Wong Kar-wai

Known for: In the Mood for Love (2000), Chungking Express (1994)

Wong Kar-wai has directed nine feature films since 1988, each built around the textures of memory, longing, and time passing in Hong Kong. In the Mood for Love (2000) — a formally precise account of an unconsummated attraction between neighbors — is among the most admired films of the past 25 years. He developed his films improvisationally on set, often without completed scripts, collaborating closely with the cinematographer Christopher Doyle.