Who directed "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"?

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of Roy Neary, an everyday blue-collar worker in Indiana, whose life changes after an encounter with an unidentified flying object(UFO).

Made on a production budget of $20 million, "Close Encounters" was released in a limited number of cities on November 16, 1977 and November 23, 1977 before expanding into wide release the following month. It was a critical and financial success, eventually grossing over $337 million worldwide. The film received numerous awards and nominations at the 50th Academy Awards, 32nd British Academy Film Awards, the 35th Golden Globe Awards, the Saturn Awards and has been widely acclaimed by the American Film Institute.

The film's origins can be traced to director Steven Spielberg's youth, when he and his father watched a meteor shower in New Jersey. As a teenager, Spielberg completed the full-length science fiction film Firelight. Many scenes from Firelight would be incorporated in Close Encounters on a shot-for-shot basis. In 1970 he wrote a short story called Experiences about a lovers' lane in a Midwestern United States farming community and the "light show" a group of teenagers see in the night sky. In late 1973, during post-production on "The Sugarland Express", Spielberg developed a deal with Columbia Pictures for a science fiction film. 20th Century Fox previously turned down the offer.