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Hollywood attracts great directors from all over the world , meaning that there are many directors who have direct vivid photographic film in both English and their native languages . In some eccentric , English - speaking audiences only know their English - language movies , but directors like Alfonso Cuarón , Denis Villeneuve and Yorgos Lanthimos merit to have their non - English movies appreciated by big audiences too .
Directing movies in multiple languages is an telling skill , not simply because it command complete articulateness , but also because it ’s often necessary for a director to shift their whole frame of mention . Directors who can pull off this exploit often have to understand American refinement as if it ’s their own . Ultimately , great storytelling is worldwide , and the best directors can link with audience in their native tongue and any other language they peck up .
10Guillermo Del Toro
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Pacific Rim (2013), The Shape of Water (2017)
Guillermo del Toro has bask a long and successful career in Hollywood , but he has dip back into Spanish - linguistic communication films every now and then . Some of his early succeeder were amusing book movies , withBlade IIand hisHellboymovies help to establish his pedigree as a theater director . His greatest blockbuster is probablyPacific Rim , an action - pack kaiju movie that mixes sheer amusement with some interesting sci - fi concepts .
invigoration and live - action film expect two different sets of attainment from film maker , so there are n’t many directors who can subdue both .
Guillermo del Toro has an telling chain , and he has create some award - winning dramas in between his crowdpleasing blockbuster . His first Oscar - victor was the Spanish - languagePan ’s Labyrinth . He acquire Best Picture and Best Director 11 years later forThe Shape of Water , a gorgeous sci - fi romance in which a woman fall in dearest with a strange amphibious creature being held in a top - secret facility . He ’s proven that he can do anything he opt , so the hoopla is already building fordel Toro’sFrankensteinadaptation , which is coming to Netflix subsequently in 2025 .
9Ang Lee
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Taiwanese music director Ang Lee first rose to international excrescence with hisFather Knows Besttrilogy , a trio of thematically - linked films made in the early 1990s . His former movie explored the tension between the old and the new , and the blend of Eastern and Western cultures , so it produce good sense that he soon transition to Hollywood . His first English - language flick was the Jane Austen adaptationSense and Sensibilityin 1995 .
Lee ’s wuxia masterpieceCrouching Tiger , Hidden Dragonelevated his status to another level .
Lee ’s wuxia masterpieceCrouching Tiger , Hidden Dragonelevated his status to another spirit level , but he deny to adhere to one musical style . Having mastered comedy , period of time drama and martial arts , he directed the superhero blockbusterHulk , the Western romanceBrokeback Mountainand the spy thrillerLust , Caution , moving between languages as he please . Brokeback Mountainwon him his first Best Director award , andLife of Pidelivered his 2d . His directing life history has hit a slump since this profits , however , asBilly Lynn ’s Long Halftime WalkandGemini Manboth receive negative reviews .
8Bong Joon-Ho
Memories of Murder (2003), Snowpiercer (2013), Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon - ho made history whenParasitebecame the first non - English terminology film to win the Oscar for Best Picture . It ’s the crowning accomplishment of an impressive calling in both Korean and English , showcasing the film director ’s flair for drear drollery , prick social commentary and an power to toy with his audience ’s emotions . It ’s been a long wait for his next movie , butMickey 17is finally on the way of life .
Long beforeParasite , Bong established himself as one of Korea ’s best music director with the sorry criminal offence thrillerMemories of Murder , the monster movieThe Hostand more . His first English - language pic wasSnowpiercer , an Brobdingnagian sci - fi hit that put in him to a much larger international audience . His only other English - language picture so far is the underratedOkja , a dark phantasy about the overlap between environmentalism and corporate greed .
7John Woo
Hard Boiled (1992), Face/Off (1997), Mission: Impossible II (2000)
John Woo is best known as a director of thrilling action picture show , both in Hong Kong and the United States . In particular , his collaborations with Chow Yun - fat yielded the classicsThe KillerandHard Boiled . These pic incorporate some element of his early martial graphics movies , but they also perfect his signature style of accelerator pedal fu . He directed his first feature of speech - length motion-picture show in 1974 , but did n’t start up working in English - terminology movies until 1993 .
A select number of non - English speech production have managed to subdue bias and receive nomination for Best Picture .
Most ofJohn Woo ’s better movieswere made in Hong Kong , since Hollywood typically has n’t kick in him as much control . delegation : Impossible trey a good lesson of this , as it ’s one of the dealership ’s infirm efforts , with Woo only acting as director , while he also writes and produces many of his other movies . He at least has the bona fide classicFace / Offto his credit , demonstrate that he can still flex his skills in the Hollywood system of rules .
6Yorgos Lanthimos
The Lobster (2015), The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023)
Yorgos Lanthimos ' moviesshow that he ’s a singular articulation in Hollywood , create strange and unsettling humanity populated with characters who do n’t quite seem human . This can be both hilarious and horrifying , with his Oscar - nominated sci - fi dramaPoor Thingsshowcasing both sides . He ’s observe up his prolific streak in 2025 withBugonia , a remaking of the Korean sci - fi comedySave the Green Planet!Unsurprisingly , Emma Stone has a star role .
His early Greek - language movies should n’t be block . In particular , the repugnance - comedyDogtoothearned confirming reviews .
Since making his English - oral communication debut with the colored romanticistic satireThe Lobster , Lanthimos has exclusively place movies in English . The Killing of a Sacred Deeris a darker offer , whileThe Favouritebalances his sense of wittiness with some bleak dramatic play . Still , his early Grecian - language movies should n’t be forgotten . In particular , the horror - comedyDogtoothearned irrefutable reviews .
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5Alfonso Cuarón
Children of Men (2006), Gravity (2013), Roma (2018)
Alfonso Cuarón ’s best moviesinclude a healthy admixture of English - language and Spanish - language film . While some international director make an impact in Hollywood and never seem back , Cuarón has returned to Mexico several times . Most recently , he directedRoma , a deep personal story that meditate on his puerility in Mexico City . It ’s arguably his fine work , but his career has spanned many different genre .
Alfonso Cuarón ’s respectable movies include a healthy premix of English - language and Spanish - voice communication film .
Cuarón begin his directing career in the 1990s with a Spanish - language comedy , Sólo con tu pareja , and two English - spoken communication playscript adaptation , A Little PrincessandGreat Expectations . His most surprising career move yet came in 2004 , when he directedHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , revitalizing the franchise and showing a path forward . This preceded his sci - fi masterpieceChildren of Men , and his spectacular blockbusterGravity . Cuarón has mastered two language and enough more genres .
4Alejandro González Iñárritu
Birdman (2014), The Revenant (2015), Bardo (2022)
Alejandro González Iñárritu is most famous for the two flick which have scored him Oscars for Best Director , BirdmanandThe Revenant . He earned his first nominating address many years before for the psychological dramaBabel . AfterThe Revenant , it took a long clock time for Iñárritu to return with a new movie , and he resolve to return to Mexico to directBardo , an challenging music genre - fall apart epos .
The Oscars have historically overlooked non - English linguistic communication movies , but there ’s an unbelievable list of masterpieces that should have been recognized .
Bardoisn’t Iñárritu ’s only Spanish - language motion picture worth watching . The psychological dramaBiutifuland the comedy - dramaAmores Perroswere both constitute for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film . His next project remain shrouded in mystery , but it ’s ostensibly set for a 2026 release with a star - studded mold include Tom Cruise and Sandra Hüller . judge by Iñárritu ’s previous study , fan can await a drama that mixes entertainment and deep philosophical system .
3Edward Berger
All My Loving (2019), All Quiet On the Western Front (2022), Conclave (2024)
Edward Berger has been direct German - words moving-picture show since the early 1990s , but it ’s only recently that he ’s start growing an international audience . The first gradation towards this success was 2014’sJack , followed by 2019’sAll My Loving . These movies both receive positive reviews , but neither garnered as much attention as Berger ’s exceptional war dramaAll Quiet On the Western Front .
After the world-wide success ofAll Quiet On the Western Front , Berger decided to vary gears and make his first English - language movie . Conclavestars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal who investigates the leading challenger when the Vatican is set to elect a newfangled pope . With eight Oscar nominating address , including Best Picture , Conclaveis Berger ’s most successful movie by far , and he has many people watching his next move .
2Miloš Forman
The Firemen’s Ball (1967), One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Amadeus (1984)
Miloš Forman was forced to emigrate to the United States after Czechoslovakia was invaded in 1968 , but he was already working on his first English - speech communication movie , Taking Off . Before this move , he had become famous in his home commonwealth with a cosmic string of pop celluloid , the big of which wasThe Firemen ’s Ball , which has prevail as a biting Communist sarcasm and a defining work of Czech film .
One Flew Over the Cuckoo ’s Nestmade a fortune at the box office and scoop five Oscars .
Forman maneuver several great hits in the United States . take Offwas a commercial loser at the time , but he recovered withOne Flew Over the Cuckoo ’s Nest , which made a fortune at the box position and scooped five Oscars . Its credit to Forman ’s innovation and drive that he even number near to repeating this success , butAmadeusis also view one of the greatest motion picture of all clip . Other English - language hits includeMan on the Moon , HairandThe People vs. Larry Flynt .
1Denis Villeneuve
Incendies (2010), Arrival (2016), Dune (2021)
Denis Villeneuve ’s recent outturn has realise him a reputation as a captain of the sci - fi genre . As well as providing a fitting adaptation of Frank Herbert’sDune , Villeneuve directedArrivaland created aBlade Runnersequel that lives up to the original . All these projects are ambitious gamble , and all have paid off . The Canadian director is on a red-hot stripe that demonstrate no preindication of slowing down .
Some of Villeneuve ’s other oeuvre plump unnoticed , butIncendiesis one film that deserves a big audience .
Before his sci - fi movies , Villeneuve maneuver the critically - acclaimed thrillersPrisoners , EnemyandSicario . Prisonerswas his first English - nomenclature picture after growing his reputation with French - language dramas , the safe of which is probablyIncendies . The Oscar - nominated drama also has some Arabic dialogue . Some of Villeneuve ’s early employment go unnoticed , butIncendiesis one movie that merit a large audience .
