Every film critic will attest to ‘really’ knowing who the greats of cinema are. Andrew Sarris famously claimed that there were 14 directors worthy of being in the ‘pantheon of American filmmakers’ (Meaning directors who worked in America.) He downplayed the significance and works of directors like Billy Wilder, David Lean and Stanley Kubrick. While suggesting directors like Robert Flaherty had a more significant influence than any of those three.

There is no correct list of the top directors ever. They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They have a wonderful list of film directors ranked by significance but I do see some issues with it.

Does Jean Vigo really deserve 41st place for 2 great films (L’Atlante & Zero for Conduct) and 1 good one (A Propos de Nice)?

At what point does quality overcome significance? Is it better to have one hundred great films or 5 brilliant ones?

Another major problem with these sorts of lists is that they invariably end up favouring influence against popularity. Every list inevitably will ignore commercial appeal in favour of influence which, inevitably unjustly ignores contemporary filmmakers.

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with prioritising influence either. When we think of a film in 1946, we think of Notorious, My Darling Clementine, Paisan, A Matter of Life and Death. We hardly pay heed to the real money-makers like The Jolson Story, Blue Skies or Saratoga Trunk. Rightly so, as well.

My intention is to create an accurate list of the 250 greatest film directors which represents quality, navigates quantity and tries to avoid my own biases. I know this verges on impractically.

I hope for this list to be a resource as well as somewhere where people can share their opinions, controversial or not, on films, filmmakers, and their craft.

To gather this list I looked at a handful of sources to make it as accurate as possible. I gave each source five points to delegate out as it saw fit. The site’s biases are apparent, the inclusion of IMDB leant its points generously to contemporary directors of the Rian Johnson-Denis Villeneuve-Christopher Nolan sort. That is to say, directors are capable of helming large projects without totally unshackling themselves from their sensibilities.

I hope this list will be useful, and I’m already anxious about the road ahead.