BY DIRECTOR: M

Born in Glasgow in 1967, Kevin MacDonald gained recognition in the early 2000s for his cinematic take on the documentary form, winning an Academy Award for 'One Day in September' in 2000, and the BAFTA for Best Film for 'Touching the Void' in 2003. He is also known for 'The Last King of Scotland' (2006) and 'State of Play' (2009). MacDonald is the grandson of Emeric Pressburger, of the legendary filmmaking duo Pressburger and Powell.

Kleber Mendonça Filho was born in 1968 in Recife, Brazil. He graduated in journalism and has worked as a film critic and also as a film programmer in Recife's top alternative cinema. Over the last decade, his short films have won over 100 awards in Brazil and abroad. 'Neighbouring Sounds' (2012) is his first fiction feature.

Roger Michell was born in South Africa in 1956. He attended Cambridge University, and graduated in 1977. He moved to London and began an apprenticeship at the Royal Court Theatre and was an assistant director to famous playwrights such as Samuel Beckett. Michell moved onto to directing many award-winning TV series and films before directing 'Notting Hill' (1999), the highest grossing British film of all time.

Born in 1960 near Osaka, Japan, Takashi Miike is a highly prolific director who has more than 80 films to his name since making his directorial debut in the early 90s. Although his films are often associated with black humour, inventive violence and audacious style, Miike has shown his versatility in other genres by making children's dramas and a horror musical. His landmark films include 'Ichi the Killer' (2001) and '13 Assassins' (2010).

Since 1999, Yves Montmayeur has directed documentaries about films which are regularly screened at international festivals, with a predilection for Asian cinema and directors from countries such as Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. Yves has also made portraits of eccentric authors and unusual personalities: Michael Haneke, cinematographer Christopher Doyle and Italian actress-director, Asia Argento.

Nanni Moretti, born in 1953, is an Italian director, screenwriter and actor, best known for directing 'Dear Diary' (1993), which was followed in 1998 by a sequel 'Aprile'. His 2001 film 'The Son's Room' won the Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Moretti is also an avid water polo player, and an outspoken political leftist.

His winning the Palme d’Or cemented the position of the Romanian New Wave on the landscape of world cinema. But a glance at the filmmaker’s acclaimed features highlights the tenuousness grouping one generation of filmmakers together. After a series of successful shorts and the solid feature 'Occident' (2002), '4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days' (2007) revealed the breadth of Cristian Mungiu’s talent. An extraordinary drama that runs the gamut from tense, thriller-like scenes to biting satire, the film’s strength nevertheless lies in its profound humanity. This was further explored in 'Beyond the Hills' (2012), which won Mungiu the Best Screenplay award at Cannes and saw its two leads (Cristina Flutur) and (Cosmina Stratan) share the Best Actress prize. They play two friends from childhood whose shared traumas are relived through the strict rules of a convent one of them lives in and to which the other seeks refuge. It is a startling and powerful indictment of religious hypocrisy. 'Graduation' (2017), which was awarded the Best Director prize at Cannes in 2016, returns to a more familiar territory explored by other Romanian New Wave directors – the insidiousness of the behaviour amongst members of the ruling class. Once again, Mungiu’s eye captures the nuances of human dynamics and his wry humour is never far away.