7.Michael Haneke
Arguably the most respected filmmaker in the world, Michael Haneke has become famous for his dark, morally complex films that generally present the viewer with lots of ambiguity. Haneke believes that films should cause self-reflection and should not provide all the answers, resulting in many of his film being confusing and feeling almost unfinished according to conventional standards. Haneke's first film after the cut off date was 2000's the Code Unknown which earned him a Palme d'Or nomination at the Cannes Film Festival. His breakout film was 2005's Cache, a deeply unsettling mystery film that became one of the years most acclaimed movies. 2009 saw the release of the White Ribbon, which won the highest honor at Cannes and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language film. In 2012, his film Amour also received considerable acclaim, again winning Cannes as well as winning Best Foreign Language film and receiving a nomination for Best Picture. While Haneke does not currently have any films in development, he has already done enough to earn a place on this list as his films are among the most interesting and though-provoking films there are.
Eligible Films: Code Unknown (2000), The Piano Teacher (2001), Time of the Wolf (2003), Cache (2005), The White Ribbon (2009), Amour (2012)