In July 2016, it was announced that Dano would make his directorial debut with the movie "Wildlife", based on the 1990 novel of the same name, by Richard Ford. The movie would be produced by June Pictures, and would star Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal. Dano stated, "I have always wanted to make films and have always known I would make films about family. I couldn't be happier to have such beautiful collaborators like Carey and Jake leading the way." The film opened to critical acclaim after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It also played at the Cannes Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival. The film has earned a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus reading, "Wildlife's portrait of a family in crisis is beautifully composed by director Paul Dano -- and brought brilliantly to life by a career-best performance from Carey Mulligan". Wildlife was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature, Best Female Lead (Mulligan), and Cinematography (Diego Garcia).