This could be interesting. Who are your five favourite directors? I was thinking about making this a top 10, but I think that makes it too easy. If you have to narrow it down the just five, you really have to think hard about who makes the cut. I'll get the ball rolling:

1) Stanley Kubrick -- Because he is the master.
2) Paul Thomas Anderson -- I think if he makes a few more films of the same caliber as his previous efforts, he could give even Kubrick a run for his money.
3) Alfred Hitchcock -- Quite possibly the most important director of all time. I don't think there's a single director out there who isn't influenced, directly or indirectly, by Alfred Hitchcock.
4) Woody Allen -- He's made his fair share of duds, but considering his massive filmography, it's kind of hard to hold it against him.
5) Zhang Yimou -- if anyone can come close to Kubrick in terms of framing and the composition of his shots, it's Zhang Yimou. Raise the Red Lantern is one of the most beautiful and haunting films that I've ever seen.