16. Roberto Rossellini
One of the most important figures in Italian cinema, Roberto Rossellini was one of the founders and most famous practitioners of Italian neo-realism, an enormously influential filmmaking style that often used untrained actors and naturalistic settings in an attempt to capture as much reality as possible. Rossellini was also famous for one of the most famous movie love stories as he and Ingrid Bergman started an international controversy after they began a relationship despite both being married at the time. Although Rossellini's filmography is not as impressive in terms of historical significance as many of the other directors on this list, it still contains a number of classics and his reputation amongst his contemporaries and successors, particularly among the French auteurs, was extremely high. Rossellini was a central figure in one of the most important international film movements of his time and his films form the cornerstone of Italian cinema.