On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, I’m joined by Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez and Managing Editor Charles Barfield, to discuss the 20 Breakthrough Directors of 2018, though it cannot be stressed enough that our topic at hand today was a collective pick from many members of our staff to which we are merely the mouthpiece for. We continue our extensive year-end coverage with our director’s conversation.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019
It’s been talked about at-length how strong the year in film was for 2018, but maybe not as much about how some of the best, most-acclaimed films of the year were from either first-time directors or filmmakers with few directorial credits who made a huge splash with a recent release. It’s been such a strong year for breakthrough filmmakers that unfortunately could not cover everybody. However, we feel that the list we have showcased a year of inclusiveness and diversity, both in the talent behind the camera and film subject matter.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2018
The 20 directors are listed below. The first ten we talk about in-depth, while 11-2o get honorable mention shoutouts at the end, but that does not mean they’re any less important or impactful. Give the episode a listen, and then be sure to look out for these titles, and keep up with what each of these talented filmmakers on deck (but in no particular order).
READ MORE: The Most Underrated & Overrated Films Of 2018
Click here for our complete coverage of the best and worst of 2018.
Ari Aster – “Hereditary”
John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein – “Game Night”
Bo Burnham – “Eighth Grade”
Sandi Tan – “Shirkers”
Bing Liu – “Minding the Gap”
Boots Riley – “Sorry to Bother You”
Chloé Zhao – “The Rider”
Paul Dano – “Wildlife”
Aneesh Chaganty – “Searching”
Bradley Cooper – “A Star is Born”
Carlos Lopez Estrada – “Blindspotting”
John Krasinski – “A Quiet Place”
Kay Cannon – “Blockers”
Jim Cummings – “Thunder Road”
Cory Finley – “Thoroughbreds”
Alonso Ruizpalacios – “Museo”
Jennifer Fox – “The Tale”
Jordana Spiro – “Night Comes On”
Susan Johnson – “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”
Sara Colangelo – “The Kindergarten Teacher”
All shows and episodes are a part of The Playlist Podcast Network – which includes Adjust Your Tracking, Be Reel, Over/Under Movies, Indie Beat, and more – and can be heard on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher. To listen on this page, you can stream the podcast via the Soundcloud embed below or up top. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly, as we have some exciting coverage hitting the feed at the end of this year and the beginning of next. Adjust Your Tracking will be doing their usual Top 10 episode, while Over/Under Movies will be diving into the Most Underrated Films of 2018. Finally, Charles and I are looking after the Holidays to do a full spoiler discussion about the Best and Worst (or both at the same time) aspects of “Aquaman.”
Thanks for listening, and Happy Holidays!