor (1926–2024)

James Francis Gunn Jr. is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with Tromeo and Juliet (1996). He then began working as a director, starting with the horror-comedy film Slither (2006), and moving to the superhero genre with Super (2010), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), The Suicide Squad (2021), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).

American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and film editor

American film director, animator, screenwriter and producer (born 1957)

Rian Craig Johnson is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film Brick (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Going on to make higher-profile films, Johnson achieved mainstream recognition for writing and directing the science-fiction thriller Looper (2012) to critical and commercial success. Johnson landed his largest project when he wrote and directed the space opera Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which grossed over $1 billion. He returned to the mystery genre with the Knives Out film series (2019–present), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Willard Tobe Hooper was an American filmmaker, best known for his work in the horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time.

American film director (1920–1989)

American animator, film director and screenwriter (born 1965)

American film director (1923–2010)

American actor and director

American actor, screenwriter and film director

American filmmaker

American film director

American television and film producer (born 1956)

American filmmaker (born 1946)

American film director and producer (born 1965)

American film writer, director and producer

Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, often credited as the Duffer Brothers, are both American film and television show makers. The brothers are identical twins and work on all their projects as a pair. They are best known as the creators, showrunners, and executive producers of the Netflix supernatural science fiction horror series Stranger Things (2016–2025), and have also written and directed the horror film Hidden (2015) and written and produced episodes of the Fox science fiction series Wayward Pines (2015–2016). The Duffer Brothers founded the production company Upside Down Pictures, which is in an overall deal with Netflix.

American filmmaker

American film director (1916–2006)

American film director and cinematographer

American director and screenwriter

American film director, producer and screenwriter

American film director (born 1974)

American film director (born 1974)

American film director and screenwriter

American film director and screenwriter

American film director

American filmmaker

American film production designer and art director (1896-1957)

American screenwriter, producer, author, and director

American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer

American filmmaker (1947-2020)

American film director, set designer (1904-1972)

Hungarian-American film director (1908—1980)

American film director and writer

American filmmaker (1922–2023)

American director (1916–1992)