BY: Amanda Jane Stern

PROVOKR has rounded up a list of ten influential, diverse directors and their must-watch movies.

Park Chan-wook

Film: The Handmaiden (2016)

Premise: Set in Japanese-occupied Korea, a Korean conman (Ha Jung-woo) hires a pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) to pose as the handmaiden for a Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee), in an elaborate plot to steal her money. Things take a turn when the two women fall in love and decide to devise a plan of their own. Twists and turns abound in this South Korean film.

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Lee Daniels

Film: Precious (2009)

Premise: Set in 1987 in Harlem, 16-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is constantly beaten at home by her mother (Mo’Nique) and sexually abused by her father. Now pregnant for the second time, she gets the chance to turn her life around when she is given the opportunity to transfer to a new, alternative school.

Where to Watch: Hulu

Ava DuVernay

Film: Selma (2014)

Premise: This biographical drama is about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s (David Oyelowo) march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery. This historical protest led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ava DuVernay became the first Black woman to be nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Director for this movie.

Where to Watch: Google Play

Bong Joon-ho

Film: Parasite (2019)

Premise: A class struggle between the haves and the have-nots. This tragi-comedy follows the delicate, symbiotic relationship between the ultra-wealthy Park family and the impoverished Kim family. This South Korean movie is the first Korean film to be nominated and win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Where to Watch: Hulu

Ang Lee

Film: The Wedding Banquet (1993)

Premise: Before he made Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee made this romantic comedy about NYC gay couple Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) and Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein). To appease his nagging parents, Wai-Tung arranges a sham marriage with his tenant Wei-Wei (May Chin), so he can remain in the closet. However, things get complicated when his parents arrive from Taiwan for a long visit.

Where to Watch: Vudu

Spike Lee

Film: Do The Right Thing (1989)

Premise: This Spike Lee classic takes place in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. It follows the racial tensions between White pizzeria owner Sal (Danny Aiello), his sons and the people of color in the mostly Black and Hispanic community that erupt on the hottest day of the year.

Where to Watch: Rent on Amazon

Jordan Peele

Film: Get Out (2017)

Premise: This Academy Award winner for Best Screenplay follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young Black man who goes to spend a weekend away with his White girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), and her family. As the weekend progresses, tensions between Chris and Rose’s seemingly liberal family reach a boiling point.

Where to Watch: Rent on Amazon

Kimberly Peirce

Film: Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

Premise: This biographical drama follows a young transgender man Brandon Teena (Hillary Swank), settling down in a new Nebraska town. When he falls for aspiring singer Lana (Chloë Sevigny), things seem to be looking up, until Lana’s ex-convict buddies, John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom (Brendan Sexton III) learn Brandon’s truth.

Where to Watch: Hulu

Lana and Lilly Wachowski

Film: The Matrix (1999)

Premise: This sci-fi classic follows Neo (Keanu Reeves), a computer hacker who learns that what he thought was reality, is actually a simulation. Once awakened to the real world, a ravaged wasteland, he goes on a quest to destroy the simulation. Over the years this film has come to be seen as an analogy for being transgender.

Where to Watch: Netflix

Lulu Wang

Film: The Farewell (2019)

Premise: This movie, which is based on a true story, stars Awkwafina as Billi who returns with her family to China under the guise of a fake wedding to say goodbye to the family matriarch. She only has a few weeks to live. There’s just one thing, no one has informed the grandmother that she is dying and everyone is afraid Billi won’t be able to keep the secret.

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime