Roberto Rossellini – Rome, Open City (1945)
Pioneering Italian Neorealism; won Grand Prize at Cannes.

Vittorio De Sica – Bicycle Thieves (1948)
A humanist classic; Special Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Akira Kurosawa – Rashomon (1950)
Revolutionized narrative cinema; Golden Lion at Venice.

Elia Kazan – On the Waterfront (1954)
A searing drama of conscience; won 8 Academy Awards.

Satyajit Ray – Pather Panchali (1955)
Launched Indian parallel cinema; Best Human Document at Cannes.

Ingmar Bergman – The Seventh Seal (1957)
Iconic meditation on death and faith; global critical acclaim.

Alain Resnais – Hiroshima mon amour (1959)
Landmark of Left Bank cinema; Cannes entry and critical milestone.

Jean-Luc Godard – Breathless (1960)
Defined the French New Wave; Silver Bear at Berlin.

Federico Fellini – La Dolce Vita (1960)
Captivated a generation; Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Michelangelo Antonioni – L'Avventura (1960)
Radical narrative style; Jury Prize at Cannes.

Luis Buñuel – Viridiana (1961)
Controversial masterpiece; Palme d'Or at Cannes.

David Lean – Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Historical epic of grand scale; 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Stanley Kubrick – Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bold political satire; nominated for 4 Academy Awards.

Glauber Rocha – Black God, White Devil (1964)
Key film of Cinema Novo; Cannes acclaim.

Andrei Tarkovsky – Andrei Rublev (1966)
Spiritual and poetic; FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes.

Miloš Forman – The Firemen’s Ball (1967)
Czech New Wave gem; Cannes nominee, banned in Czechoslovakia.

Éric Rohmer – My Night at Maud’s (1969)
Intimate moral drama; Oscar-nominated screenplay.

Werner Herzog – Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Visionary tale of madness; global cult classic.

Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather (1972)
Revolutionized American cinema; won 3 Academy Awards.

Alejandro Jodorowsky – The Holy Mountain (1973)
Surrealist allegorical epic; landmark of countercultural cinema.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder – Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
German melodrama with social critique; Cannes Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.

Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina – Chronicles of the Years of Fire (1975)
Algerian epic; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Martin Scorsese – Taxi Driver (1976)
Psychological urban masterpiece; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani – Padre Padrone (1977)
Rural Bildungsroman; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

George Lucas – Star Wars (1977)
Changed popular cinema forever; 7 Academy Awards.

Andrei Konchalovsky – Siberiade (1979)
Sprawling Soviet saga; Grand Prize at Cannes.

Krzysztof Kieslowski – Camera Buff (1979)
Polish reflection on art and censorship; multiple festival awards.

Volker Schlöndorff – The Tin Drum (1979)
Adaptation of Grass’s novel; Palme d'Or and Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Ridley Scott – Alien (1979)
Genre-defining sci-fi horror; Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Andrzej Wajda – Man of Iron (1981)
Solidarity-era drama; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren – Yol (1982)
Powerful Turkish critique of repression; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Shohei Imamura – The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
Stylized tale of tradition; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Wim Wenders – Paris, Texas (1984)
Lyrical road movie; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Chen Kaige – Yellow Earth (1984)
Started China's Fifth Generation cinema; Hong Kong Film Award.

Jim Henson – Labyrinth (1986)
Fantasy cult classic; noted for puppetry and visual style.

Roland Joffé – The Mission (1986)
Religious and political epic; Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Abbas Kiarostami – Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987)
Iranian neorealist breakthrough; Locarno Bronze Leopard.

Souleymane Cissé – Yeelen (1987)
Malian mythic narrative; Jury Prize at Cannes.

Steven Spielberg – Schindler's List (1993)
Oscar-winning Holocaust drama known for its emotional and historical weight.

Kaige Chen – Farewell My Concubine (1993)
Explores Chinese history through opera; won Palme d'Or and BAFTA.

Jane Campion – The Piano (1993)
Won Palme d'Or and Oscars; landmark in feminist cinema.

Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction (1994)
Oscar-winning, non-linear crime classic that reshaped modern American cinema.

Robert Rodriguez – Desperado (1995)
Stylized action film that brought Mexican cinema to international attention.

Emir Kusturica – Underground (1995)
Political allegory on Yugoslav history; won the Palme d'Or.

Abbas Kiarostami – Taste of Cherry (1997)
Palme d'Or winner exploring life and mortality with minimalist depth.

Satoshi Kon – Perfect Blue (1997)
Psychological anime thriller; influential on modern Western cinema.

Hou Hsiao-hsien – Flowers of Shanghai (1998)
Critically acclaimed period drama known for its visual elegance.

Wong Kar-Wai – In the Mood for Love (2000)
Iconic romantic film, praised for its cinematography and mood.

Lars von Trier – Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Musical tragedy starring Björk; won Palme d'Or.

Alfonso Cuarón – Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
Coming-of-age road film; celebrated for its political subtext and narrative style.

Hayao Miyazaki – Spirited Away (2001)
Magical coming-of-age fantasy; Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Pedro Almodóvar – Talk to Her (2002)
Won Best Original Screenplay Oscar; deeply emotional and unconventional storytelling.

Park Chan-wook – Oldboy (2003)
Neo-noir revenge thriller; won Grand Prix at Cannes.

Guillermo del Toro – Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Oscar-winning dark fantasy set in post–Civil War Spain.

Marwan Hamed – The Yacoubian Building (2006)
Portrays modern Egyptian society; sparked national debate.

Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Oscar Best Picture winner; blends Bollywood style with global storytelling.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
Won Palme d'Or; merges spiritual folklore and surrealism.

Michael Haneke – Amour (2012)
Won Palme d'Or and Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan – Winter Sleep (2014)
Philosophical Turkish drama; won Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Andrey Zvyagintsev – Leviathan (2014)
Critique of corruption in modern Russia; won Golden Globe.

Ruben Östlund – The Square (2017)
Satirical Palme d'Or winner critiquing art and elitism.

Hirokazu Kore-eda – Shoplifters (2018)
Won Palme d'Or; explores unconventional family bonds.

Céline Sciamma – Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Cannes Best Screenplay winner; a landmark in queer cinema.

Bong Joon-ho – Parasite (2019)
Historic Oscar Best Picture winner; sharp class satire.