Here are top 10 ‘director duos’ in film history
It is already tough work to be Madame or Monsieur Director. One has to take charge and lead a project while having the final say on all aspects: technical, financial and others. This can be messy when other authority figures enter the picture and clash with the director, such as a producer.
So it is fascinating to see two people not only collaborate but co-direct films in harmony. Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan co-directed the blockbuster ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ while Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund made the classic ‘City of God’. Both films were smash hits and award favorites. But these were one-offs as the pairs did not collaborate further on projects.
It is rather rare for a pair of filmmakers to regularly direct films as partners. So here are ten director duos who had a special creative bond which helped both individuals work together on films peacefully. Many of these examples shared works stretching over decades.
- Lilly and Lana Wachowski
Siblings Lilly and Lana Wachowski are the creators of one of the best known film franchises: ‘The Matrix’. Releasing three of the four films under their former names (Andy and Larry Wachowski), the siblings are widely loved for their creative vision. They grew up in a household where imagination was encouraged, and went to colleges known for their art programs. The Wachowskis also wrote for newspapers, made comic books and started a house-painting business before going into directing in the 1990s.
For the first ‘Matrix’ installment, the Wachowskis won four Academy Awards including Best Special Effects (which were revolutionary at the time) and shot Keanu Reeves to stardom. The film made the ‘bullet time’ special effect popular. Over time, the sci-fi classic came to be known for fuelling social commentaries including those on Late Capitalism and transgender issues. Lastly, the film birthed the Red Pill/Blue Pill terms which became infamously adopted by the incel community.
Apart from ‘The Matrix’, the Wachowskis also wrote and directed ‘Bound’, ‘Sense8’ and ‘Cloud Atlas’ (with Tom Tykwer), and wrote the screenplay for ‘V For Vendetta’.
- Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
The Daniels are known for their films ‘Swiss Army Man’ and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. Kwan and Scheinert met during their film programme at Emerson College, Boston. Kwan was from an animation background while Scheinert came from improv comedy. Initially, the two didn’t get along. But they soon became best friends and collaborators as they shared a love for wackiness and perversity.
Before feature-length films, the duo directed music videos for Foster the People, Tenacious D and DJ Snake. Their infamous music video for “Turn Down For What” went viral. But unsatisfied with short videos, the friends directed ‘Swiss Army Man’. The film follows Paul Dano who is marooned on an island. There, he befriends a corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) who can be maneuvered to accomplish tasks.
Not afraid of pushing the boundaries of weirdness, the Daniels then made ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. The Michelle Yeoh-starrer explored parallel universes and the meaning of life (or lack thereof). The Academy had seen nothing like this before! The chaotic movie bagged the Oscars for Best Film, Director, Screenplay and acting awards. And to think the Daniels have only begun their film journey…
- Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
British cinema is incomplete without recognizing Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, two best friends and mavericks. Fans of British classics will recall the rush they felt as the screen displayed an arrow shooting into a bull’s eye, and the text appeared: THE ARCHERS. Powell and Pressburger, known as the Archers, are the minds behind ‘The Red Shoes’ (1948), ‘Black Narcissus’ (1947), ‘The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp’ (1943) and many more. Technically, Powell was the director, while Pressburger mostly produced and came up with story ideas. But they shared credits because for them, these tasks were intertwined.
The two men complimented each other perfectly. Pressburger had a witty imagination; his eccentric stories outshone other contemporary movies. And Powell had a sharp eye with which he rendered his partner’s ideas with beauty.
They rose to fame during World War II when the British government commissioned them to make patriotic films. Pressburger, a Jewish-Hungarian, was the right choice to sensitively write these war stories. With his ‘outsider’ perspective, he approached the topic of British society with a curiosity and openness that felt fresh. After the War, the ‘Archers’ made lush Technicolor movies such as the ballet-themed ‘The Red Shoes’. The Archers’ films continue to charm audiences even today.
- Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
The husband-and-wife duo are known for their heartwarming movies which have struck a chord with audiences. These comedies include ‘Ruby Sparks’ starring Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, as well as ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ which struck gold at the box office. The latter has appeared in countless Top 10 lists for best family comedies, road movies and U.S. indie films of the 21st century.
Dayton and Faris made their biggest project yet with 2016’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’. The biographical sports film followed the historic tennis match between veteran Bobby Riggs and the younger Billie Jean King.
The directors met while Dayton was studying film at UCLA. Dayton and Faris’ strength was in adapting characters from scripts penned by others. These characters were flawed but endearing, painfully awkward but relatable. Toni Collette in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ plays a control-freak mom who secretly smokes. Steve Carrell portrays a gay man struggling with depression. Paul Dano is a teen who realizes his dreams to be a pilot are doomed. Although Carrell plays a chauvinistic man in ‘Battle of the Sexes’, Dayton and Faris provide his character with grace.
- Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Ryan Fleck was studying at NYU’s TISCH School of the Arts while Anna Boden was at Columbia University. But they only met later in California on the set of a student film and bonded over Robert Altman’s movies. Boden especially loved Altman because he made young Boden think of film as a medium. Soon after, Fleck and Boden began collaborating on short films and documentaries before making their feature-length debut with ‘Half Nelson’. Starring Ryan Gosling, the film followed a school teacher with drug addiction; the drama became a film festival favorite while Gosling was lauded for his performance.
After making ‘Mississippi Grind’, their big break came with ‘Captain Marvel’ (starring Brie Larson), Marvel’s superhero flick. Although its promotional campaign faced messy controversies, the film surprised everyone at release. It made over $1 billion at the global box office!
Contrary to popular belief, Fleck and Boden were never married. Although they dated years ago, they are good friends today and still collaborate on projects. Their films often mix indie flavors with crowd-pleasing entertainment.
- Josh and Benny Safdie
Joshua and Benjamin Safdie are brothers who grew up in Queens and Manhattan, New York. Even as children, the siblings made films thanks to the influence of their cinephile father. The brothers graduated from Boston University College of Communication. At this university, they founded a creative collective called Red Bucket Films and made films.
The Safdies are best known for ‘Uncut Gems’ and ‘Good Time’, two New York City-set films which have high-voltage action while retaining an independent quality. In ‘Good Time’ (with Robert Pattinson), the story focused on a young man from a criminal background who tries his best to do the right thing: be there for his family. Meanwhile in ‘Uncut Gems’ (with Adam Sandler), the Safdies explored themes of addiction and adrenaline induced by high-stakes betting.
- Auguste and Louis Lumière
The Lumière Brothers are two of the earliest filmmakers in history. Auguste and Louis Lumiere were born in 1862 and 1864, respectively, to their father Charles-Antoine. Charles-Antoine was a painter-turned-photographer and the sons were raised in a household filled with camera equipment. The brothers attended the technical school La Martiniere in Lyon.
Auguste and Louis’ interest in motion pictures bloomed while they were manufacturing photography equipment. They held what was probably the first projected film screening in March 1895 when they showcased films to 200 viewers in Paris. Later that year in December, for the first time, they commercially screened 10 short films. This day is acknowledged by many as the day cinema was born. Interestingly, their most famous short film, ‘Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat’, did not premiere on this day but the next year.
The Lumières were not only camera manufacturers but inventors of equipment like film perforations, an advanced 3-in-1 cinématographe and a color photography process called Lumière Autochrome.
The brothers continued making short films till 1905 before quitting the film business because for them, film was just a novelty. Little did they know their efforts in motion photography would result in a billion-dollar industry.
- Delphine and Muriel Coulin
Delphine and Mouriel Coulin are a rare pairing of sister directors. While Muriel loved cinema from the beginning, Delphine was more into literature and political science. Muriel worked as a camera assistant and director of photography in the 1990s, working on documentaries. Meanwhile, Delphine was a novelist who became in charge of the documentaries programme at TV channel Arte. Finally, the two sisters paired up and co-directed five short films, including ‘Sisyphe’ and ‘Souffle’.
They made their feature film debut in 2007 with ‘17 Girls’. Based on a true event that happened in Massachusetts, it followed seventeen French girls who shockingly make a pact to get pregnant together and start a commune where they raise their children. ‘17 Girls’ was praised in film festivals like Cannes.
The Coulins’ next movie was ‘The Stopover’. Starring pop singer Soko, it observed a group of French female soldiers in Afghanistan, who are sent to a beach hotel in Cyprus to undergo group therapy sessions. The drama, which examined PTSD, won Best Screenplay at the Un Certain Regard category.
The Coulins’ films are known to look at women (from various walks of life) and how their dynamics shift in a remote area far from society.
- Joel and Ethan Coen
The Coen Brothers often combine comedy with crime, like in ‘Fargo’ and ‘Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?’. They are much loved for their dark comedies like ‘Barton Fink’, ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘A Serious Man’. They’ve also made some of the boldest Westerns in the 21st century like ‘True Grit’, ‘No Country for Old Men’ and ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’.
Joel (b. 1954) and Ethan (b. 1957) Coen grew up in Minnesota where their father was an Economics professor and their mother was an art historian. The brothers grew up inspired by Tarzan movies, Italian films like those by Fellini, and comedies starring Jerry Lewis and Doris Day. Once Joel bought a Super 8 camera, the siblings made short films. These were either remakes of childhood favorites like ‘Lassie Come Home’ or original titles like ‘Henry Kissinger’.
The Coens’ films explore life in the American South and West, often looked at American identity. In ‘A Serious Man’, they went one step further and examined faith and American-Jewish identity.
- Skladanowsky brothers
Even earlier filmmakers than the Lumière Brothers were the Skladanowsky Brothers. Max and Emil Skladanowsky were German brothers who invented the Bioscop, an early film projector. They showcased short films on November 1, 1895 to audiences who paid to see them. This was exactly 57 days before the so-called ‘Birth of Cinema’ – the day the Lumières screened their motion pictures.
The brothers’ father Carl Skladanowsky was a glazier and performer who introduced his sons to photography. Max and Emil traveled around Europe with their father to showcase dissolving magic lanterns.
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In 1895, the Skladanowsky brothers were meant to showcase their film projections in Paris. This was the same time as the Lumière brothers’ film screenings. But because the Lumières’ camera quality was superior and not as complicated as the Skladanowskys’ equipment, and to avoid unnecessary competition, the Skladanowskys skipped Paris in their film tour.
Among the two brothers, the younger Max was more of the technician while Emil promoted their picture shows. The brothers’ short films often documented variety shows, historical re-enactments and Kinetoscope-inspired images.
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