Great Directors captures the essence and independent spirit of ten living auteurs–Bertolucci, Breillat, Cavani, Frears, Haynes, Linklater, Loach, Lynch, Sayles and Varda. Through in-depth conversations, the ecstasy and suffering of their lives as artists emerges. From Varda’s Parisian courtyard to David Lynch’s Hollywood, we are taken on a journey through politics, society, opportunity, failure, and self-discovery. Film clips and archival footage illustrate the works of the directors and the influence of cinematic movements and historical events on their filmmaking.