One of the great things about Twitter is the ability to get a little closer to some of the most talented people in the world. Prolific tweeters often share bits about the projects they are working on, stories about success and failure, and even links to the things that inspire them.

If you are a filmmaker or a fan of the art, here are 15 filmmakers who you should definitely be following on Twitter.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt made a name for himself first as a child actor in movies like A River Runs Through It and on television on 3rd Rock From The Sun, but has since gone on to become a director with the film Don Jon.

He’s now signed on to produce The Sandman movie, and he also started the online production company hitRECord in 2004.

Miranda July is a multi-talented artist who has done everything from writing plays to acting to directing music videos and creating an iOS app called Somebody which is part message delivery service and part spontaneous performance art project.

She might be most known for writing and directing Me And You And Everyone We Know, but she is constantly working on new projects.

Robert Rodriguez is known for directing and writing many hit films including El Mariachi, Machete, and the Spy Kids series. But what really makes Robert Rodriguez stand out as a filmmaker is his independent spirit.

Rodriguez started his own production studio called Troublemaker Studios out of his home town of Austin, Texas where he produces all of his own films.

Ava DuVernay may not have quite as many films under her belt as some on here, but what she does have is 2012’s Middle of Nowhere for which she won a U.S. Directing Award at Sundance and 2014’s Selma which resulted in numerous nominations including Best Director at the Golden Globes.

She’s definitely become an important voice in African American filmmaking as well as being a strong voice for female filmmakers.

Ted Hope is a successful independent film producer behind films like

American Splendor and The Brothers McMullen. But he’s also a key force in shaping the future of independent filmmaking. Indiewire named him an influencer and the Hollywood Reporter named him one of the most influential people in the business.

Most recently, Hope has taken the job as head of original film production at Amazon, a position that will help him continue shaping the future of film as we know it.

Errol Morris is one of the most celebrated and influential documentary filmmakers of our time. His style of storytelling is uniquely his own, particularly his interview shooting technique called the Interrotron that involves a set of video monitors and two-way mirrors to get subjects to look right into the camera lens when answering questions.

This technique has been the foundation for many successful movies like The Fog Of War and The Thin Blue Line, as well as Apple commercials and Oscar ceremony segments.

Lake Bell is quickly moving up the ranks as a Hollywood filmmaker. She started out as an actress making a name for herself in films like

What Happens In Vegas and in television on The Practice and Children’s Hospital. But recently she made her feature film directing debut at Sundance with In A World…, a film that she also wrote.

She’s now working on a new film as a writer and director called What’s The Point.

Brad Bird has played a key role in animated films over the last 20 years. After directing his first animated feature The Iron Giant in 1999, he went on to join Pixar and create The Impossibles and Ratatouille, two of the company’s most successful films.

More recently, Bird has honed his chops as a live-action director with Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Disney’s Tomorrowland.

Ondi Timoner is an independent director, producer, and editor who has gained loads of praise for her two documentaries DIG! and We Live In Public, both winners of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for documentaries.

She also regularly releases film content through her website A Total Disruption , proving that she is also a force in the disruption of filmmaking in general.

Lloyd Kaufman is known as the King Of Troma. This is because he helped co-found the popular cult film dynasty Troma Entertainment in 1974. Lloyd and Troma are responsible for a slew of campy horror classics like

The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo & Juliet.

Even at almost 70, Kaufman is an integral part of the studio and its continuing success in a market that it was largely responsible for creating.

Mark Romanek is a filmmaker and director who has used his talents largely outside of the feature film world. He did direct the successful One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams and has a few others under his belt, but he’s most well known for the cinematic flair that he brings to directing music videos.

Some of his more well-known videos include Closer by Nine Inch Nails and the music video/short film Scream with Michael and Janet Jackson. He also recently directed the video for the hit single Shake It Off by Taylor Swift.

Darren Aronfsky is a film director who skillfully walks the line between big Hollywood films and independent gems. His more recent larger budget films include Noah and The Black Swan which got him an Academy Award directing nomination. He also had an opportunity to direct the Batman series but turned it down.

He’s perhaps just as well known for some of his smaller budget movies like Requiem For A Dream and The Wrestler. Fans should also check out his ultra-low budget debut film Pi.

Nancy Schwartzman is a director and producer with a purpose. She has taken up many causes including the ending of sexual assault and rape culture on college campuses. She makes documentary films that address these subjects and youth culture, in general, like 2009’s The Line and the ongoing xoxosms documentary project.

Furthermore, she developed an iPhone app in 2012 called Circle of 6 that won the White House Apps Against Abuse contest, further blurring the lines between filmmakers and technologists.

Mark Duplass is one half of the brother team behind the aptly named Duplass Brothers Productions. Along with a solid acting career that includes television shows like The League and Togetherness, Duplass has written, produced, and directed several quirky films like Jeff Who Lives At Home, Cyrus, and The Puffy Chair.

He and his brother have their own unique style of making films that often include lots of ad-libbing during the filmmaking process.

Morgan Spurlock is a prolific documentary filmmaker who gained a national spotlight when he documented his process of bingeing on McDonald’s’ for a month in Super Size Me. Spurlock takes the unique approach of throwing himself into the middle of strange situations for his documentaries like Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden and The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.

He’s recently moved his documentary-style into television with his CNN series Inside Man.

There are hundreds of important filmmakers using Twitter to share their thoughts and processes with the world, but these are 15 worth taking a look at. If we missed one of your favorites, be sure to share them in the comments below.