This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early works by Orson Welles such as his filming of his stage production of Twelfth Night in 1933 or his experimental short film The Hearts of Age in 1934. Often these early works were not intended for commercial release either by intent, such as film school projects or inability to find distribution.
Subsequently, many directors learned their trade in the medium of television as it became popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Notable directors who did their first directorial work in this medium include Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, and Alfonso Cuarón. As commercial television advertising became more cinematic in the 1960s and 1970s, many directors early work was in this medium, including directors such as Alan Parker and Ridley Scott. With the success of MTV and the popularity of music videos from the early 1980s, this gave another avenue for directors to hone their skills. Notable directors whose early work was in music videos include David Fincher, Jonathan Glazer, Michel Gondry, and Spike Jonze.
The following symbols indicate where a director has worked in another medium prior to directing commercially.
♦ Indicates where a director has created other earlier works for television
# Indicates when a director's earlier work is uncredited
† Indicates when a director's earlier work has not been released in cinemas, for example film school productions, short films or music videos.
Refer to individual entries for further detail.
1880s
1887
1890s
1896
1898
1900s
1901
1907
- Sidney Olcott – The Wooing of Miles Standish
1908
- Louis Feuillade – L'Homme aimanté
- D. W. Griffith – The Adventures of Dollie
1909
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Upcoming
- Michael Cera† – TBA[30]
- Emily Dean – Tao[31]
- John D. Eraklis and Tara Nicole Whitaker – Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk[32]
- Mark Fischbach†♦ – Iron Lung[33]
- Keith Jardine† – Killer Kafé[34]
- Scarlett Johansson† – Eleanor the Great[35]
- Jonathan Krisel – untitled Sesame Street film[36]
- Minkyu Lee† – The Witch Boy[37]
- Kristen Stewart† – The Chronology of Water[38]
- Chris Stuckmann† – Shelby Oaks
- Taylor Swift† – TBA[39]
- Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk – Hell of a Summer[40]