WATCH: Turn Back the Clock to These Actors’ Directorial Debuts

With only a few months left until the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, we’re eager to experience the breadth of creativity that is sure to be displayed across the unique stories that make up the upcoming Fest’s program. We’re especially excited to hear new voices in independent film — artists whose blossoming careers help us see the world in different ways.

There’s no feeling quite like witnessing a filmmaker’s directorial debut, that incomparable moment representing the culmination of years of artistic efforts. A filmmaker’s feature debut can inspire nervous anticipation even in those who have spent their entire lives around film. Actors, for instance, may be used to standing in the spotlight, but it still takes courage to place oneself behind the camera to share a new story with the world.

“On paper, it was like, ‘This guy’s never directed a movie before; who’s gonna let him do that?’” says Zach Braff of his film Garden State, which was inspired by his upbringing in suburban New Jersey. Braff also wrote the screenplay and portrayed the protagonist in the film, which premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Braff had appeared in a couple films that had previously screened at the Festival (The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, Getting to Know You), but attending as a director is another beast entirely.

Paul Dano had already acted in eight Sundance Film Festival titles — including the beloved Little Miss Sunshine — before he made his directorial debut in 2018 with Wildlife, which he co-wrote with Zoe Kazan based on Richard Ford’s novel of the same name. “I have wanted to make a film for a really long time,” Dano says. Finally getting the chance to direct his own work proved to be exhilarating. “I just loved working on set with the actors. I was shocked how much trust they gave me.”

Continue below to hear more from some of the artists who have showcased their talent both in front of and behind the camera in Sundance-supported films.