Ryan Coogler: “It’s worth revisiting “The Black Panther” director’s strong debut “Fruitvale Station.”  Telling the true story of 22-year-old Oscar Grant on the last day of 2008, the film leads to a heartbreaking conclusion at the Fruitvale subway stop. Coogler’s shattering debut is a potent testament to a life tragically lost far too soon.

Greta Gerwig: “Oscar-nominated for her directing and writing of “Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig sketches the bittersweet and loving portrait of a self-proclaimed Catholic school rebel navigating life lessons in Sacramento just after the start of the century.  Gerwig shows a compassion for her characters and an attention to detail that make her a director of great promise.”

Mia Hansen: “Hansen’s “Love – Eden” is a very ambitious, intimate epic looking at the French electronic music scene from the 1990s on through the eyes of one talented, but troubled, DJ.  The scope of the film and the director’s ability to show the transformative power of music are truly remarkable.”

David Lowery: Moving between large-scale productions (the remake of “Pete’s Dragon”) and the ultra-low-budget “A Ghost Story,” Lowery is fast establishing himself as an audacious, risk-taking visionary.  “A Ghost Story,” with its gloss on death, memory, and time, generates very strong reactions, positive and negative, from viewers.”

Trey Edward Shults: “Shults’ “It Comes at Night” is an effective thriller with a special feel for mood and the tenuous nature of our social relationships.  Shults’ earlier work, “Krisha,” is just as chilling without the genre trappings: the razor-sharp portrait of an estranged woman returning to a family event after a 10-year absence.”