Entertainment

Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch for 2026: Kristen Stewart, Harry Lighton and Dave Green Among Honorees

December 4, 2025

Dec 4, 2025 12:45pm PT Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch for 2026: Kristen Stewart, Harry Lighton and Dave Green Among Honorees By Peter Debruge Plus Icon Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic askdebruge Latest ‘Marty Supreme’ Review: Timothée Chalamet Sure Plays a Mean Ping-Pong in a Role of Singularly Enervating Intensity 3 days ago ‘Zootopia 2’ Review: Where Disney’s Critter-Driven Cartoon Favored Mammals, Its Reptile-Inclusive Sequel Tips the Scales 1 week ago ‘Paranormal Activity’ Review: Only Nominally Related to the Blumhouse Horror Franchise, Haunted-House Show Ditches Hidden Cameras for Live Scares 2 weeks ago See All Last year, when Sean Baker’s “Anora” won both the Palme d’Or at Cannes — followed by best picture at the Oscars — those honors reinforced what Variety had been saying a decade earlier, when the filmmaker appeared on the publication’s 10 Directors to Watch list, before “Tangerine” had even premiered at Sundance. The same goes for Chloé Zhao, winner of the audience prize at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival for “Hamnet,” who was selected for her earlier film “The Rider.” Related Stories 'The Rookie' Spinoff Gets ABC Pilot Order, Jay Ellis Set for Lead Role Jimmy Kimmel to Receive President's Award at 63rd Annual ICG Publicists Awards Those names join the likes of Christopher Nolan, Coralie Fargeat, Jonathan Glazer, Ruben Östlund, Wes Anderson, Alfonso Cuarón, Steve McQueen and Benh Zeitlin, who were all named “directors to watch” by Variety far in advance of being nominated for best director at the Academy Awards. Not that the distinction is reserved only for awards contenders.

Kristen Stewart directing The Chronology of Water

Credit: Variety

Key Highlights

The aim is to represent the incredible range of up-and-coming talent in all respects, encompassing a wide range of budgets, genres and identities.
Popular on Variety On this year’s list, you’ll find a mix of American-made and international directors, including two with films submitted to the Oscar international feature category (“My Father’s Shadow” and “Happy Birthday”), a handful of festival-friendly independent films world premiering in 2026 (“If I Go,” “Josephine” and “Run Amok”) and three stellar debuts from the Cannes Film Festival, where actress Kristen Stewart premiered her first feature behind the camera, “The Chronology of Water.” The 10 Directors to Watch are the following: Akinola Davies (“My Father’s Shadow”) Beth de Araujo (“Josephine”) Jan-Ole Gerster (“Islands”) Sarah Goher (“Happy Birthday”) Dave Green (“Coyote vs.
Acme”) Chandler Levack (“Mile End Kicks”) Harry Lighton (“Pillion”) Nitzan Mager (“Run Amok”) Kristen Stewart (“The Chronology of Water”) Walter Thompson Hernandez (“If I Go”) Variety’s 10 to Watch series spotlights emerging writers, actors, producers, directors, comics and cinematographers.
Each of these lists is curated by a team of Variety editors, critics and reporters.
The directors selected for this year’s list will be honored at a brunch event on Jan.

News 10 Directors to Watch Kristen Stewart

Sources

Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch for 2026: Kristen Stewart, Harry Lighton and Dave Green Among Honorees

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch for 2026: Kristen Stewart, Harry Lighton and Dave Green Among Honorees

Key Highlights

Sources

Related Stories

Radford Lot to Be Turned Over to Lenders After Hackman Defaults (Report)

Oscar-Shortlisted ‘All The Empty Rooms’ Shows The Spaces Left Behind By School Shootings

Chris Noth Explains Replying to ‘F— Sarah Jessica Parker’ Comment Amid Rumored Feud: ‘Off-the-Cuff, Slightly Sarcastic Response’