Final answer:
Italian Neorealism was the first major new wave of filmmakers in the 1950s/60s, before the Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) and others, focusing on social realities and the lives of the working class.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first of the major new waves of filmmakers in the 1950s and 1960s was Italian Neorealism. This movement emerged in the post-World War II era and was characterized by its focus on the everyday lives of the poor and working class, often using non-professional actors and locations rather than studio sets. It was a significant departure from the traditional Hollywood approach, and Neorealism's emphasis on social reality and humanistic concerns had a profound impact on global cinema, predating the French New Wave, which is often mistakenly thought to be the first major post-war cinema movement.