August is American Artists Appreciation Month, and what better opportunity is there to commemorate the great purveyors of Americana? These filmmakers are known for their contributions to the world of cinema, and between the lot of them, you could fill an entire library with their films, and it wouldn’t too shabby of a media collection either! Without further ado, here are a handful of the great American filmmakers working today.
Jordan Peele
Whether you first saw him on Comedy Central doing his hysterical Obama impression, or first saw his name at the top of the credits of 2017’s smash hit Get Out, Jordan Peele has made a name for himself in more ways than one. But ever since his 2017 directorial debut, many have been referring to him as the new King of Horror. Having just released his newest film Nope to critical and commercial success (the third such success in a row following Get Out and Us), Peele has certainly made a name for himself as, if nothing else, a surefire hitmaker. Nope is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
Francis Ford Coppola
This first name might give you pause if you’re familiar with his work; known for such American classics as The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola is responsible for some of the most revered films in the western canon. He’s been somewhat mum over the last few decades, having only released a handful of under-the-radar independent fare in the last 15 years. But he is still working: at the ripe age of 83, Coppola is currently working on what he’s described as his magnum opus, a star-studded blockbuster he’s wanted to make for the entirety of his career. That this story has been in his head since the production of The Godfather, despite a lack of interest from studios might explain why he’s using $100 million of his own money to finance the project. Keep your eyelids peeled for Megalopolis.
Greta Gerwig
Gerwig is no stranger to the auteur crowd, having once been married to indie darling Noah Baumbach and even famously starring in his black & white dance flick Frances Ha. But in 2017, Gerwig made a name for herself as a director with the premiere of the beloved Lady Bird, which was nominated for five Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director). Gerwig repeated this success in 2019 with her Little Women remake, which itself was nominated for Best Picture. And now, Gerwig will finally be entering the blockbuster world with her take on…. Barbie..? Many are somewhat confounded by Gerwig’s choice to do a Barbie film after seemingly taking a hard line down the auteur route, but with an all-star cast including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Will Ferrell, and with Gerwig’s credentials as a director, it’s hard to imagine how this film might fail. Barbie is set to hit theaters in July 2023.
This list could certainly go on & on, but for clearly much, much different reasons, these are three of some of the most interesting and successful American filmmakers working today. We hope this list gives you plenty of items to fill your watch list this August. Now Get Out of here!