The 50 highest-rated narrative feature film directorial debuts of the 2010s (as at 1 January 2020).
To be included, films had to be narrative, i.e. no documentaries, although we have included narrative feature debuts by documentary directors. They had to be 60 minutes or longer, have a 1,000-view minimum, and a U.S. theatrical release between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2019 (with exceptions for films that had no U.S. distribution).
We have included animated films, and allowed TV and direct-to-streaming movies, but excluded direct-to-video/DVD movies.
We have include co-directors, where one director has made a narrative film before but the other hasn’t (so, for example, Jemaine Clement is not disqualified for co-directing What We Do in the Shadows with Taika Waititi). On the…
The 50 highest-rated narrative feature film directorial debuts of the 2010s (as at 1 January 2020).
To be included, films had to be narrative, i.e. no documentaries, although we have included narrative feature debuts by documentary directors. They had to be 60 minutes or longer, have a 1,000-view minimum, and a U.S. theatrical release between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2019 (with exceptions for films that had no U.S. distribution).
We have included animated films, and allowed TV and direct-to-streaming movies, but excluded direct-to-video/DVD movies.
We have include co-directors, where one director has made a narrative film before but the other hasn’t (so, for example, Jemaine Clement is not disqualified for co-directing What We Do in the Shadows with Taika Waititi). On the other hand, solo feature directors who have co-directed a feature before are excluded (which is why Greta Gerwig is not on this list, as she co-directed 2008’s Nights and Weekends).
A fifth of the list is made up of women directors: Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Olivia Wilde, Dee Rees, Nora Twomey, Alma Har'el, Rebecca Sugar, Yoon Ga-Eun, Jennifer Fox, Shouko Nakamura, and Dorota Kobiela.
Regionally, the list has strong showings from Brazil, India and South Korea, and notable names from the US including Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ari Aster, Bo Burnham, and Robert Eggers. English actor Paddy Considine and novelist Alex Garland also feature.
