Whether there is a Top Directors List this year I want to list some of the directors that would be on mine this year. I had a three good films minimum requirement to my decisions last year and I still think 3 films is a bare minimum, if you want to call a director great. A year's film-watching mean the following would now be in my top 100;
Ingmar Bergman for Wild Strawberries, Smiles of a Summer Night, Persona
Agnes Varda Cleo, Le bonheur, Beaches of Agnes
Atom Egoyan The Sweet Hereafter, Ararat, Felicia's Journey
Francois Truffaut Tirez sur le pianiste, 400 Blows, Last metro, Stolen Kisses, Love on the run, Pocket Money, Day for Night (would probably be top ten now)
Hal Ashby The Last Detail, Being There, Harold & Maude
Jack Clayton The Innocents, Room At The Top, The Pumpkin Eater
Jaques Becker Casque d'or, Le trou, Tocuhez pas au grisbi
Jules Dassin Naked City, Night & the City, Rififi
Luchino Visconti Rocco & his Brothers, The Leopard, Death In Venice
Luis Bunuel Viridiana, Belle de Jour, The Exterminating Angel
Michael Haneke Cache, White Ribbon, Funny Games
Mike Leigh Abigails Party, Naked, Secrets & Lies, vera Drake, Happy-go-lucky, Another Year (a Leigh year)
Sam Fuller Shock Corridor, Naked Kiss, Pickup, Forty Guns
Werner Herzog Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre, Cobra Verde (the obsession trilogy)
Wim Wenders Paris Texas, Wings of Desire, The American Friend, Hammett
with apologies to JC Mitchell whose Hedwig & Shortbus are terrific whereas Rabbit Hole is a smelly mess.