The top five brothers in films

Jez and Tom Butterworth, whose new film Birthday Girl comes out in September, are the latest in a rash of brothers currently making films together. Here are five of the most famous.

1. The Coen Brothers Arguably the most famous, and definitely the most cool, Joel and Ethan have occupied the most eccentric point of the Hollywood spectrum for 20 years while remaining resolutely independent.

2. The Farrelly Brothers The same cannot be said for Bobby and Peter, who delight in big budget, politically incorrect commercially successful stinkers, and who will be forever associated with a nice joke about hair gel.

3. The Hughes Brothers Identical twins Albert and Allen's most recent film From Hell transplants their signature fascination with blood and violence to Victorian England, with Johnny Depp failing, once again, to master an English accent.

4. The Taviani Brothers Vittorio and Paolo, born in 1929 and 1931 respectively, make lush films about history and local folklore, set mostly in their native Tuscany. Both married, they compare their creative empathy to that between a husband and wife.

5. The Wachowski Brothers Larry and Andy are currently working on the sequel to 1999's smash hit The Matrix, once again starring Keanu Reeves. Rumours that this one might actually make some sense are so far unconfirmed.