30-Day Movie Challenge: 5 Directors Who’ve Made A Month’s Worth Of Movies

If you love movies, there's nothing quite like diving into the filmography of a great director.

You get to see their unique vision and style evolve over time, and gain a deeper appreciation for their artistry.

Just for Movie Fans! Push Yourself to Watch More of the Best Movies

A lot of people like movies. Probably more people love movies. Some want to be filmmakers, writers, actors themselves. Whatever your reasons for being mad about movies, level up your unofficial film education with IRLA Movie Watching challenge medals. Get a series of five medals that mark your milestones for watching more movies -- and watching better movies. As you set more goals, and need inspiration for your next movie watching indulgence, your IRLAs give you the motivation to do more and more.

We have to start Ridley Scott’s section with a technicality: he’s directed just 28 films, so he only makes the cut for this movie challenge if you watch his in February.

That said, what an epic February it would be! Scott's breakthrough came with his 1979 science fiction horror movie Alien, which became a critical and commercial success. 

He has since directed a wide variety of films, including historical epics, war dramas, science fiction blockbusters, and more. Some of his most famous movies include Blade Runner, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise, and The Martian. 

As you might expect, Scott’s been nominated for numerous awards, including three Academy Awards, and has been honored with a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts. (Plus, the writer of this article may or may not have been an intern at his production company in the late 2000s.)

Here are seven of Scott's most famous movies to get your movie-watching challenge started off right:

1. Blade Runner (1982)
2. Alien (1979)
3. Gladiator (2000)
4. Thelma & Louise (1991)
5. Black Hawk Down (2001)
6. The Martian (2015)
7. Hannibal (2001)

Over Steven Spielberg’s 35 films, he’s left both a cultural impact and a financial one (he has the title of the world’s most commercially successful director, after all).

His origin story starts in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946, and he began making short films as a teenager. Spielberg gained critical and commercial success in the 1970s with films like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

In addition to a wide range of movies, from historical dramas to science fiction epics to action-adventure blockbusters, Spielberg is also a producer and has been involved in many successful TV shows, including Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

Plus, he just directed the Oscar-nominated The Fabelmans based on his life, so the hits keep coming. To get you started, here are seven of Spielberg's most famous movies (though narrowing down that list wasn’t easy:

1. Schindler's List (1993)
2. Jaws (1975)
3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
5. Jurassic Park (1993)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Before he was growling at us to get off his lawn, Clint Eastwood was rampaging through a prolific film career that’s now spanned more than six decades – and as a director of at least 40 movies (including his uncredited position on 1984’s Tightrope).

Clintwood began directing films in the 1970s, with his directorial debut being Play Misty for Me. Eastwood's films are known for their gritty realism, themes of redemption, and exploration of moral ambiguity. He has won numerous awards for his work, including four Academy Awards.

Here are seven Eastwood classics to get you started on this 30-day movie challenge:

1. Unforgiven (1992)
2. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
3. Mystic River (2003)
4. Gran Torino (2008) 
5. Flags of Our Fathers (2006) 
6. Changeling (2008) 
7. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

If you don’t consider the original Magic Mike high art and a classic film, then this blog post isn’t the place for you. That film’s director, Steven Soderbergh, continues to show off versatility, creativity, and willingness to experiment with different genres and styles. 

He was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1963 and began his career in the film industry in the late 1980s. Soderbergh gained critical acclaim and commercial success with his breakout hit Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 1989, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. 

He has since directed a wide range of films, from heist movies to dramas to experimental projects, and has won numerous awards for his work, including an Academy Award for Best Director for Traffic in 2001. 

Though we wouldn’t blame you if you just watched Magic Mike thirty days in a row, here are seven of Soderbergh's most famous movies:

1. Magic Mike (2012)
2. Traffic (2000)
3. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
4. Erin Brockovich (2000)
5. Out of Sight (1998)
6. Contagion (2011)
7. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)

Now, watching their whole filmography is one thing. But there is a movie-watching challenge that could take that to the next level: finding directors who have produced a month’s worth of movies, and taking on a 30-day movie challenge.

That's why we're excited to share with you five directors who are perfect candidates for this 30-day movie challenge.

These household names are not only renowned for the quality of their work, but also for the sheer quantity of movies they've directed.

From Hitchcock to Soderbergh, Eastwood to Spielberg, and Scott (who has technically produced a month’s worth of movies… but only for one specific month!), each of these directors has left an indelible mark on the world of film.

So grab some popcorn, clear your schedule, and read on as we celebrate these prolific directors.

Alfred Hitchcock was an English film director and producer, widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema. 

He was born in London in 1899 and began his career in the film industry in the 1920s, working as a title designer, art director, and assistant director before making his directorial debut with the silent film The Pleasure Garden in 1925. Hitchcock's films are known for their psychological suspense, intricate plots, and iconic visuals, and he is often credited with revolutionizing the thriller genre. 

He was also known for his cameo appearances in his own films. Hitchcock received five Academy Award nominations for Best Director but never won the award, though he did receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1967.

We’ll get you started on your movie challenge month with a solid week of Hitchcock's most famous movies:

1. Psycho (1960)
2. Vertigo (1958)
3. North by Northwest (1959)
4. Rear Window (1954)
5. The Birds (1963)
6. Strangers on a Train (1951)
7. Notorious (1946)