Best Directors Working Today (Asia List)

Picked from directors who are Asian or film mostly in Asia. In the languages of the country that they're filming in. Or Asian languages. So if Clint Eastwood had decided to film all future movies like letters From Iwo Jima he'd be here. To qualify I'm making it that the director has to release an excellent film (in my opinion) during the 21st century and I need to be able to find at least 3 excellent reference films

21.Wang Xiaoshuai -China

Directing Timespan : 1993- present

Reference Films: Beijing Bicycle (2001); Shanghai Dreams (2005); The Days (1993)

20.Lee Chang-Dong -South Korea

Directing Timespan : 1997-present

Reference Films: Poetry (2010); Oasis (2002); Peppermint Candy (1999)

19. Kim Ki-duk -South Korea

Directing Timespan : 1996-present

Reference Films: Spring,Summer,Fall,Winter...and Spring (2003); The Bow (2005); Birdcage Inn (1998);

18. Johnnie To - Hong Kong

Directing Timespan : 1990-present

Reference Films: Life Without Principle (2011); Mad Detective (2007); Election (2005); All About Ah-Long (1990)

17. Hirozaku Koreeda -Japan

Directing Timespan : 1991-present

Reference Films: Hana (2006); Nobody Knows (2004); Still Walking (2008);After Life (1998)

16. Bong Joon-ho -South Korea

Directing Timespan : 2000-present

Reference Films: Mother (2009); The Host (2006); Memories of a Murder (2003)

15. .Zhang Yuan - China

Directing Timespan : 1990- Present

Reference Films: Dada's Dance (2008); Seventeen years (1999); Sons (1996); East Palace, West Palace (1999)

14.Peter Chan -Hong Kong

Directing Timespan- 1991-present

Reference Films: He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994); Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996); Wu Xia (2011), Warlords (2007)

13. Stephen Chow - Hong Kong

Directing Timepsan : 1994-present

Reference Films: From Beijing with Love (1994); The God of Cookery (1996); King of Comedy (1999); Shaolin Soccer (2001); Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

12. Takashi Miike -Japan

Directing Timespan : 1991- present

Reference Films: Ichi the Killer (2001); Rainy Dog (1997); The Bird People in China (1998); 13 Assassins (2010)

11. Zhang Yimou -China

Directing Timespan : 1989-present

Reference Films: House of Flying Daggers (2004); Curse of the Golden Flower (2006); Raise The Red Lantern (1991); Red Sorghum (1989); Not One Less (1999)

10. Takeshi Kitano - Japan

Directing Timespan : 1989 - Present

Reference Films: Zatoichi (2003); Kikujiro (1999); Sono otoko, kyobo ni tsuki (1989)

9. Tsai Ming-liang - Malaysia/ Taiwan

Directing Timepsan: 1989- present

Reference Films: Vive L'amour (1994); What Time is It There? (2001); Goodbye, Dragon Inn(2003)

8. Park Chan-wook -South Korea

Directing Timespan : 1992-present

Reference Films: Oldboy (2003); Joint Security Area (2000); Sympathy for Mr Vengeance(2002); I'm a Cyborg , But That's Ok (2006), Thirst (2009)

7. Hou Hsaio-Hsien - Taiwan

Directing Timespan : 1980-present

Reference Films: Cafe Lumiere (2003); Three Times (2005); A City Of Sadness (1989); The Puppetmaster(1993)

6.Jia Zhangke -China

Directing Timespan : 1997-present

Reference Films: Still Life (2006); Platform (2000); The World (2004); 24 City (2008)

5. John Woo - Hong Kong

Directing Timespan : 1968- present

Reference Films: A Better Tomorrow (1986); The Killer (1989); Red Cliff (2008);Bullet in the Head (1990)

4.Wong Kar-Wai - Hong Kong

Directing Timespan : 1982-present

Reference Films: Chunking Express (1994), Happy Together (1996), In the Mood for Love (2000), 2046 (2004)

3. Apichatpong Weerasethakul - Thailand

Directing Timepsan: 1993-present

Reference Films: Tropical Malady (2004); Syndromes and a Century (2006); Blissfully Yours (2001)

2.Ang Lee- Taiwan

Directing Timespan: 1992- present

Reference Films: The Wedding Banquet (1993); Eat Drink Man Woman (1994);Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)

1. Hayao Miyazaki - Japan

Directing Timespan : 1979-present

Reference Films: My Neighbor Totoro(1988); Kiki's Delivery Service (1989); Princess Mononoke (1997); Spirited Away (2001); Howl's Moving Castle (2004)