Question: Who has been described by "The Guardian" as "the most important director of this era" and who directed the film about Joseph Merrick?

Context paragraphs:
The Elephant Man (film): The Elephant Man is a 1980 American historical drama film about Joseph Merrick (whom the script calls John Merrick), a severely deformed man in late 19th century London.  The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon and Freddie Jones.  It was produced by Jonathan Sanger and Mel Brooks, the latter of whom was intentionally left uncredited to avoid confusion from audiences who possibly would have expected a comedy.

Emily Soldene: Emily Soldene (30 September 1838 – 8 April 1912) was an English singer, actress, director, theatre manager, novelist and journalist of the late Victorian era and the Edwardian period.  She was one of the most famous singers of comic opera in the late nineteenth century, as well as an important director of theatre companies and later a celebrated gossip columnist.

Gun Nation: Gun Nation is a 2016 documentary film directed and produced by British photographer and filmmaker Zed Nelson.  The film explores issues surrounding gun ownership, gun violence, and gun culture in the United States and marks 18 years since the director's award-winning photography book of the same name.  It was commissioned by "The Guardian" and by the Bertha Foundation, executive produced by Charlie Phillips and released online on September 16, 2016.  The film was the first production to be screened in the documentary section of "The Guardian."

List of accolades received by The Elephant Man: "The Elephant Man" is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.  The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, and Freddie Jones.  Lynch adapted the screenplay draft by Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren.  Although Mel Brooks agreed to produce the film through his production company Brooksfilms, it was turned down by a number of studios before it was finally greenlit by Paramount Pictures.

The Elephant Man (1982 film): The Elephant Man is a 1982 American biographical television film directed by Jack Hofsiss about the 19th-century English medical curiosity Joseph Merrick (known in this film as John Merrick).  The script was adapted by Steve Lawson from the 1977 play of the same name by Bernard Pomerance.  It was first broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on January 4, 1982.

Bimal Roy: Bimal Roy (Bengali: বিমল রায় ) (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director.  He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films like "Do Bigha Zamin", "Parineeta", "Biraj Bahu", "Madhumati", "Sujata", and "Bandini", making him an important director of Hindi cinema.  Inspired by Italian neo-realistic cinema, he made "Do Bigha Zameen" after watching Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" (1948).  His work is particularly known for his mise en scène which he employed to portray realism.  He won a number of awards throughout his career, including eleven Filmfare Awards, two National Film Awards, and the International Prize of the Cannes Film Festival. " Madhumati" won 9 Filmfare Awards in 1958, a record held for 37 years.

Imaginary friend: Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends or invisible friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than external physical reality.  Although they may seem very real to their creators, children usually understand that their imaginary friends are not real.  The first studies focusing on imaginary friends are believed to have been conducted during the 1890s.  There is little information about the development and the appearance of imaginary friends in children.  However, Klausen & Passman (2007) report that imaginary companions were originally described as being supernatural creatures and spirits that were thought to connect people with their past lives.  Adults in early historic times had entities such as household gods and guardian angels, and muses that functioned as imaginary companions to provide comfort, guidance and inspiration for creative work.  Eventually the phenomenon of imaginary companions passed on to children.  The era when children began having imaginary friends is unknown, but it is possible the phenomenon appeared in the mid–20th century when childhood was emphasized as an important time to play and imagine.

David Lynch: David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American director, screenwriter, producer, painter, musician, actor, and photographer.  He has been described by "The Guardian" as "the most important director of this era".  AllMovie called him "the Renaissance man of modern American filmmaking", while the success of his films has led to him being labelled "the first popular Surrealist".

Kōji Wakamatsu: Kōji Wakamatsu (若松孝二 , Wakamatsu Kōji , 1 April 1936 – 17 October 2012) was a Japanese film director who directed such "pinku eiga" films as "Ecstasy of the Angels" (天使の恍惚 , Tenshi no Kōkotsu , 1972) and "Go, Go, Second Time Virgin" (ゆけゆけ二度目の処女 , Yuke Yuke Nidome no Shojo , 1969) .  He also produced Nagisa Ōshima's controversial film "In the Realm of the Senses" (1976).  He has been called "the most important director to emerge in the pink film genre," and one of "Japan's leading directors of the 1960s."

Hussein Kamal: Hussein Kamal (Arabic: حسين كمال‎ ‎ ) (17 August 1932 – 24 March 2003) was an Egyptian television, film and theatre director.  He is considered to be an important director of traditional Egyptian cinema.  One of his most famous films is "Chitchat on the Nile" (1971), a critique of the decadence of Egyptian society during the Nasser era.  His 1972 film "Empire M" was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival in 1973.

Supporting paragraphs: The Elephant Man (film) David Lynch
Answer: David Lynch