To mark the release of Flicks writer Matt Glasby’s book The A-Z Of Great Film Directors, in which his writing shares the page with the fine illustrations of Andy Tuohy, we wanted to find out which directors Kiwis rated the most.
Figuring that the rankings of Hollywood directors would likely hold the only surprise on that list, rather than outright omissions or inclusions, we also wanted to find out who your favourite female and New Zealand directors are too.
The top tens below pack more surprises than we were expecting, and we now anticipate a bit of grumbling about certain legends being left out, tut-tutting over where others turn up on the list, and a few questions along the lines of “who the hell are they?”.
In other words, just what we were after. We could debate the merits of the directors below until the cows come home, not to mention our consternation about those missing in action – Wilder, Allen, Lynch, Spheeris. Heckerling, Tamahori etc. But you know what? We’re bigger than that. We respect the will of the people. Even your will to praise or damn these names in the comments section below, maybe even especially that bit.
New Zealand’s Most Loved Male Directors
1. Steven Spielberg (Schindler’s List, Bridge of Spies)
2. Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street)
3. Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, North By Northwest)
4. Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, A Clockwork Orange)
5. Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds)
6. Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Interstellar)
7. The Coen Brothers (No Country for Old Men, Inside Llewyn Davis)
8. David Fincher (Se7en, The Social Network)
9. Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel)
10. Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit)
New Zealand’s Most Loved Female Directors
1. Jane Campion (Bright Star, The Piano)
2. Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Zero Dark Thirty)
3. Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Somewhere)
4. Susanne Bier (In a Better World, Things We Lost in the Fire)
5. Leni Reifenstahl (Triumph of the Will, The Blue Light)
6. Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, Julie & Julia)
7. Claire Denis (Beau Travail, Trouble Every Day)
8. Penny Marshall (Big, Riding in Cars with Boys)
9. Mary Harron (American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page)
10. TIED – Lone Scherfig (An Education, The Riot Club)
10. TIED – Agnes Varda (Le Bonheur, Cleo from 5 to 7)
New Zealand’s Most Loved Kiwi Directors
1. Peter Jackson (Braindead, Heavenly Creatures)
2. Jane Campion (An Angel at My Table, The Piano)
3. Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Boy)
4. Geoff Murphy (Utu, Goodbye Pork Pie)
5. Vincent Ward (Vigil, River Queen)
6. Roger Donaldson (Smash Palace, The World’s Fastest Indian)
7. Andrew Adamson (Shrek, Mr. Pip)
8. Florian Habicht (Pulp: a Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets, Love Story)
9. Niki Caro (Whale Rider, McFarland, USA)
10. Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors, The Devil’s Double)
