Nicolas Winding Refn

Danish writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn exploded onto the global cinema scene in 1996 with his debut feature, Pusher, which he followed up with Bleeder and Fear X, which he co-wrote with Hunert Selby, Jr. After completing the Pusher trilogy in 2004-2005, Refn returned to international prominence with Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, and Valhalla Rising. He reached a new career high in 2011 with the acclaimed Ryan Gosling thriller Drive, and reteamed with Gosling on Only God Forgives. His new film, The Neon Demon, is in theaters now. (Photo by Aaron Stewart-Ahn)