List of directorial debuts
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[37]
- Emily Dean – Tao[38]
- Pamela Ribon - TBA
- John D. Eraklis and Tara Nicole Whitaker – Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk[39]
- Mark Fischbach†♦ – Iron Lung[40]
- Keith Jardine† – Killer Kafé[41]
- Scarlett Johansson† – Eleanor the Great[42]
- Jonathan Krisel – untitled Sesame Street film[43] or untitled Detective Pikachu sequel film[44]
- Minkyu Lee† – The Witch Boy[45]
- Kristen Stewart† – The Chronology of Water[46]
- Taylor Swift† – TBA[47]
See also
Notes
- ^ Co-directed with Robert N. Bradbury
- ^ As Detlef Sierck
- ^ Co-directed with Anthony Hankey
- ^ Co-directed with Hamilton Luske, Ben Sharpsteen and David D. Hand
- ^ Co-directed with Gunther von Fritsch
- ^ Co-directed with Brian Desmond Hurst
- ^ Co-directed with Robert Jordan Hill
- ^ Co-directed with Yakov Bazelyan
- ^ Directed segment Interlude in the Marshland
- ^ Co-directed with Abe Levitow
- ^ Co-directed with Bradley R. Swirnoff
- ^ Co-directed with Wolfgang Reitherman
- ^ Co-directed with Bill Melendez
- ^ Co-directed with John Lounsbery
- ^ Co-directed with Rintaro
- ^ Co-directed with Kenneth Tsang
- ^ Co-directed with Art Stevens
- ^ Co-directed with Don Bluth
- ^ Co-directed with Jesse Wells
- ^ Co-directed with Frank Lustig
- ^ Co-directed with Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells
- ^ Co-directed with Joe Johnston
- ^ Co-directed with Mike Gabriel
- ^ Co-directed with David Van Taylor
- ^ Co-directed with Peter Farrelly
- ^ Co-directed with Quentin Lee
- ^ Co-directed with Simon Wells
- ^ Co-directed with Jim Wynorski
- ^ Co-directed with Kevin Lima
- ^ Co-directed with Eric Goldberg, Pixote Hunt, James Algar and Hendel Butoy
- ^ Co-directed with Ralph Zondag
- ^ Co-directed with Richard Rich
- ^ Co-directed with Richard Rich
- ^ Co-directed with David Daniel
- ^ Co-directed with Corey Yuen
- ^ Co-directed with Norton Virgien
- ^ Co-directed with Tim Johnson
- ^ Co-directed with Efram Potelle
- ^ Co-directed with Vicky Jenson and Bibo Bergeron
- ^ Co-directed with Andrew Adamson and Kelly Asbury
- ^ Co-directed with Ryan Fleck
- ^ Co-directed with Nick Park
- ^ Co-directed with Tim Burton
- ^ Co-directed with Eric Darnell
- ^ Co-directed with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
- ^ Co-directed with James Cameron
- ^ Co-directed with Roger Allers
- ^ Co-directed with Tim Johnson
- ^ Co-directed with John Lasseter
- ^ Co-directed with Chris Buck
- ^ Co-directed with Brad Bird
- ^ Co-directed with Vincent Paronnaud
- ^ Co-directed with Steve Hickner
- ^ Co-directed with Brian Hooks
- ^ Co-directed with Ryan Fleck
- ^ Co-directed with Sam Fell
- ^ Co-directed with Mark Osborne
- ^ Co-directed with Matthew Robinson
- ^ a b Co-directed with Pete Docter
- ^ Co-directed with Byron Howard
- ^ Co-directed with Lionel Steketee and Thomas N'Gijol
- ^ Co-directed with Stephen Anderson
- ^ Co-directed with John Lasseter
- ^ Co-directed with Alastair Fothergill
- ^ Co-directed with Barry Cook
- ^ Co-directed with Brenda Chapman
- ^ Co-directed with Chris Renaud
- ^ Co-directed with Sam Fell
- ^ Co-directed with Peter Lord
- ^ Co-directed with Steve Martino
- ^ Co-directed with Mike McCoy
- ^ Co-directed with Chris Buck
- ^ Co-directed with Guy Jenkin
- ^ Co-directed with Jocelyn Towne
- ^ Co-directed with Jennifer Yuh Nelson
- ^ Co-directed with Chris Renaud
- ^ Co-directed with Michael Thurmeier
- ^ Co-directed with Mike Mitchell
- ^ As Declan Dale
- ^ Co-directed with Garth Jennings
- ^ Co-directed with Andrew Stanton
- ^ Co-directed with Nicholas Stoller
- ^ Co-directed with Conrad Vernon
- ^ Co-directed with Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda
- ^ Co-directed with Lee Unkrich
- ^ Co-directed with Rich Moore
- ^ Co-directed with Yarrow Cheney
- ^ Co-directed with Peter Ramsey
- ^ Co-directed with Peter Chelsom, Fernando Eimbcke, Dennis Gansel, Dani Levy, Josef Rusnak, Til Schweiger, Massy Tadjedin
- ^ Co-directed with Chris Renaud
- ^ co-directed with Jim Cummings
- ^ Co-directed with Sarah Smith
- ^ Co-directed with Kemp Powers
- ^ Co-directed with Aaron Horvath
- ^ Co-directed with Chris Buck
- ^ Co-directed with Chris Renaud
- ^ Co-directed with Domee Shi
- ^ Co-directed with Alessandro Carloni
References
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