4. Midnight Special
Jeff Nichols has quickly become one of the most reliable and well-respected names amongst film fans. Many decried the fact that his 2013 feature Mud was all but left out of the awards conversation last year, though that looks set to change with his fourth feature. Little is known about the project to this point other than the fact that it follows a father taking his son on the run after its discovered the boy possesses special powers. Nichols mainstay Michael Shannon will appear alongside the underappreciated Joel Edgerton and Kirsten Dunst. While its far too early in the game to go on anything other than reputation and gut feeling, this might finally be the year where we see Nichols take his rightful place in the conversation of todays best working directors.