Film Debuts of Film Directors
Ever wonder what started it all for some of Hollywood’s most acclaimed film directors? I have. Here is a list of film directors and the films that began their careers. Enjoy.
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- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsM. Night ShyamalanMike MuthuK. SubramanianAn alienated, Americanized teenager of East Indian heritage is sent back to India where he discovers not only his roots but a lot about himself.M. Night Shyamalan
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsJames SpaderAndie MacDowellPeter GallagherA sexually repressed woman's husband is having an affair with her sister. The arrival of a visitor with a rather unusual fetish changes everything.Steven Soderbergh
- DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsCarlos GallardoConsuelo GómezJaime de HoyosA traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.Robert Rodriguez
- DirectorJohn Lee HancockStarsLeon RippyTom EverettMariska HargitayA good-hearted, second-rate rodeo cowboy fights his way through numerous obstacles, including a Mexican jail, to get his long-time girlfriend to marry him.John Lee Hancock
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsPaul ReubensElizabeth DailyMark HoltonWhen eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.Tim Burton
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.Guy Ritchie
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsAndra AkersWilliam FinleyMargo NortonNaive young Karen wants to help her struggling amateur-filmmaker boyfriend Christopher raise enough money so he can divorce his wife. Meanwhile, jolly psycho prankster Otto stalks the building where Christopher is shooting a low-grade adult movie in order to keep himself afloat.Brian de Palma
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsChris ParkerLeila GastilJohn LurieA young man wanders New York City searching for some meaning in life and encounters many idiosyncratic characters.Jim Jarmusch
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsKerry FoxChristopher EcclestonEwan McGregorThree friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash.Danny Boyle
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsHarvey KeitelTim RothMichael MadsenWhen a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.Quentin Tarantino
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsRichard LinklaterJames GoodwinDan KratochvilA nameless young character goes into travels to the country, meeting some acquaintances and strangers as well, having banal conversations, dedicating his existence into daily mundane activities. Richard Linklater presents an unconventional narrative, barely composed of dialogue and consisting in observing life and actions.Richard Linklater
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSihung LungLai WangBozhao WangAll the while, Master Chu tries to find his place in the foreign American world.Ang Lee
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsHarvey KeitelZina BethuneAnne ColletteA young man can't accept the girl he likes because of her bitter past.Martin Scorsese
- DirectorRoland EmmerichOswald von RichthofenStarsAxel BehrendHorst JantschekBeate MaierGermany 1937. Paul v. Kammer has lived with his grandfather in Germany for ten years. He has just finished school and faces a difficult decision: His mother, who is French, urges him to leave Germany and start university in France. His grandfather demands that he enters into the family business which would also mean conscription for Paul. Only one day left to make his decision. Paul meets his friend Max. A decisive day? Two friends and a girl in the summer of 1937.Roland Emmerich
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsPruitt Taylor VinceLiv TylerShelley WintersThe life of an overweight, unhappy cook is changed after a kind, beautiful college drop-out comes to work as a waitress at his and his mother's road-side restaurant.James Mangold
- DirectorJames CameronOvidio G. AssonitisMiller DrakeStarsTricia O'NeilSteve MarachukLance HenriksenA scuba diving instructor, her biochemist boyfriend, and her police chief ex-husband try to link a series of bizarre deaths to a mutant strain of piranha fish whose lair is a sunken freighter ship off a Caribbean island resort.James Cameron
- DirectorBill CondonStarsEric StoltzJennifer Jason LeighJudith IveyTwo sisters turn their family mansion in Louisiana into a guest house. One of their guests is an aide to a congressman, and turns their lives inside out.Bill Condon
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittLukas HaasEmilie de RavinA teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.Rian Johnson
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsMartin SheenSissy SpacekWarren OatesAn impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota Badlands.Terrence Malick
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsTom CruiseMichelle MonaghanVing RhamesIMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.J.J. Abrams
- DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Sam Mendes
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsChad Michael MurrayParis HiltonElisha CuthbertA group of teens are unwittingly stranded near a strange wax museum and soon must fight to survive and keep from becoming the next exhibit.Jaume Collet-Serra
- DirectorJames FoleyStarsAidan QuinnDaryl HannahKenneth McMillanA motorbike riding loner rebel on the high school football team wins a date with a cute, rich cheerleader. At the high school dance, her boyfriend's behavior leads to a breakup - opening doors.James Foley
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodJessica WalterDonna MillsThe life of a disc jockey is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan.Clint Eastwood
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsLuke WilsonOwen WilsonNed DowdThree friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.Wes Anderson
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsGoldie HawnBen JohnsonMichael SacksA woman attempts to reunite her family by helping her husband escape prison and together kidnapping their son. But things don't go as planned when they are forced to take a police hostage on the road.Steven Spielberg
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNathan LaneLee EvansVicki LewisTwo stumblebum inheritors are determined to rid their antique house of a mouse who is equally determined to stay where he is.Gore Verbinski
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsGraham LowMartin CurtisOli van der VijverA comic western about a cowboy who seeks a wanted and evil man who caused for the death of his beloved horse Easy.Edgar Wright
- DirectorJames GrayStarsTim RothEdward FurlongMoira KellyA cold-blooded hitman visits his estranged Russian immigrant family in Brooklyn.James Gray
- DirectorJames PonsoldtStarsNick NolteTrevor MorganTimothy HuttonAn aging, disillusioned alcoholic (Nolte) gets a younger friend (Morgan) and wants him to pose as his son at a school reunion.James Ponsoldt
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsKeith CarradineHarvey KeitelAlbert FinneyFrance, 1801. Due to a minor perceived slight, mild-mannered Lieutenant d'Hubert is forced into a duel with hot-headed irrational Lieutenant Feraud. The disagreement ultimately results in scores of duels spanning several years.Ridley Scott
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsStephen MailerGrahame WoodKristy SwansonApplicants to a renowned medical school meet with mysterious ends when a desperate student is put on the waiting list.Doug Liman
- DirectorMichael BayStarsSean ConneryNicolas CageEd HarrisA mild-mannered chemist and an ex-con must lead the counterstrike when a rogue group of military men, led by a renegade general, threaten a nerve gas attack from Alcatraz against San Francisco.Michael Bay
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsJeremy TheobaldAlex HawLucy RussellA young writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing.Christopher Nolan
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsDana AshbrookAngela SheltonHarry LennixWilliam is a young man who is soon to be a successful prosecutor falls into a dark trap of sex and late night parties, where he falls head over heels in love with Meadow, but this love affair causes him to throw away his hopes and dreams. Can Meadow help him escape before it's too late?Gavin O’Connor
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn GetzFrances McDormandDan HedayaThe owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.Joel Coen
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTom HanksMarlon WayansIrma P. HallAn eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a classical ensemble in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting but sharp old landlady.Ethan Coen
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsSarah PolleyVing RhamesMekhi PhiferA nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall.Zach Snyder
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsMichael McKeanSean YoungGary FriedkinIn a zany parody of hospital soap operas, a new batch of doctors begins their internship at City Hospital.Garry Marshall
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsAlbert FinneyBillie WhitelawFrank FinlayInspired by his love for Dashiell Hammett novels, nightclub comedian Eddie Ginley puts an ad in the paper as a private eye. The case he gets turns out to be a strange setup and as he digs to the bottom of it his life starts falling apart.Stephen Frears
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsRon MarquetteBert WilliamsLeigh HuntBrewster seems to be an almost too-perfect example of idyllic small-town America, with everyone living in peace and harmony. So when newcomer Whiley Pritcher starts up his own local cable TV show with the question "What's wrong with Brewster?", there surely can't be any deep dark secrets in the town that are just waiting to come to the surface--can there? And when the question becomes "Who's wrong with Brewster?" things get seriously nasty.Bryan Singer
- DirectorWoody AllenSenkichi TaniguchiStarsWoody AllenThe Lovin' SpoonfulFrank BuxtonWoody Allen re-dubs the Japanese spy film Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi (1965), turning it into a comedy about an agent pursuing the world's greatest egg salad recipe.Woody Allen
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.James Wan
- DirectorQuentin LeeJustin LinStarsRadmar Agana JaoJeanne ChinnClint JungA married woman, who's been getting seductive phone calls from a lesbian, and a man, who believes he might be a werewolf, are about to find out who they deep down really are.Justin Lin
- DirectorPaul FeigStarsBen TibberJim CaviezelJoan PlowrightA twelve-year-old boy escapes from a Bulgarian Communist concentration camp and sets out on a journey to reach Denmark.Paul Feig
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsTom BellRita TushinghamDavid ThewlisSurviving soldier is accused of cowardice and desertion. His former comrades-in-arms decide to judge him bypassing the law.Paul Greengrass
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsAnjelica HustonRaul JuliaChristopher LloydCon artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.Barry Sonnenfeld
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsMike NorrisSteve DurhamDavid CoburnA trio of vacationing American students cross the border from Finland to the USSR during the Cold War and are soon imprisoned after a skirmish with Soviet soldiers.Renny Harlin
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsBrian O'HalloranJeff AndersonMarilyn GhigliottiA day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.Kevin Smith
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsRob ReinerMichael McKeanChristopher GuestSpinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.Rob Reiner
- DirectorPeter BergStarsChristian SlaterDaniel SternCameron DiazA prostitute is killed during a bachelor party and the attendees turn on each other as the wedding approaches.Peter Berg
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsJonathan FridMartine BeswickJoseph SirolaJonathan Frid portrays a horror novelist who has a recurring nightmare about three figures out of his book who terrorize him and his family and friends during a weekend of fun. Then the dream becomes reality and it never ends...Oliver Stone
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsChow Yun-FatMira SorvinoMichael RookerA troubled hitman seeks aid from a forger to help him get papers to China. However, the drug lord has hired replacements to finish the job, and kill the hitman.Antoine Fuqua
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRon HowardNancy MorganElizabeth RogersA rich girl steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to get married. However, her angry parents, a jealous suitor, and a bunch of reward seekers are determined to stop her.Ron Howard
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsJohn KaniRobert PughRachael DowlingLord Tichborne, the ninth richest nobleman in England, disappears after a South American shipwreck. Some years later, his erudite Afro-English valet, Bogle, is sent to investigate rumors that Tichborne survived and settled in Australia. An alcoholic ruffian answer's Bogle's inquiries claiming to be the lost heir. Bogle suspects fraud, but conspires with the claimant to split the inheritance should the latter successfully pass himself off to friends, family, and the courts. As the claimant returns to England to continue his charade, enough people confirm his identity to make both the claimant and Bogle believe that he just might be the rightful heir after all.David Yates
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsPascale BussièresAlexis MartinSerge ThériaultAfter surviving a car wreck virtually unscathed, a young model compels her best friend to impregnate her at the salt flats in Utah.Denis Villeneuve
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsNancy AllenBobby Di CiccoMarc McClureIn 1964, six teenagers from New Jersey run off to see The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) in the hope of meeting their idols. However, they don't have tickets. Along the way, they learn new things about friendship and growing up.Robert Zemeckis
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsBen JohnsonJamie Lee CurtisHart BochnerThree years after a prank went terribly awry, the six college students responsible are targeted by a masked killer at a New Year's Eve party aboard a moving train.Roger Spottiswoode
- DirectorDavid FrankelStarsSarah Jessica ParkerMia FarrowAntonio BanderasGwyn begins doubting her "yes" to Matt's wedding proposal, when she hears about her parents' and brother's adultery.David Frankel