Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch)
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So much of what we learn about the world, and ourselves, we learn through the stories we are told. That’s why it’s vital for a society to have a diverse array of storytellers that reflects the variety of people in the audience. Unfortunately, female directors have often been suppressed in their efforts throughout filmmaking history, and denied the same opportunities as their male counterparts. However, a growing number of women are making an impact in all areas of film and television, and beginning to shape the entertainment landscape in a way that has never before been seen on this scale. Join us as we look at the venerated legends, promising newcomers and innovative mavericks who are inspiring a new wave of female-oriented storytelling.

By Victoria Luxford

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Andrea Arnold – Her route to filmmaking might be a little bit unconventional, having had a previous career as a presenter on British television. However, Andrea Arnold burst onto the scene in the mid-2000s, telling hard-hitting stories about working-class characters. The critically adored Red Road was followed by breakthrough hit Fish Tank in 2009, starring Michael Fassbender and first-time actor Kate Jarvis. From there, she has gone on to head up huge projects like American Honey, starring Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf, as well as TV phenomenon Big Little Lies, where she directed all seven episodes of the second season. As a filmmaker, Arnold has a talent for digging into the messier parts of human emotion, making her work always worth seeking out.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Amma Asante – To call British-Ghanaian filmmaker Amma Asante a ‘newcomer’ would be to overlook her long career in entertainment, having written and directed TV series since the late 1990s. However, it was in 2013 that she got the opportunity to direct Belle, a historical drama and fictionalised imagining of the life of Dido Elisabeth Belle, a mixed-race member of the 18th-century British aristocracy who used her position to debate gender roles and the slave trade. It was a worldwide hit, leading to the award-nominated 2016 drama A United Kingdom with David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike, as well as directing episodes of hit drama series The Handmaid’s Tale. Predominantly, Asante’s work centres around shining a light on diverse stories from history, and giving a voice to figures who have helped shape our world.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Elizabeth Banks – Perhaps the most recognisable face on this list, thanks to her acting work in films like the Spider-man and Hunger Games films, Banks stepped behind the camera to direct 2015’s Pitch Perfect 2. A huge success, the Emmy nominee went on to direct the 2019 remake of Charlie’s Angels with Kristen Stewart, and 2023’s light-hearted comedy Cocaine Bear. Specialising in crowd-pleasing comedies, it won’t be long before Banks’s directing achievements match those she has earned as an A-list star.

3/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Kathryn Bigelow – Some careers are a success from the beginning, while others enjoy periods in the spotlight. A director of cult movies in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Kathryn Bigelow was a quarter of a century into her filmmaking career when she made The Hurt Locker, the gripping war drama that won Best Picture at the Academy Awards and made her the first woman to win Best Director. Since then, she has focused on social commentary in her projects, directing Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty and John Boyega in Detroit, both based on contentious moments in American history. A Hollywood legend even before her major award win, her work on the classics Point Break and Near Dark have inspired genre filmmakers and revealed her true versatility.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Jane Campion – The third and most recent woman to win Best Director at the Oscars, New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion has inspired generations with her work. Best known for writing and directing 1993 hit The Piano, films like Holy Smoke with Kate Winslet and 2009’s Bright Star have continued to build Campion’s reputation as a storyteller capable of diving deep into the psyche of her characters. She made a stunning return in 2021 with The Power of the Dog, the Western drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch that secured her the long-overdue award. However, with many current filmmakers citing her as an influence, Campion’s legacy was already secure.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Niki Caro – Also hailing from New Zealand, Caro has made a career of telling stories about women overcoming the odds. She broke through with 2002’s Whale Rider, the story of a Māori girl who wants to become the chief of her tribe (a rank only reserved for men). Eighteen years later, after well-received dramas like 2005’s North Country and 2017’s The Zookeeper’s Wife, she would be the ideal choice to bring to life Disney’s Mulan, another tale of a woman fighting for her place in a man’s world. Caro’s distinct visuals and heartfelt storytelling have made her one of the most respected names in filmmaking today.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Mimi Cave – While some directorial debuts arrive quietly, others demand to be noticed. Mimi Cave’s 2022 feature debut, Fresh, was firmly in the latter category. Telling the story of a relationship that takes a very dark turn, the horror-thriller drew incredible performances from stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, and fcemented Cave as a filmmaker to look out for. The reception to the film has seen Caro, who made her name in music videos, attract a stellar cast for her next film: drama Holland, Michigan with Nicole Kidman and Matthew Macfadyen.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Sofia Coppola – This second-generation filmmaker had a high bar to live up to, given her father is Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather. Nevertheless, Sofia Coppola established herself right from the beginning as her own artist with the critically adored 1999 drama The Virgin Suicides followed by the Oscar-winning Lost in Translation in 2003. Working consistently over the years on projects like Marie Antoinette and The Bling Ring, Coppola’s beguiling combination of style and pathos has rendered her films a must-see for cinephiles.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Claire Denis – Best known to lovers of European cinema, Denis has been doing work that dazzles arthouse crowds since the late 1980s. With films that embrace challenging themes and complex imagery, she is the artist behind the beloved drama Beau Travail, considered one of the greatest films of all time in a recent poll by the British Film Institute. Mainstream audiences will be most familiar with her recent work, 2018’s High Life starring Robert Pattinson. A powerhouse of independent film, the Parisian continues to make stories that delight and inspire.

9/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Ava Duvernay – It takes a special filmmaker to do justice to the story of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, but Ava Duvernay did just that with 2014’s Selma, an astounding piece that captures the historic march led by the late civil rights activist. She has since directed big-budget movies like A Wrinkle in Time, striking documentaries like 13th and Colin in Black & White. However, she has also made an impact away from the camera, taking a stand against the lack of diversity in the American film industry and speaking out against the systemic racism that keeps many from succeeding. A vital voice both creatively and politically, it’s little wonder she has been included in Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Greta Gerwig – One of the most successful and exciting filmmakers working at the moment, Gerwig got her start in cinema as an actor, mixing indie hits like Greenberg and Frances Ha with studio projects like the 2011 remake of Arthur and comedy No Strings Attached alongside Natalie Portman. Her move behind the camera propelled her to another level, directing the Oscar-nominated Ladybird in 2017 and putting a new spin on the classic novel Little Women in 2019. In 2023, that unique vision will be brought to a global icon in Barbie, starring Margot Robbie – one of the most anticipated films of the year. A prolific writer, Gerwig is also working on the script to Disney’s forthcoming remake of Snow White.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Patty Jenkins – A filmmaker who has revolutionised the superhero genre, Patty Jenkins enjoyed a long, thriving career before her reinvention as a blockbuster powerhouse. First breaking through as the director of 2003 hit drama Monster with Charlize Theron, a lack of opportunities for female filmmakers meant a 14-year absence from the screen as she pursued TV projects. In 2017, however, Jenkins brought Wonder Woman to the screen, becoming the first woman to direct a superhero movie for an American studio. Currently linked with future Star Wars projects, Jenkins has proven herself a compelling filmmaker in a variety of mediums.

12/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Penny Marshall – From actor to director: Penny Marshall is one of the earlier examples of on-screen stars moving behind the camera. Marshall became a household name in the US during the 1970s as the co-star of Laverne & Shirley, before moving into directing in the ‘80s and filming a number of absolute classics. She directed Whoopi Goldberg in 1986’s Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Tom Hanks in Big two years later. The ‘90s saw her release a timeless favourite with the comedy-drama A League of Their Own, while also working with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams on the Oscar-nominated Awakenings. Sadly passing away in 2018, her legacy in the world of filmmaking is as fondly remembered as her time in front of the camera.

13/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Tayarisha Poe – The legal profession’s loss is cinema’s gain, as a mid-college change of heart saw young filmmaker Tayarisha Poe choose filmmaking over her original ambition to become a lawyer. In 2019, she would win many accolades with her feature debut Selah and the Spades, a drama set in a boarding school and championed by established filmmakers as well as Amazon Studios. Her next work, The Young Wife, debuts this month at South by Southwest Film Festival and features The Flash star Kiersey Clemons.

14/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Sarah Polley – Many celebrated in 2022 when Sarah Polley returned to directing with the star-studded drama Women Talking. It marked the end of a decade-long absence from the big screen, after winning rave reviews with her work in 2011’s Take This Waltz starring Michelle Williams. A successful actor who doesn’t like mixing the disciplines, her penchant for writing – and her recovery from a traumatic brain injury – have kept her away from the director’s chair, but this comeback leads many of her fans to dream of the projects that are potentially on the horizon.

15/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Lynne Ramsay – Despite making just four films since 1999, Lynne Ramsay has acquired a devoted following. She is described by collaborator Tilda Swinton as “one of those rare directors who creates the kind of films that just would not be there if she didn’t make them.” The star has a point, with 2011’s We Need to Talk about Kevin and 2017’s You Were Never Really Here both standing as unique, mood-driven examples of her films that leave a visceral impact. Currently working on psychological thriller Stone Mattress with Julianne Moore, her work is truly unlike anything you’ll find in cinema today.

16/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Kelly Reichardt – Every now and then, a director comes along who’s willing to throw everything at the camera in an explosion of actions, feelings and events. For independent filmmaker Kelly Reichardt, less has always meant more. An exponent of minimalist cinema that lets body language and nature tell the story, she has written and directed some of the most affecting stories of the last decade. If you haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing gems like Meek’s Cutoff, Certain Women or the underrated 2019 drama First Cow, put them at the top of your ‘to-watch’ list. A regular collaborator with Michelle Williams, the pair most recently worked together on comedy-drama Showing Up.

17/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Céline Sciamma – LGBTQ+ cinema is still an underserved genre, but French filmmaker Céline Sciamma is ensuring that there are many new classics involving gender variance and queer romance. Having gained attention for 2011’s Tomboy, about a gender non-conforming young girl, she wrote and directed 2019’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a historical drama about forbidden love between two women of different classes. Her female-led narratives and explorations of identity and sexuality have given rise to stories that leap from the screen.

18/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Agnès Varda – When she passed away in 2019 at the age of 90, Belgian-born French filmmaker Agnès Varda was celebrated by film lovers throughout the world, from Madonna to Martin Scorsese – who once said she was “like no one else” in cinema. Achieving fame as a figure within the French New Wave of the 1950s and ‘60s, Varda’s many independent works blended documentary and fiction as they tackled a variety of issues surrounding the female experience. Varda always sought to find her own voice in her film and photography, which is what made her so influential and her work so enduring.

19/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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The Wachowski Sisters – Responsible for movies like Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending and, of course, The Matrix saga, the Wachowski Sisters, Lana and Lilly, presented as male when they achieved global success with 1999’s The Matrix. However, in 2008, older sister Lana became the first major director in Hollywood to come out as transgender, going on to direct subsequent films as her true self. Younger sister Lilly came out as transgender in 2016, and subsequently revealed that many of the themes of identity within The Matrix were an allegory for their own journeys. Just as they revolutionised special effects movies in the past, they continue to work on projects that change the way we view LGBTQ+ cinema in the future.

20/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Lulu Wang – The reception to 2019’s The Farewell was a professional and personal triumph for director Lulu Wang. Born in China but raised in the US from the age of six, she poured her personal experience into the story of a Chinese-American woman (Awkwafina) who travels to China to say goodbye to her dying grandmother. Nominated for awards at the Golden Globes and Sundance Film Festival, the film announced Wang as a storyteller of great passion and empathy. She continues to tell very personal stories, this time on the small screen, with the forthcoming anthology series Expats starring Nicole Kidman and Jurassic World star Brian Tee.

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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch).
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Chloé Zhao – Only three women in the history of the Academy Awards have won the Oscar for Best Director, and to date only one woman of colour is among them. Chloé Zhao broke that barrier in 2021 when she won Best Director for Nomadland, which also took home Best Picture. Not bad for just her third feature film! Now a confirmed blockbuster director, the Chinese filmmaker directed 2021’s Eternals, bringing the compelling human drama of her independent movies to Hollywood’s biggest stage. A celebrated artist as well as an inspiration, her next project will be highly anticipated.

22/22
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Women In The Director’s Chair: 22 Female Film Directors To Know (And Watch)

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