This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial theatrical release.
Notes:
♦ 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, or short films or music videos.
Please refer to individual entries for further detail.