‘Witch’ director latest to cast debut spell
The Sundance Film Festival can sometimes feel like watching lotto unfold. Every year, winners emerge in the form of buzz, festival prizes and distribution deals that mark the true start of a filmmaker’s career. In 2015, one of the titles to rise out of the pack was “The Witch,” writer-director Robert Eggers’ debut feature. A horror-thriller set in the 17th century and spinning the tale of a family in the grip of religious hysteria, it played to packed houses, and Eggers won the festival’s directing award.
With “The Witch” hitting theaters this week, perhaps launching Eggers into a major career, it brings back memories of other Sundances and other filmmakers. This list is clearly nowhere near complete, but all of these filmmakers found heady success at Sundance with first films. Not all fulfilled their promise.
Coen brothers
Debut feature: “Blood Simple”
(1984).
The skinny: This first feature’s direction is credited to Joel Coen only. The film won Sundance’s dramatic Grand Jury Prize, and Joel Coen won an Independent Spirit Award for his direction (shared with Martin Scorsese and “After Hours”). Lifetime box office gross of nearly $4 million.
Next feature: “Raising Arizona (1987), grossed nearly $23 million.
Career: The siblings have made 17 features, including “The Big Lebowski,” “Fargo,” “No Country for Old Men” and the current “Hail, Caesar!” They have 14 Oscar nominations, including a current one for best original screenplay for “Bridge of Spies” and four wins, a best original screenplay for “Fargo” and a hat trick — adapted screenplay, best director and best picture — for “No Country for Old Men.” Verdict: The original vision first recognized at Sundance has served the Coens well as they have built a sturdy career on the strength of their idiosyncratic personal style.
Steven Soderbergh
Debut feature: “Sex, Lies & Videotape” (1989).
The skinny: Sundance dramatic Audience Award; Cannes Palme d’Or and Fipresci; four Independent Spirit Awards, including best feature and best director; and Oscar nomination for best original screenplay, among many more awards and nominations. Nearly $25 million at U.S. box office.
Next feature: “Kafka” (1991), just over $1 million at U.S. box office on an estimated $11 million budget.
Career: He went on to main- stream success with such films as the “Ocean’s” franchise and “Magic Mike,” while maintaining his art-house cred with projects like “Bubble” and “Che.” Oscar nominated for “Erin Brockovich” and an Oscar winner for “Traffic.” Insists he’s retired from directing features, but directs for TV and theater. Verdict: Fulfilled the promise of “Sex, Lies & Videotape” and then some. If he really is retired from features, he can afford to rest on his laurels.
Edward Burns
Debut feature: “The Brothers McMullen” (1995).
The skinny: The onetime “Entertainment Tonight” production assistant’s film won Sundance’s dramatic Grand Jury Prize and an Independent Spirit Award for best first feature. Grossed more than $10 million on a $238,000 budget.
Top right: M. Emmet Walsh in the Coen brothers’ first film, the Texas noir “Blood Simple.” Above right: Nikki Reed (left) and Evan Rachel Wood in the brutal coming-of-age drama “Thirteen,” Catherine Hardwicke’s debut.
Next feature: “She’s the One” (1996) starring Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz. Grossed just over $9.5 million. Career: Eleven features to date, but with diminishing box office returns. Last feature was the little-seen “The Fitzgerald Family Christmas” (2012). Created, wrote, directed and starred in the 2015 TNT TV series “Public Morals.” Verdict: Started strong with the immensely charming “The Brothers McMullen,” but his directing career never caught fire.
Catherine Hardwicke
Debut feature: “Thir
teen” (2003).
The skinny: Hardwicke won the dramatic directing prize at Sundance and received a best first feature Independent Spirit Award nod. She also directed Nikki Reed to a best debut performance Indie Spirit nomination and Holly Hunter to a best supporting actress Oscar nomination. The film eventually earned just over $10 million worldwide.
Next feature: “Lords of Dogtown” (2005), which garnered six Teen Choice Awards nominations and grossed nearly $13.5 million worldwide.
Career: Hardwicke’s third feature, “The Nativity Story,” was another success, and then she hit the stratosphere with “Twilight,” the first film in the enormously popular teen vampire tetralogy, the winner of 10 Teen Choice Awards and five MTV Awards, and an international box office hit grossing close to $400 million. She came down after that, but “Red Riding Hood” still did well at the box office. Her two latest features, though, represent a crash landing for a director who flew so high, with “Plush” earning only $3,000 in ticket sales and last year’s “Miss You Already” garnering less than $1.2 million, despite the presence of stars Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette. Verdict: Hardwicke could be on the downswing of her career, but given her early track record, it’s too early to count her out.
Ryan Coogler
Debut feature: “Fruitvale Station” (2013).
The skinny: The Oakland native’s debut earned both Grand Jury and audience awards at Sundance, Un Certain Regard-Avenir at Cannes, a best first feature Independent Spirit Award, and many more awards and nominations. It grossed more than $16 million.
Next feature: Reignited the “Rocky” franchise with “Creed” (2015), which has grossed more than $160 million worldwide to date. Coogler directed franchise creator Sylvester Stallone to a best supporting actor Oscar nomination.
Career: Just getting started. He recently signed on to direct “Black Panther,” a Marvel Comics superhero movie.
Verdict: Too soon to tell, but all signs point to a monster career.