This unique volume presents a comprehensive reference guide to directors who have worked in the British and Irish film industries between 1895 and 2005. Each of its 980 entries on individual directors, from Rodney Ackland to Fred Zinneman, gives a resume of the director's career, evaluates their achievements, and provides a guide to source material and a complete filmography. Engaging with the entire history of British and Irish cinema, the book encompasses filmmakers from Charles Chaplin to Lynne Ramsay, directors who worked in mainstream cinema and those who worked in the independent sector; those who are associated with the heyday of British cinema--Asquith, Powell and Pressburger, Mackendrick and Korda--or with the heady years of the 60s and 70s--Ken Russell, Nic Roeg, Derek Jarman, and Stanley Kubrick--as well as addressing contemporary filmmakers such as Nick Broomfield, Mike Figgis, Antonia Bird, and Anthony Minghella. The book is packed with fascinating facts, critical summaries and invaluable contextualizing details.