Movies help to define each individual generation. The ability to say, “I saw that when it came out in theaters!” is a bragging right claimed by many since the early 1900s.

But behind each great movie is a great director. The 1940s and ’50s have Alfred Hitchcock. The 1960s and ’70s claimed Stanley Kubrick. Woody Allen and John Hughes took over the movie scene from 1980s and 1990s, and directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and James Cameron have been powerhouses on the direction scene for decades.

But who will college students of today boast about? Here are a few directors I’d like to nominate as helping to define the cinema of the current generation.

— Wes Anderson: From 1996′s “Bottle Rocket” to last year’s “Moonrise Kingdom,” Anderson uses his unique style of bizarre characters and gliding camera work to tell strange and captivating stories.

— Hiyao Miyazaki: Sure, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” and “My Neighbor Totoro” were ’80s films, but I like to think Miyazaki belongs more to us with his animated masterpieces “Spirited Away” (2001) and “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004).

— David Fincher: Can this man create a bad film? When “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011), “Fight Club” (1999) and “The Social Network” (2010) are on his list of achievements, I think not.

— Kathryn Bigelow: As unfortunate as it is, our generation will remember vividly being a country at war with the Middle East, and Bigelow has created (so far) two critically acclaimed films on the subject. “The Hurt Locker” (2008) and “Zero Dark Thirty” (2012) won’t be movies soon forgotten.

— Joel and Ethan Coen: The Coen brothers have mastered the art of combining disturbing themes with whimsical humor. “Fargo” (1996), “The Big Lebowski” (1998), “No Country for Old Men” (2007) and “True Grit” (2010) are just a few of their memorable projects, and the brothers never seem willing to take a break. Let’s hope it stays that way.

— Joss Whedon: His resume is not as Oscar-heavy as those mentioned previously, but Whedon is the quintessential nerd-culture director of current times. His creation of strong female roles makes him a unique specimen in the film world, and his work with everything from “The Avengers” (2012) to “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” (2008) gives him an unorthodox and impressive filmography.