500 Days Of Film Reviews 52 Films By 52 Female Directors
Ask any female film director and they will tell you that they don’t want any special treatment. They don’t want attention simply for being a woman. They would far prefer to let their work speak for itself - and in an ideal world it would.
Sadly, we don’t live in an ideal world. Women film directors are woefully represented on our cinema screens and a remarkable prejudice still exists around the types of stories that women can tell and the box office potential of female led films.
As a result, I wanted to highlight 52 fabulous female directors that I have encountered since embarking on my 500 Days Of Film Challenge. Why 52, you may ask. Well, this list was partly inspired by Women In Film’s campaign to encourage film lovers to watch a movie from a female director every week for a year.
There are, of course, many more wonderful women directors. In addition, the directors featured below have made lots of other brilliant films. Perhaps consider this list as a starting point. If it introduces you to even one new filmmaker it will have more than served its purpose.
52 Women Directors (in alphabetical order)
Choosing just one film from these 52 fabulous filmmakers has proved rather tricky. In some cases I have cheated and added some honourable mentions (apologies if I have missed films off this list - it is a work in progress!).
Maren Ade
Film: Toni Erdmann
Year: 2016
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Ana Lily Amirpour
Andrea Arnold
Amma Asante
Houda Benyamina
Amy Berg
Film: West Of Memphis
Year: 2012
Genre: Documentary
Honourable Mentions: Deliver Us From Evil, Janis: Little Girl Blue
Clio Bernard
Film: The Selfish Giant
Year: 2013
Genre: Drama
Honourable Mentions: The Arbor
Kathryn Bigelow
Film: The Hurt Locker
Year: 2008
Genre: War/Drama
Honourable Mentions: Near Dark, Point Break, Zero Dark Thirty
Anna Biller
Anna Boden
Jane Campion
Film: Bright Star
Year: 2009
Genre: Drama
Honourable Mentions: The Piano
Niki Caro
Lisa Cholodenko
Gabriela Coperthwaite
Sofia Coppola
Film: Lost In Translation
Year: 2003
Genre: Drama
Honourable Mentions: The Virgin Suicides
Claire Denis
Film: Beau Travail
Year: 1999
Genre: Drama
Honourable Mentions: White Material
Julia Ducournau
Film: Raw
Year: 2017
Genre: Horror/Drama
Ava DuVernay
Nora Ephron
Film: Sleepless In Seattle
Year: 1993
Genre: Romance
Honourable Mentions: You've Got Mail, Julie & Julia
Jodie Foster
Kelly Freemon Craig
Film: The Edge Of 17
Year: 2016
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Deniz Gamze Erguven
Liz Garbus
Film: What Happened, Miss Simone?
Year: 2015
Genre: Documentary
Honourable Mentions: Bobby Fischer Against The World
Debra Granik
Mia Hansen Love
Catherine Hardwicke
Mary Harron
Film: American Psycho
Year: 2000
Genre: Crime/Drama
Sian Heder
Marielle Heller
Anna Rose Holmer
Ann Hui
Patty Jenkins
Film: Monster
Year: 2003
Genre: Crime/Drama
Liza Johnson
Kirsten Johnson
Jennifer Kent
Mimi Leder
Film: Deep Impact
Year: 1998
Genre: Action
Alice Lowe
Film: Prevenge
Year: 2016
Genre: Horror
Penny Marshall
Film: Big
Year: 1988
Genre: Comedy
Honourable Mentions: Awakenings
Rebecca Miller
Jocelyn Moorhouse
Carol Morely
Nancy Myers
Louise Osmand
Film: Dark Horse
Year: 2015
Genre: Documentary
Honourable Mentions: Versus: The Life and Films Of Ken Loach
Sarah Polley
Laura Poitras
Lynne Ramsay
Kelly Reichardt
Film: Wendy And Lucy
Genre: Drama
Honourable Mentions: Certain Women, Meek's Cutoff, Old Joy, Night Moves
Lorene Scafaria
Lone Scherfig
Rachel Tunnard
Susanna White
Alice Winocour
It's Over To You...
Creating any film list is a challenging process because there are always too many films/directors and not enough slots. For example, I am aware that I have not included grandmothers of film such as Leni Riefenstahl and Alice Guy Blaché.
In addition, I very much wanted to include Celine Sciamma, Chantal Akerman and Lake Bell and the work of many, many more wonderful women film directors.
Who would have made your list?
Do let me know by leaving me your favourite female director in the comments section below!