Top Young Directors My favorite aspect of documentaries has always been, and always will be, knowing most of its directors are relatively new. This means, there is a high risk, high reward quality to documentary filmmaking that is truly unique to the genre. Admittedly, many films will miss the mark, but the few directors who are talented and innovative enough to survive the process show a level of creativity unmatched anywhere else. So who are the young talents of today? Who makes keeps me entertained when so many others fail? Well, below you’ll see a list of my top five new directors. The two rules I followed are: they must have made their first film within the past five years and have only since made one additional work. With that in mind, here’s the list. 1) Jason Kohn (Manda Bala)- Errol Morris may very well be one of my favorite documentary directors of all time and to see his mastery refined and perfected by the young and talented Jason Kohn keeps me excited about the future of the documentary genre. His filmmaking is on a completely different level then any other director on this list. Like a great literary piece, every frame of his first feature film has layers of subtle meaning and beauty. 2) Eric Steele (The Bridge)- Every time I think of Steele’s first directorial debut, I get chills. Though he boldly films actual suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge, this Hollywood producer never lets his film be about mere shock factor. Instead, he carefully explores suicide on a level I believe has never been broached by the mainstream public. The final product is heartfelt, sincere and never judgmental. Yes, it is controversial and definitely not a film for the weak of heart, but there are few films that will totally change your perspective on life and death like this one. 3) Marshall Curry (Street Fight)- Curry’s only mistake with his directorial debut was making it the same year as March of the Penguins, Murderball and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Though his Academy Award nomination is certainly impressive, if he had only waited a year he probably could have beat out An Inconvenient Truth. Curry not only has a passion for his craft, he also shows foresight and an ability to catch onto a major story well before the major press knows what’s going on. I eagerly look forward to his next film, Racing Dreams, which is set to release later this year. 4) Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight)- In his first attempt ever at filmmaking Ferguson receives an Oscar nomination; not a bad first ‘at bat’ for the former internet software pioneer. Unlike most political activists, Ferguson shows patience and restraint as he methodically works through the necessary data and interviews to prove his argument. But don’t let that fool you, his film is anything but boring- combining great pacing with some excellent graphics and visuals. Though Ferguson is new to filmmaking, he’s clearly studied the craft. 5) Kim Gatewood and Negin Farsad (Nerdcore Rising)- Sure the camerawork was crap, but the editing by these two young comedians is so creative and original you can’t help but think they are truly special. And I’m not joking about their comedian status, a quick Google search directs you to websites with some pretty funny moments. Both sound like they want to continue film and I hope so, because Nerdcore Rising was easily one of the most underrated documentaries of last year.