| Directors are ranked according to overall movie critic score |
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| 1 |  | Errol Morris |  2.8348
| 4 |
- 1980s - 1
- 1990s - 1
- 2000s - 2
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- 1. Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, The (2003)
- 2. Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999)
- 3. Thin Blue Line, The (1988)
- 4. Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
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| 2 |  | Thomas Riedelsheimer |  2.7450
| 4 |
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- 1. Rivers and Tides (2001)
- 2. Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (2002)
- 3. Touch the Sound (2004)
- 4. Touch the Sound (2005)
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| 3 |  | Martin Scorsese |  2.6939
| 31 |
- 1950s - 1
- 1960s - 1
- 1970s - 8
- 1980s - 5
- 1990s - 8
- 2000s - 8
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- 1. My Voyage to Italy (2001)
- 2. Last Waltz, The (1978)
- 3. Shine a Light (2008)
- 4. No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)
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| 4 |  | Kirby Dick |  2.6845
| 8 |
- 1980s - 2
- 1990s - 1
- 2000s - 5
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- 1. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
- 2. Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (1997)
- 3. Twist of Faith (2004)
- 4. Chain Camera (2001)
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| 5 |  | Steve James |  2.6628
| 8 |
- 1980s - 1
- 1990s - 4
- 2000s - 3
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- 1. Stevie (2002)
- 2. Hoop Dreams (1994)
- 3. Stevie (2003)
- 4. Reel Paradise (2005)
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| 6 |  | Jonathan Demme |  2.5211
| 25 |
- 1970s - 5
- 1980s - 7
- 1990s - 8
- 2000s - 5
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- 1. Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006)
- 2. Stop Making Sense (1984)
- 3. Agronomist, The (2003)
- 4. Jimmy Carter Man from Plains (2007)
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| 7 |  | Werner Herzog |  2.5022
| 38 |
- 1960s - 5
- 1970s - 11
- 1980s - 5
- 1990s - 7
- 2000s - 10
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- 1. Grizzly Man (2005)
- 2. Encounters at the End of the World (2008)
- 3. My Best Fiend -- Klaus Kinski (1999)
- 4. Wild Blue Yonder, The (2005)
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| 8 |  | D.A. Pennebaker |  2.4554
| 26 |
- 1950s - 2
- 1960s - 4
- 1970s - 5
- 1980s - 6
- 1990s - 4
- 2000s - 5
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- 1. Dont Look Back (1967)
- 2. War Room, The (1993)
- 3. Monterey Pop (1968)
- 4. Down from the Mountain (2000)
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| 9 |  | Chris Hegedus |  2.4451
| 18 |
- 1970s - 2
- 1980s - 5
- 1990s - 5
- 2000s - 6
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- 1. Startup.com (2001)
- 2. War Room, The (1993)
- 3. Down from the Mountain (2000)
- 4. Only the Strong Survive (2002)
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| 10 |  | Barbara Kopple |  2.3755
| 10 |
- 1970s - 1
- 1990s - 3
- 2000s - 6
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- 1. Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)
- 2. Shut Up & Sing (2006)
- 3. American Dream (1991)
- 4. My Generation (2000)
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| 11 |  | Doug Pray |  2.3087
| 10 |
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- 1. Scratch (2001)
- 2. Scratch (2002)
- 3. Hype! (1996)
- 4. Big Rig (2006)
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| 12 |  | James Marsh |  2.3075
| 2 |
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| 13 |  | Julien Temple |  2.2823
| 5 |
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- 1. Filth and the Fury, The (2000)
- 2. Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten (2007)
- 3. Glastonbury (2007)
- 4. Glastonbury (2006)
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| 14 |  | Mark Achbar |  2.2674
| 10 |
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- 1. Corporation, The (2003)
- 2. Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)
- 3. Corporation, The (2004)
- 4. Case Study: Cambodia and East Timor, A (1994)
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| 15 |  | David Maysles |  2.2542
| 9 |
- 1960s - 5
- 1970s - 3
- 1980s - 1
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- 1. Grey Gardens (1975)
- 2. Gimme Shelter (1970)
- 3. Salesman (1969)
- 4. Journey to Jerusalem, A (1968)
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| 16 |  | Rob Epstein |  2.2437
| 7 |
- 1970s - 1
- 1980s - 3
- 1990s - 2
- 2000s - 1
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- 1. Times of Harvey Milk, The (1984)
- 2. Celluloid Closet, The (1995)
- 3. Paragraph 175 (2000)
- 4. Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)
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| 17 |  | Nanette Burstein |  2.2130
| 3 |
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- 1. On the Ropes (1999)
- 2. Kid Stays In the Picture, The (2002)
- 3. American Teen (2008)
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| 18 |  | Michael Moore |  2.1783
| 2 |
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- 1. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
- 2. Sicko (2007)
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| 19 |  | Amy Berg |  2.1606
| 1 |
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- 1. Deliver Us From Evil (2006)
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| 20 |  | Orson Welles |  2.1554
| 20 |
- 1930s - 2
- 1940s - 5
- 1950s - 3
- 1960s - 4
- 1970s - 4
- 1980s - 1
- 1990s - 1
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| 21 |  | Jeffrey Blitz |  2.1539
| 3 |
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- 1. Spellbound (2002)
- 2. Spellbound (2003)
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| 22 |  | Jonathan Caouette |  2.1365
| 2 |
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- 1. Tarnation (2004)
- 2. Tarnation (2003)
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| 23 |  | Brett Morgen |  2.1338
| 5 |
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- 1. On the Ropes (1999)
- 2. Kid Stays In the Picture, The (2002)
- 3. Chicago 10 (2008)
- 4. Addiction, Inc. (2006)
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| 24 |  | Michel Debats |  2.1326
| 1 |
|
- 1. Winged Migration (2003)
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| 25 |  | Jacques Cluzaud |  2.1326
| 1 |
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- 1. Winged Migration (2003)
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| 26 |  | Jacques Perrin |  2.1326
| 3 |
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- 1. Winged Migration (2003)
- 2. Ocean, The (2008)
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| 27 |  | George Butler |  2.1272
| 5 |
- 1970s - 1
- 1980s - 2
- 2000s - 2
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- 1. Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry (2004)
- 2. Pumping Iron (1977)
- 3. Roving Mars (2006)
- 4. Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985)
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| 28 |  | Nick Broomfield |  2.1136
| 20 |
- 1970s - 4
- 1980s - 8
- 1990s - 5
- 2000s - 3
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- 1. Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)
- 2. Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992)
- 3. Biggie and Tupac (2002)
- 4. Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2004)
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| 29 |  | Judy Irving |  2.0919
| 3 |
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- 1. Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The (2003)
- 2. Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The (2005)
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| 30 |  | Margaret Brown |  2.0788
| 4 |
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- 1. Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2005)
- 2. Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004)
- 3. Order of Myths, The (2008)
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| 31 |  | Chris Smitih |  2.0597
| 1 |
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| 32 |  | Andrew Jarecki |  2.0470
| 2 |
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- 1. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
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| 33 |  | Sam Green |  2.0469
| 5 |
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- 1. Weather Underground, The (2002)
- 2. Weather Underground, The (2003)
- 3. Rainbow Man/John 3:16, The (1997)
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| 34 |  | Bill Siegel |  2.0469
| 2 |
|
- 1. Weather Underground, The (2002)
- 2. Weather Underground, The (2003)
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| 35 |  | Alex Gibney |  2.0409
| 3 |
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- 1. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
- 2. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008)
- 3. Taxi to the Dark Side (2008)
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| 36 |  | Alastair Fothergill |  2.0279
| 3 |
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- 1. Deep Blue (2003)
- 2. Deep Blue (2005)
- 3. Earth (2006)
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| 37 |  | Dana Adam Shapiro |  2.0182
| 2 |
|
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| 38 |  | Henry Alex Rubin |  2.0182
| 2 |
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- 1. Murderball (2005)
- 2. Who Is Henry Jaglom? (1997)
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| 39 |  | Felipe Lacerda |  2.0102
| 1 |
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| 40 |  | José Padilha |  2.0102
| 1 |
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| 41 |  | Luc Jacquet |  2.0048
| 3 |
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- 1. March of the Penguins (2005)
- 2. Des manchots et des hommes (2004)
- 3. Fox & the Child, The (2007)
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| 42 |  | Ross Kauffman |  1.9974
| 1 |
|
- 1. Born Into Brothels (2004)
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| 43 |  | Zana Briski |  1.9974
| 1 |
|
- 1. Born Into Brothels (2004)
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| 44 |  | Chris Smith |  1.9875
| 5 |
|
- 1. American Movie (1999)
- 2. Home Movie (2002)
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| 45 |  | Freida Lee Mock |  1.9813
| 5 |
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- 1. Return with Honor (1998)
- 2. Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner (2006)
- 3. Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994)
- 4. Bird by Bird with Annie (1999)
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| 46 |  | Byambasuren Davaa |  1.9735
| 4 |
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- 1. Story of the Weeping Camel, The (2004)
- 2. Cave of the Yellow Dog (2006)
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| 47 |  | Luigi Falorni |  1.9731
| 3 |
|
- 1. Story of the Weeping Camel, The (2004)
- 2. Fools and Heroes (1997)
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| 48 |  | James Cameron |  1.9700
| 13 |
- 1970s - 1
- 1980s - 4
- 1990s - 4
- 2000s - 4
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- 1. Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
- 2. Aliens of the Deep (2005)
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| 49 |  | Amir Bar-Lev |  1.9644
| 4 |
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- 1. My Kid Could Paint That (2007)
- 2. Fighter (2001)
- 3. Kid Protocol (2002)
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| 50 |  | Jim Fields |  1.9522
| 2 |
|
- 1. End of the Century (2003)
- 2. End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2004)
|