question: Who started directing films first Hal Ashby or Oscar Apfel ?
answer: Oscar C. Apfel
context: Title: Phil for Short
  Passage: Phil for Short is a 1919 silent film comedy directed by Oscar Apfel and starring Evelyn Greeley.  It was produced and distributed by World Film Company.
  Title: Bulldog Drummond (1922 film)
  Passage: Bulldog Drummond (1922) was the first film adaptation of the Bulldog Drummond fictional character, starring Carlyle Blackwell Sr. and Evelyn Greeley, and directed by Oscar Apfel.  The story was adapted by B. E. Doxat-Pratt and produced by Maurits Binger.
  Title: Hal Ashby
  Passage: Hal Ashby (September 2, 1929 – December 27, 1988) was an American film director and editor associated with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking.
  Title: Oscar Apfel
  Passage: Oscar C. Apfel (January 17, 1878 – March 21, 1938) was an American film actor, director, screenwriter and producer.  He appeared in 167 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927.
citations: Oscar Apfel Hal Ashby