You didn't ask for my recommendations, but I'll chime in anyway with my good intentions.
81. Jane Campion (1)
The Piano (1993)
Holy Smoke (1999)
Don't prioritize
Holy Smoke for now. Watch it waaaaaay after the ones I recommend. Trust me. It's one of her two worst films.
An Angel at My Table is a must-see for those exploring her filmography. While I'm no longer a big fan of
Sweetie, it's one of her three iconic films (
Sweetie,
Angel,
Piano). Personally rank the relatively forgotten and unknown, modest but great nonetheless
Two Friends over
The Piano. Holly Hunter is incredible in the latter, though, if that counts for something.
58. Yasujiro Ozu (0)
Late Spring (1949)
Tokyo Story (1953)
Floating Weeds (1959)
Easily available DVD-wise, I'd recommend
Early Summer,
Tokyo Story, and
Autumn Afternoon (the last one is for an Ozu color film to replace Floating Weeds). If you have access to
Record of a Tenement Gentleman, I'd recommend that as your first Ozu.
51. Jean-Pierre Melville (0)
Bob le flambeur (1956)
Le Samourai (1967)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
I'd swap out
Le Samourai for
Army of Shadows because I think those three crime films are a little similar. There's better variance with seeing Melville's group, code, and performance/job dynamics applied to the French Resistance and Occupied France. It's a flat-out masterpiece; for me, it's his best film. Personally, its color shades are some of my absolute favorite in all of cinema.
47. Jean Renoir (1)
A Day in the Country (1936)
The Rules of the Game (1939)
The River (1951)
I recommend sticking with prime Renoir which was in the 30s. I can't recall the Renoir you've seen, but I'd replace
Country and
River with
La Bete Humaine and either
La Chienne,
Boudu Saved from Drowning, or
The Grand Illusion. If you're intrigued by Renoir's belief that two carpenters from different countries have more in common than, I think, two men from the same town, pick
Illusion as one of your three.
37. Claire Denis (0)
Beau Travail (1999)
Friday Night (2002)
Replace
Beau Travail with
35 Shots of Rum, and make
Rum your first Denis. It's her warmest film, and lots of heart goes a long way, which isn't to say Denis' other films are misanthropic or clinical. Denis' slippery and elusive style of storytelling is one of my favorite characteristics of her movies, but in my experience they are obstacles for others.
Rum is probably her most straightforward "narrative," comparatively. But, it's still dreamy. *Swoon*