His film 12 Years a Slave became an Oscar favorite with its mix of emotional intensity and deeper messages, and now director Steve McQueen may be Hollywood’s next big thing. But he isn’t the only young filmmaker shaking up Tinseltown.
In his debut documentary, Blood Brother, Hoover tells the story of an American who moves to an orphanage in India to help children infected with HIV. The film won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
Jay and Mark Duplass, the brothers behind indie features including Cyrus, Jeff Who Lives at Home and The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, have developed a style resulting in films that tell small stories but pack a big heart.
The 31-year-old director’s first film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, became a sleeper hit, taking home the Caméra d’Or prize at Cannes and garnering a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.
She recently shot into national prominence for her film Blackfish, depicting the conditions of killer whales at Seaworld, but Cowperthwaite has several films under her belt, including documentaries for networks such as ESPN, Animal Planet and Discovery.
After Peter Jackson saw a reel of Blomkamp’s work, he offered to produce his first feature film, District 9. The now 34-year-old has developed a reputation for making unique sci-fi epics with deep messages of social consciousness.
