1. Steve McQueen
Already one of the most talented directors in the world, Steve McQueen has coupled incredible visual skills with hard-hitting narratives to make some of the most affecting films of the last few years. Originally, McQueen studied art at various schools in England before becoming interested in film. His first few attempts in the medium came in the form of short films, generally in black and white, which were often shown in art galleries. His first full length narrative feature was 2008's Hunger, arguably the best movie of that year. Depicting the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike, McQueen crafted one of the most impressive debut films possibly of all time. Hunger went on to win an award for best first time director at Cannes and was later picked by Sight & Sound as the best movie of 2008. McQueen followed up Hunger with 2011's Shame which,while not quite as impressive as his first film, was also a tremendously powerful film. This year McQueen will release 12 Years a Slave, one of the year's most anticipated films, but even with just his first two movies, McQueen has already cemented his status as not only one of the world's best new directors, but one of the best directors period.
Filmography: Hunger (2008), Shame (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Honorable Mentions:Shane Carruth: 2004's Primer is one of the most interesting movies I've ever seen but I have to wait to see his next movie, Upstream Color, before putting him on here.
Ramin Bahrani: Roger Ebert called him the best director of the 2000s but I've only managed to watch one of his movies so far and while it was very interesting, I couldn't quite replace anyone on the list with him.
Like these directors? Who's your favourite rising star? Let us know in the comments section below.