Hollywood attracts great directors from all over the world, meaning that there are many directors who have directed brilliant films in both English and their native languages. In some cases, English-speaking audiences only know their English-language movies, but directors like Alfonso Cuarón, Denis Villeneuve and Yorgos Lanthimos deserve to have their non-English movies appreciated by large audiences too.
Directing movies in multiple languages is an impressive skill, not simply because it requires complete fluency, but also because it’s often necessary for a director to shift their whole frame of reference. Directors who can pull off this feat often have to understand American culture as if it’s their own. Ultimately, great storytelling is universal, and the best directors can connect with audiences in their native tongue and any other language they pick up.
10Guillermo Del Toro
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Pacific Rim (2013), The Shape of Water (2017)
Guillermo del Toro has enjoyed a long and successful career in Hollywood, but he has dipped back into Spanish-language films every now and then. Some of his early successes were comic book movies, withBlade IIand hisHellboymovies helping to establish his pedigree as a director. His greatest blockbuster is probablyPacific Rim,an action-packed kaiju movie that mixes sheer entertainment with some interesting sci-fi concepts.
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Guillermo del Toro has an impressive range, and he has created some award-winning dramas in between his crowdpleasing blockbusters. His first Oscar-winner was the Spanish-languagePan’s Labyrinth.He won Best Picture and Best Director 11 years later forThe Shape of Water,a gorgeous sci-fi romance in which a woman falls in love with a strange amphibian creature being held in a top-secret facility. He’s proven that he can do anything he chooses, so the hype is already building fordel Toro’sFrankensteinadaptation, which is coming to Netflix later in 2025.
9Ang Lee
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Taiwanese director Ang Lee first rose to international prominence with hisFather Knows Besttrilogy, a trio of thematically-linked films made in the early 1990s. His early movies explored the tension between the old and the new, and the blending of Eastern and Western cultures, so it makes sense that he soon transitioned to Hollywood. His first English-language movie 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 level, but he refused to stick to one genre. Having mastered comedy, period drama and martial arts, he directed the superhero blockbusterHulk,the Western romanceBrokeback Mountainand the spy thrillerLust, Caution,moving between languages as he pleased.Brokeback Mountainwon him his first Best Director award, andLife of Pidelivered his second.His directing career has hit a slump since this win, however, asBilly Lynn’s Long Halftime WalkandGemini Manboth received negative reviews.
8Bong Joon-Ho
Memories of Murder (2003), Snowpiercer (2013), Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-ho made history whenParasitebecame the first non-English language movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture. It’s the crowning achievement of an impressive career in both Korean and English, showcasing the director’s flair for dark comedy, biting social commentary and an ability to toy with his audience’s emotions. It’s been a long wait for his next movie, butMickey 17is finally on the way.
Long beforeParasite,Bong established himself as one of Korea’s best directors with the dark crime thrillerMemories of Murder,the monster movieThe Hostand more. His first English-language movie wasSnowpiercer,an immense sci-fi hit that introduced him to a much larger international audience. His only other English-language movie so far is the underratedOkja,a dark fantasy about the intersection 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 movies, both in Hong Kong and the United States. In particular, his collaborations with Chow Yun-fat yielded the classicsThe KillerandHard Boiled.These movies incorporated some elements of his early martial arts movies, but they also honed his signature style of gun fu. He directed his first feature-length movie in 1974, but didn’t start working in English-language movies until 1993.
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Most ofJohn Woo’s best movieswere made in Hong Kong, since Hollywood typically hasn’t given him as much control.Mission: Impossible IIis a good example of this, as it’s one of the franchise’s weaker 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, showing that he can still flex his skills in the Hollywood system.
6Yorgos Lanthimos
The Lobster (2015), The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023)
Yorgos Lanthimos' moviesshow that he’s a singular voice in Hollywood, creating strange and unsettling worlds populated with characters who don’t quite seem human. This can be both hilarious and horrifying, with his Oscar-nominated sci-fi dramaPoor Thingsshowcasing both sides.He’s keeping up his prolific streak in 2025 withBugonia,a remake of the Korean sci-fi comedySave the Green Planet!Unsurprisingly, Emma Stone has a starring role.
His early Greek-language movies shouldn’t be forgotten. In particular, the horror-comedyDogtoothearned positive reviews.
Since making his English-language debut with the dark romantic satireThe Lobster,Lanthimos has exclusively directed movies in English.The Killing of a Sacred Deeris a darker offering, whileThe Favouritebalances his sense of humor with some bleak drama. Still, his early Greek-language movies shouldn’t be forgotten. In particular, the horror-comedyDogtoothearned positive reviews.
5Alfonso Cuarón
Children of Men (2006), Gravity (2013), Roma (2018)
Alfonso Cuarón’s best moviesinclude a healthy mix of English-language and Spanish-language films. While some international directors make an impact in Hollywood and never look back, Cuarón has returned to Mexico several times. Most recently, he directedRoma,a deeply personal story that reflects on his childhood in Mexico City. It’s arguably his finest work, but his career has spanned many different genres.
Alfonso Cuarón’s best movies include a healthy mix of English-language and Spanish-language films.
Cuarón started his directing career in the 1990s with a Spanish-language comedy,Sólo con tu pareja,and two English-language book adaptations,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 languages and plenty more genres.
4Alejandro González Iñárritu
Birdman (2014), The Revenant (2015), Bardo (2022)
Alejandro González Iñárritu is most famous for the two movies which have scored him Oscars for Best Director,BirdmanandThe Revenant.He earned his first nomination many years earlier for the psychological dramaBabel.AfterThe Revenant,it took a long time for Iñárritu to return with a new movie, and he decided to return to Mexico to directBardo,an ambitious genre-busting epic.
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Bardoisn’t Iñárritu’s only Spanish-language movie worth watching. The psychological dramaBiutifuland the comedy-dramaAmores Perroswere both nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.His next project remains shrouded in mystery, but it’s seemingly set for a 2026 release with a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise and Sandra Hüller. Judging by Iñárritu’s previous work, fans can expect a drama that mixes entertainment and deep philosophy.
3Edward Berger
All My Loving (2019), All Quiet On the Western Front (2022), Conclave (2024)
Edward Berger has been directing German-language films since the early 1990s, but it’s only recently that he’s started growing an international audience. The first step towards this success was 2014’sJack,followed by 2019’sAll My Loving.These movies both received positive reviews, but neither garnered as much attention as Berger’s exceptional war dramaAll Quiet On the Western Front.
After the global success ofAll Quiet On the Western Front,Berger decided to change gears and make his first English-language movie.Conclavestars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal who investigates the leading contenders when the Vatican is set to elect a new pope. With eight Oscar nominations, 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-language movie,Taking Off.Before this move, he had become famous in his home country with a string of popular films, the biggest of which wasThe Firemen’s Ball,which has endured as a biting Communist satire and a defining work of Czech cinema.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestmade a fortune at the box office and scooped five Oscars.
Forman directed several big hits in the United States.Taking Offwas a commercial failure at the time, but he recovered withOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,which made a fortune at the box office and scooped five Oscars. Its credit to Forman’s innovation and drive that he even came close to repeating this success, butAmadeusis also considered one of the greatest movies of all time. 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 output has earned him a reputation as a master 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 gambles, and all have paid off. The Canadian director is on a hot streak that shows no signs of slowing down.
Some of Villeneuve’s early work goes unnoticed, butIncendiesis one movie that deserves a big audience.
Before his sci-fi movies, Villeneuve directed the critically-acclaimed thrillersPrisoners, EnemyandSicario.Prisonerswas his first English-language movie after growing his reputation with French-language dramas, the best of which is probablyIncendies.The Oscar-nominated drama also has some Arabic dialogue. Some of Villeneuve’s early work goes unnoticed, butIncendiesis one movie that deserves a big audience.
