May/June 2009

FILM COMMENT’S TRIVIAL TOP 20® (expanded to 40)): Best Directors Who Died Young (limited to those age 50 and under)

Votes cast by Geoff Andrew, Michael Chaiken, Chris Chang, Scott Foundas, J. Hoberman, Alexander Horwath, Kent Jones, Laura Kern, Nathan Lee, Olaf Möller, Jonathan Romney, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Gavin Smith, and Amy Taubin.

Since we’re sure to have overlooked plenty of gems, we invite you to send in your own lists. If we hear from enough of you we’ll publish a follow-up readers’ poll; if not, we’ll at least print the best ones received. Send your entries to by June 12.

1. F.W. Murnau (42)
2. Jean Vigo (29)
3. Sergei Eisenstein (50)
4. R.W. Fassbinder (36)
5. Maya Deren (44)
6. Jean Eustache (42)
7. Ritwik Ghatak (50)
8. Humphrey Jennings (43)
9. Glauber Rocha (42)
10. Hollis Frampton (48)
11. Barbara Loden (48)
12. Larisa Sheptiko (41)
13. Andrzej Munk (40)
14. Paul Sharits (50)
15. Thomas H. Ince (42)
16. Yilmaz Güney (47)
17. Seth Holt (48)
18. Fabián Bielinsky (47)
19. Ron Rice (29)
20. Michael Reeves (26)
21. Marlon Riggs (37)
22. Theo van Gogh (47)
23. Shuji Teryama (47)
24. Warren Sonbert (47)
25. Cristian Nemescu (27)
26. Barbara Rubin (35)
27. Cyril Collard (36)
28. Forough Farrokhzad (32)
29. Fei Mu (45)
30. Marjorie Keller (43)
31. Juan Pablo Rebella (32)
32. Vasili Shukshin (45)
33. Kent MacKenzie (50)
34. James Blue (49)
35. Antonio Pietrangeli (49)
36. Werner Hochbaum (47)
37. Artie Mitchell (45)
38. D’Urville Martin (45)
39. Michel Bena (41)
40. Kenneth Hawks (31)

© 2009 by The Film Society of Lincoln Center