Richard Linklater

Known for: Boyhood (2014), the Before trilogy (1995–2013)

Richard Linklater made Slacker (1990) independently in Austin for under $25,000 and built a career on formal experiments with duration — Boyhood (2014), filmed over twelve years with the same cast, and the Before trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013), each a conversation in real time set nine years after the last. He has produced one of the most formally varied bodies of work in American independent cinema, encompassing animated films, studio comedies, and large-scale musicals.