What was Martin Scorsese’s first feature-length film as director?

Martin Scorsese’s first feature-length film as director was Who’s That Knocking at My Door.

The film began as a short project and developed into Scorsese’s debut feature during the 1960s. It was originally known as I Call First and was later expanded and retitled Who’s That Knocking at My Door. Harvey Keitel stars as J.R., a young man in New York’s Little Italy whose relationships and religious beliefs come under pressure.

The film introduced several themes that became important in Scorsese’s later work, including Catholic guilt, urban life, male friendship, sexuality, and the tension between personal identity and community expectations. It also marked the beginning of Scorsese’s long professional association with Keitel.

Mean Streets is sometimes incorrectly identified as his debut because it was his first major breakthrough and is often treated as the film that established his mature style. Before directing his first feature, however, Scorsese made student and short films, including What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? and It’s Not Just You, Murray!