Zoe Kravitz has done music, acted, been a model and this week gets to release her first directorial debut, "Blink Twice." In the spirit of supporting artists with their new endeavors (nepo baby or not), here is our list of some of the best, but not as iconic, first efforts from filmmakers who would go on to have great careers as directors and producers.

Barry Jenkin's directorial debut 'Medicine For Melancholy' (2008)

Barry Jenkins got stiffed at the Oscars for "Moonlight," won more awards for "If Beale Street Could Talk," blew critics away with "The Underground Railroad" and is set to release "Mufasa: The Lion King." But, his entire career began with a little seen indie romantic drama starring "The Daily Show" correspondent Wyatt Cenac. It took years before Jenkins would be able to make something on the level of "Moonlight," and you should still check out this gem if you haven't.

Jon Watt's directorial debut 'Cop Car' (2015)

Jon Watts has done three Spider-Man movies and made billions of dollars for both Sony and Disney. So, why haven't we heard anything about his debut "Cop Car?" Kevin Bacon doesn't agree to just be in a low budget indie thriller from an unknown filmmaker, so it had to be an extremely special project and filmmaker to convince someone of that stature to jumpstart that career. Wasting no time at all, Watts made the jump to the biggest possible stage and created some of the best Peter Parker stories to ever be in live action!

Joe Carnahan's directorial debut 'Narc' (2002)

Joe Carnahan does one thing extremely well: direct the hell out of action movies. His first big budget blockbuster came out of the gate electric, and was filled with stars like Ray Liotta and Busta Rhymes. The Detroit police have to deal with drug dealers and undercover crooked cops, and Carnahan's underrated thriller would only lead to more outrageous and outlandish action epics like "Smokin' Aces," "The A-Team" and "The Grey."

George Clooney's directorial debut 'Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind' (2002)

Charlie Kaufman is one of the greatest writers to ever get inside Hollywood lots in Los Angeles. His idiosyncratic stories and ideas are unique and brilliant, you automatically know it's him when one of his scripts come to life, no one else is capable of engineering such wild dark comedies.

Famously, there was some behind the scenes tension between Kaufman and George Clooney directing his first film, a warped biopic about "The Gong Show" creator Chuck Barris who claims he was a spy in the CIA. Sam Rockwell is magnetic, the film is energetic, the jokes are snappy and it's a one-of-a-kind type of biography.

Ben Affleck's directorial debut 'Gone Baby Gone' (2007)

Affleck really revived his career directing the adaptation of the novel "Gone Baby Gone," pivoting into becoming more of a director than an actor. It led to "The Town" and "Argo" — which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but his first film is still worth watching (and is arguably better than his more recent efforts). Nothing beats a well acted thrilling mystery, it's a well trodden genre for a reason.

Regina King's directorial debut 'One Night In Miami' (2020)

Regina King is a wonderful actor and has directed a ton of TV, and finally curtailed that career (after an Oscar win) into her first directorial feature. It's an adaptation of a stage play about four famous civil rights leaders/celebs who have a pivotal night together. It's based on a true story, but clearly the conversations are entirely made up, but one thing wasn't: King is a hell of a director.

Ben Stiller's directorial debut 'Reality Bites' (1994)

It's hard to fathom Ben Stiller being a powerful and successful director and producer behind the camera when so many of his famous roles are in front of it. Nowadays he's one of the creatives working on the excellent Apple series "Severance," but he had the juice back in the day, too.

Honorable Mentions

• Michael Keaton's directorial debut "The Merry Gentleman"
• Robert de Niro's directorial debut "A Bronx Tale"
• Bo Burnham's directorial debut "Eight Grade"
• Danny DeVito's directorial debut "Throw Mama From The Train"
• Jon Favreau's writing debut and Doug Liman's second film "Swingers"
• Brett Morgan's directorial debut "On The Ropes"

[Image: YouTube]