About the book: 2008 / The publication "Directors of the present" continues Andrei Plakhov's book "Total 33. Stars of World Film Directing", published ten years ago. The first volume consisted of portraits (interviews and reviews of creativity) of twelve leading directors of modern world cinema. Twenty years ago, preparing for the 100th anniversary of cinema, leading experts, film magazines and institutions began to compile lists of “directors of the future.” Today it’s a shame to look at the first dozen of those lists: most of the names remained in the last century. Instead of “directors of the future,” I offer readers “directors of the present”—the present time and the present cinema. This book is not a table of ranks or a brief history of cinema. I did not follow the rules of political correctness, so there is no need to ask why there are no women or Chinese citizens among the selected directors. My choice is subjective, and so is my idea of ​​relevance. Andrey Plakhov