(Credits: Far Out / MUBI / Katheleen Collins)
Fri 8 August 2025 21:15, UK
Not every filmmaker has managed to endure as a well-known figure, even if they’ve made some genuinely impressive works of art.
The reality is, with so many directors in the world, the ones who make big, glossy blockbusters tend to be much better remembered than those who make indie movies with significantly less financial backing. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but it’s not surprising that many directors who emerged in the 1980s, a time when big-budget movies were dominating more than ever before, have faded into obscurity.
Female directors were still few and far between in the 1980s, although that began to change as the decade went on. Still, various important contributions to cinema were made by female filmmakers during this time, such as Kathleen Collins, who became the first Black American woman to make a feature-length film. Despite this, her legacy has largely been forgotten, and she deserves to be remembered.
So, from revolutionary female filmmakers to British directors who never broke through, here are five great directors from the 1980s you’ve likely never heard of.
The five best unknown directors of the 1980s:
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