Angelika Directorial Debuts

The Angelika Film Center is committed to supporting new talent by giving new filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their work at our theater. This section includes just a few of the early works from now-celebrated filmmakers that have graced the screens at the Angelika New York.

Kevin Smith's quirky and quotable first feature "captures the zeitgeist of an era and becomes the voice of a generation" (Salon.com).
Clerks
  • 1994
An intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of Diana Vreeland's fifty year reign as the "Empress of Fashion"
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel
  • 2011
Director Sacha Jenkins' fascinating chronicle of hip-hop and urban fashion - a Sundance Film Festival Official Selection
Fresh Dressed
  • 2015
"A bittersweet, wryly comic, keenly observed look at senescence from Israeli directors Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit." -Boston Globe
The Farewell Party
  • 2014
Master filmmaker Christopher Nolan's tale of a man with short-term memory loss, who attempts to track down his wife's murderer
Memento
  • 2000
Director Nadine Labaki serves up a sweet look at the inside of a Beirut beauty salon
Caramel
  • 2007
Brutal, hilarious and not for the faint of heart, Danny Boyle's film was the most talked about movie of 1996.
Trainspotting
  • 1996
Josh Sternfeld delivers a gripping family drama about the coping process of a widower and his family
Winter Solstice
  • 2004
From director/writer Sandra Goldbacher exploration of the agonies and ecstasies of friendship.
Me Without You
  • 2001
Sofia Coppola establishes her signature vision with this first feature that conjures the ineffable melancholy of teenage longing and ennui.
The Virgin Suicides
  • 1999
Sandra Nettelbeck's portrait of a headstrong chef whose solitary life is shaken when her sister's eight-year-old daughter arrives at her doorstep
Mostly Martha
  • 2002
Director Ryan Coogler's directorial debut follows the true story of Oscar Grant (a brilliant Michael B. Jordan). Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner.
Fruitvale Station
  • 2013
Romance meets thriller in Laetitia Colombani's tale - starring Audrey Tautou, who breaks out of AMELIE type in a deeply felt performance.
He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not
  • 2002
Academy Award nominated doc from Morgan Spurlock. "An anti-junk-food screed that manages to entertain even as it informs & alarms" (Washington Post)
Super Size Me
  • 2004
Combining Hi-8 video with black-and-white 16mm film, this record-breaking doc solidified its place in film history and became a cultural phenomenon.
The Blair Witch Project
  • 1999
Director/Writer Derek Cianfrance's innovatively structured and exquisitely scored breakout feature. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling star.
Blue Valentine
  • 2010
Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature. Director Morgan Neville shines a spotlight on backup singers behind some of the music industry's greatest.
20 Feet From Stardom
  • 2013
Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz‘s debut feature, deemed by Film Inquiry as “the sweetest damn film of the decade.”
The Peanut Butter Falcon
  • 2019
"An engaging and cumulatively exhilarating debut from ...Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin" (Hollywood Reporter)
Meru
  • 2015
SXSW and Sundance Film Festival Official Selection. "All hail the new team of Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal" (Rolling Stone).
Blindspotting
  • 2018
From Director/Writer Paddy Considine's Sundance award winner, featuring wrenching performances by Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman.
Tyrannosaur
  • 2012
A NSFW romp that follows a rebellious teen who bonds with a male nurse. David Wnendt's film goes beyond the typical confines of shock value.
Wetlands
  • 2014
An atmospheric thriller and a chilling portrait of violence. Director/Writer Michael O’Shea’s debut feature was a Cannes & SXSW Official Selection.
The Transfiguration
  • 2017
Director/writer Tod Williams' Sundance Official Selection. Dramedy that centers on a teen who reflects on his turbulent family life.
The Adventures of Sebastian Cole
  • 1999
A delicate, ominous World War II drama from Director Cate Shortland, anchored by a groundbreaking performance by Saskia Rosendahl
Lore
  • 2012
Director Jake Schreier delivers both a quirky drama and a meditation on aging, bolstered by a masterful lead performance from Frank Langella
Robot and Frank
  • 2012