"Away from the big beasts of Hollywood, however, it was a year that saw first films by directors who'd go on to huge things or wider acclaim themselves, including Christopher Nolan (with Following), Darren Aronofsky (with Pi), Denis Villeneuve (with August 32nd on Earth), Lukas Moodysson (with Show Me Love) and Abderrahmane Sissako (with Life on Earth). In many ways though, the most impressive directorial debut of the year was The Apple, the startlingly original Iranian feature made by Samira Makhmalbaf at the tender age of 17.
Shockingly, even the 10 films below are older than that now."
