Top 25 Directorial Debuts
It usually takes a few cracks before a director breaks through to brilliance. Even Spielberg, who I consider the greatest director ever, had to start somewhere. His first two films, ‘Duel’ & ‘The Sugarland Express’ are both admirable films, but not all time classics like his third film, ‘Jaws.’ And before Chrisophter Nolan really broke through with ‘Memento,’ he had the much lesser known ‘Following.’ But the 25 directors I’m highlighting today immediately came out swinging with incredible films.
Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station)- American filmmaker Ryan Coogler is only 38 years old and already has garnered nominations for two Oscars, a Golden Globe, & a Grammy. His debut film was 2013’s ‘Fruitvale Station,’ starring Michael B. Jordan as a man killed by police violence. The film performed well at Sundance & Cannes and over achieved at the box office. Coogler has three other films to date, ‘Black Panther,’ its sequel, & ‘Creed,’ the first of which was a Best Picture nominee. All three films also feature or star Michael B. Jordan. Coogler has another film coming out in 2025, ‘Sinners’ a vampire period film, also starring Jordan.
Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)- The first of a handful of actors that made the jump to directing on the list, Bradley Cooper wrote, produced, & directed the fourth version of the ‘A Star is Born’ story. Cooper also starred as the male lead opposite Lady Gaga in her first lead role. The film received 8 Oscar nominations, and although Best Director wasn’t one of them, a lot of them were due to Cooper’s direction. He did earn himself Best Director BAFTA & Golden Globe nominations and his second film ‘Maestro’ earned similar praise.
Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides)- A member of the illustrious Coppola family, Sofia Coppola is the daughter of the legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. The younger Coppola’s debut film follows five sisters in a suburban upper middle class family and received praise from critics upon its release. It is now a cult classic & was the first of many team ups between Coppola & Kirsten Dunst.
Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves)- Now one of the all-time Western filmmakers, Kevin Costner was already a well known actor when he made his directorial debut. ‘Dances with Wolves’ won 7 Oscars on 12 nominations, including Best Picture & Best Director. It is one of only four Westerns to win Best Picture and led to Costner continuing his directing career. Although his most recent venture ‘Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter 1’ wasn’t very well received, it is meant to be the first of a four part epic series.
Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption)- Shawshank is considered one of the greatest films ever. Already an established screenwriter, Frank Darabont took the direction helm and has since directed three other films, two of which were based on Stephen King's works, just like Shawshank.
Alex Garland (Ex Machina)- Now with films like ‘Annihilation,’ ‘Civil War,’ & the upcoming ‘Warfare’ to his name, Alex Garland was known for his writing collaborations with director Danny Boyle on ‘28 Days Later’ & ‘Sunshine’ before he directed his first film ‘Ex Machina.’ The film received two Oscar nominations and won three British Independent Film Awards.
Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)- Now one of the top working filmmakers, Greta Gerwig actually made her directorial debut with 2008’s ‘Nights and Weekends.’ However, she co-directed that with Joe Swanberg, so this is her solo debut. All three of her films ‘Lady Bird,’ ‘Little Women,’ & ‘Barbie’ have garnered Best Picture nominations as well as a slew of other Oscar nominations. They are three of the top films of the last decade & Gerwig has made a name for herself and the feminine power that comes from her films. I’m not 100% confident in the phrase ‘feminine power’ but I’m going to roll with it.
John Huston (The Maltese Falcon)- One of the all-time film noirs, starring Humphrey Bogart in a cast of characters looking for the titular statuette, this film was the first for a director that would become one of the all-timers. Through the rest of his career, Huston received 14 Oscar nominations, winning two. ‘The Maltese Falcon’ was an immediate success and was one of the first 25 films entered into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
Cord Jefferson (American Fiction)- One of the more recent additions on the list, Cord Jefferson was already an established TV writer, writing on shows like ‘Master of None,’ ‘The Good Place,’ & ‘Watchmen.’ He then wrote & directed ‘American Fiction’ in 2023 which was nominated for five Oscars (including Best Picture) & won Jefferson ‘Best Adapted Screenplay.’
Regina King (One Night in Miami…)- Already an Academy Award, Golden Globe, & Emmy-winning actress, Regina King also had experience directing on TV shows ‘Scandal’ & ‘This Is Us.’ She then set her sights on directing a film and directed the Oscar-nominated ‘One Night in Miami…’ The film earned King a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director as well as a Critics Choice nomination.
John Lasseter (Toy Story)- The only animated film on the list, ‘Toy Story’ was a pioneering film in the world of animation & one of the best films ever, animated or otherwise. The film was directed by one of Pixar’s head guys, John Lasseter. It was Lasseters’s first time directing and he would go on to direct several other films for Pixar (‘A Bug’s Life,’ ‘Toy Story 2,’ ‘Cars,’ & ‘Cars 2’).
Spike Lee (She’s Gotta Have It)- Another one of the all-time greats, Spike Lee came out swinging. The very first joint he directed was ‘She’s Gott Have It’ which was entered into the National Film Registry in 2019. He has since gone onto direct several more iconic films, most of which focus on black culture. He has earned an Oscar, Emmys, a BAFTA Award, and two Peabodys.
Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men)- One of the greatest films ever (and one of my personal all-time favorites), ‘12 Angry Men’ earned Best Picture, Best Director, & Best Screenplay nominations at the 30th Academy Awards. It is one of the defining films of the legal genre & it’s director Sidney Lumet would earn 4 more Oscar nominations through his career. Other movies in his catalog include ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ ‘Network,’ & ‘The Verdict.’
David Lynch (Eraserhead)- First of all, rest in peace to the recently deceased legend that is David Lynch. Through his career Lynch was known for mind boggling films that made you uncomfortable & made you think. His debut film embodied that mantra, the independent body horror film ‘Eraserhead.’ His other films include ‘The Elephant Man, ‘Blue Velvet,’ & ‘Mulholland Drive,’ and he is also known for creating the show ‘Twin Peaks.’
Sam Mendes (American Beauty)- It’s a pretty big feat to win the Academy Award for Best Director for your first film. That is exactly what Sam Mendes did with his 1999 film ‘American Beauty.’ It won four other Academy Awards as well, including Best Picture. His other films include ‘Road to Perdition,’ ‘Jarhead,’ ‘Revolutionary Road,’ ‘1917,’ & the Bond films ‘Skyfall’ & ‘Spectre.’
Jordan Peele (Get Out)- It’s no secret that Jordan Peele is one of the best modern filmmakers. Rising to fame as a sketch comedian on Comedy Central’s ‘Key & Peele,’ Jordan Peele completely changed his career trajectory when he debuted ‘Get Out’ in 2017. The psychological horror film stunned audiences, was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, & won Peele the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. His two films since ‘Get Out,’ ‘Us’ & ‘Nope’ are also often considered some of the best recent films.
Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead)- Raimi’s film debut is perhaps the most Raimi of any of his films. Before he directed superhero hits like the ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy & ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ Raimi rose to fame for directing the first three films in the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise. A supernatural horror starring Bruce Campbell the first film was a hit and spawned an extremely successful franchise.
Robert Redford (Ordinary People)- Another actor turned director & another director who won the Academy Award for Best Director in their debut is Robert Redford. Already an accomplished actor known for ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,’ ‘The Sting,’ & ‘All the President’s Men,’ Redford then directed a story of a family walking through the loss of a son. The film won three other Oscars, including Best Picture.
George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead)- One of the monuments of the horror genre, ‘Night of the Living Dead’ popularized zombies the way we currently see them in pop culture. Written & directed by George A. Romero the film is still very popular today & was entered into the National Film Registry. Though he had other films, Romero would continue to mostly be known for his zombie films through his long career.
John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood)- John Singleton set two records when he received an Oscar nomination for 1991’s ‘Boyz n the Hood.’ He became the first black person to receive a nomination for the award & he still holds the record as the youngest ever nominee at only 24. Though Singleton would explore other genres like romances, historical dramas, action films, and coming-of-age stories, his debut film would always be his masterpiece.
Celine Song (Past Lives)- Another one of the more recent films on the list, 2024’s ‘Past Lives’ was a Best Picture & Best Original Screenplay nominee, though many people believe it should’ve receive even more nominations. The film is semi-autobiographical for the director, Celine Song. Song is currently working on another film set to be released in 2025 ‘Materialists’ that, similar to ‘Past Lives’ features a live triangle of sorts. She is also married Justin Kuritzkes, who wrote ‘Challengers’ ANOTHER film about a love triangle which makes me think these two experienced something similar.
Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs)- The feature-length debut of now one of the most popular directors ever, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ very much set the standard for what could come to be expected from Tarantino. Crime, profanity, blood, & even a nonlinear storyline. Pretty much every one of Tarantino’s film is considered iconic, and his first film here is included. The British magazine ‘Empire’ named this the best independent film ever made.
Orson Welles (Citizen Kane)- Now I personally don’t think ‘Citizen Kane’ is the best movie ever. But many people do. That is pretty impressive for director & lead actor Orson Welles, a film he also wrote and produced. The film actually marked his first in all four of those categories.
Charlotte Wells (Aftersun)- The 2022 film ‘Aftersun’ is a semi-autobiographical film from Charlotte Wells about a daughter going on holiday with her young father. The film received several BAFTA nominations & an Oscar nomination for lead actor, Paul Mescal.
Olivia Wilde (Booksmart)- Rounding out our list is the film dubbed ‘the female Superbad.’ A coming-of-age comedy, the film received BAFTA nominations, as well as a Golden Globe nomination. It came from established actress, Olivia Wilde, who has since directed the psychological thriller ‘Don’t Worry Darling.’
