Clockword

The solutions from 1 to 12 are all six-letter words ending with the letter Y in the centre. Moving clockwise from 1, the letters in the outer circle will spell out the name of an American director.

1.

Freedom from danger

2. Verbally

3. Dazzling

4. Wound

5. Erring

6. Formal gesture

7. Expenditure

8. Close analogy

9. Poverty

10. Quirk

11. Lack of seriousness

12. Fight