De viktigste regissørene i fransk filmhistorie er Jean Renoir, Marcel Carné, François Truffaut og Jean-Luc Godard. Andre viktige regissører er René Clair, Jean Cocteau, René Clément, Robert Bresson, Jacques Demy, Claude Chabrol, Jean-Pierre Melville, Bertrand Tavernier, Claude Sautet, Eric Rohmer, Claude Lelouch, Georges Lautner, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Michel Deville, Yves Boisset, Maurice Pialat, Bertrand Blier, Coline Serreau, André Téchiné, François Ozon.