Everyone in show business has to start somewhere, and while many of those starts are of the lower-profile, slower-moving variety, a rare few burst on the scene to immediate acclaim. That includes directors, some of whom kick off their feature film careers helming small movies that fly under the radar before finally putting out a widespread smash—like Nora Ephron, whose 1992 directorial debut, the relatively little-known This Is My Life, was soon eclipsed by the iconic rom-com Sleepless in Seattle—while others open with an undeniable, must-watch hit.
Here, we’ve rounded up 15 directors whose debuts fall in the latter category, from now-well-established names like Spike Lee and Sofia Coppola to up-and-comers like Celine Song and A.V. Rockwell.
