There comes a time in every young film-maker's career to stop making those little shorts, walk away from episodic TV or give up on all those music videos and make that one great directorial debut of a feature length film. While first impressions always seem like a good way to start off, some of our greatest film-makers living today and from history past, had somewhat uninspiring directorial debuts, while others hit the ground running on their first cinematic venture. This list celebrates not only 10 film-makers who brought a great freshman cinematic contribution, but also at times, began a trend of other great work to follow. You have your whole life to make your first film, so why not make one as good as these 10.
10. John Singleton, Boyz N The Hood
John Singleton, fresh out of film school at the age of 23, made an auspicious directorial debut with Boyz N The Hood in 1991. Boyz N The Hood is a significant slice of life in American cinema, depicting the lives of a group of childhood friends from the streets of South Central LA. What makes this film so outstanding is the realistic way we see these men live their lives, from what could only be seen as an existence for some, but a means to get out of the streets for others. Director Singleton shows us what it is like to live in South Central, and although the reputation for gangs and violence is rampant, there is also a way of life bursting in every front stoop and backyard party in the neighborhoods. Strong performances from the leads (including Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube and Laurence Fishburne) make this drama all the more compelling, miraculously handled by a 23 year-old first-time director. Singleton, who would become the youngest person ever nominated for a Best Director Oscar for his work in Boyz N The Hood, has had a career that has been fairly uneven, and he has never been quite as good as he was here his first time around.