Who is credited with the concept of "Auteur theory"?

The concept of "Auteur theory" is credited primarily to François Truffaut, a prominent French filmmaker and critic associated with the French New Wave movement. This theory suggests that the director is the principal creative force behind a film, asserting that a director's personal style and artistic vision profoundly shape the cinematic experience. Truffaut articulated the idea that films reflect the director's personal touch as distinctly as an author's writing style can be recognized in literature.

While Jean-Luc Godard also played a significant role in the development and promotion of the French New Wave and cinematic criticism, it was Truffaut's essay "A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema" published in 1954 that laid the groundwork for the formal establishment of the Auteur theory. In this essay, he argued that a director's signature can be seen in the themes, visual style, and narratives of their films, much like how an author’s voice appears in their literature.

Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese are both highly influential directors known for their unique styles and contributions to cinema, but they are not the originators of the theorized framework regarding directors as the key authors of their films. Thus, Truffaut's role in articulating and solidifying the theory makes him the figure