M. Night Shyamalan

A lover of twists and narrative turns, American filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most consistent directors in modern Hollywood, transforming cinema back into the shocking spectacle that it was built on. Whilst he is rarely compared to the likes of modern greats, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Denis Villeneuve, Paul Thomas Anderson and Steven Spielberg, arguably, he should be.

Steadily rising to prominence in the 1990s, Shyamalan helmed Praying with Anger in 1992 and Wide Awake in 1998 before being thrust into the industry limelight with the release of The Sixth Sense in 1999. Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film, starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette, became an international sensation upon its release and remains a classic modern thriller.

Ever since The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan has become a constant experimenter, making one of the first successful superhero movies in 2000 with Unbreakable, starring Samuel L. Jackson, quickly followed by Signs in 2002 with Joaquin Phoenix and Mel Gibson and The Village in 2004 with Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Judy Greer, Sigourney Weaver, Michael Pitt and Jesse Eisenberg.

Since that moment, the director has had the chance to work with some of the greatest actors of modern cinema, including Mark Wahlberg, Will Smith, James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie. Whilst his films may seem somewhat goofy, often hinging on narrative twists, one shouldn’t underestimate the cinematic power of M. Night Shyamalan, with the director being one of the few working creatives who still has the power to shock, amaze and truly surprise audiences.

A lover of classic cinema, M. Night Shyamalan has previously named the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Hal Ashby, William Friedkin and Francis Ford Coppola as some of his favourite films of all time. For the powerful American filmmaker, innovation is key.