As you may know, there was a recent study that showed that women make up only 7% of all directors in Hollywood. This is despite the fact that female-directed films are more profitable than male-directed ones.
The question is: Why?
Female directors are an increasing minority in the film industry.
While there is a small number of female directors who have been able to make it big in Hollywood, such as Ava DuVernay and Kathryn Bigelow, many more struggle to get their films made or find funding for them.
The result is that women’s voices do not often reach the public through film.
There is still a long way to go before achieving gender parity in Hollywood, but with more female directors coming onto the scene we can hope that someday this will be an outdated conversation.
FEMALE FILM DIRECTORS
What Are Female Film Directors
A female director is a woman who directs films.
Female directors are not as well known or celebrated as their male counterparts, but they have produced many important and acclaimed films.
Female Directors Today
Female directors have been playing a huge role in the film industry, and they are making some of the best films. Female Directors Today The world of filmmaking has seen more than its fair share of gender inequality over the years.
In fact, women accounted for only 2% of all directors on 1,000 top-grossing films between 2007 and 2017 according to a study by San Diego State University’s Center for Study of Women in Television and Film.
But things are changing—albeit slowly—for female filmmakers; as recent statistics show that there was an increase from 2016 to 2017 with 4% more women directing movies last year than before.
Best Female Directors List
There are many amazing talents on this list, including Jodie Foster, Kathryn Bigelow, Sofia Coppola, and Agnès Varda.
These women have proven that they can be just as successful as any man in their industry!
This list of the best female directors is my personal favorite. I am a big fan of independent films and these are some of the most well-known indie female directors. Some you may not know about, but they’re worth checking out!
I hope this list helps you find your new favorite director or at least someone to add to your Netflix watchlist!
Do you know of any female directors? There are many great ones!
This list is the best female directors for 2017. This list includes only one woman who directed a documentary but does not include any women of color.
-Mia Hansen
-Ava DuVernay
-Kathryn Bigelow
-Claire Denis
Best Female Directors
It covers a wide range of genres including comedy, horror, and drama. The list includes some well-known female directors like Sofia Coppola, who is known for her suspenseful thrillers.
Other noteworthy films include “The Virgin Suicides,” “Lost in Translation,” “Marie Antoinette,” and “The Bling Ring.” There’s also Angela Robinson with two great queer films – Professor Marston & the Wonder Women and Herbie: Fully Loaded – which garnered Robinson major acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
Female directors are finally getting their due in Hollywood. After years of being underrepresented and overlooked, women filmmakers have made a significant impact on the film industry.
In 2012, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director, and this year Ava Duvernay had her groundbreaking debut with Selma.
With the success of these two female directors, many others are beginning to follow suit, leading Hollywood towards gender parity.
As women continue to break barriers in other industries it seems inevitable that they will do so in filmmaking as well. This is especially true considering how few females there were from 1995-2005 (only 8%!) when compared to how many there are today.
In the last three decades, there has been an influx of female directors in Hollywood. The number of women directing top-grossing films increased from 2% to 9%. This is a sign that more and more females are entering the film industry.
One reason for this phenomenon could be because Hollywood is becoming less male-dominated with time.
Here are the names you should know:
-Amma Asante (Belle);
-Alice Rohrwacher (The Wonders);
-Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?);
-Maggie Betts (Novitiate).
Best Female Directed Movies
We’ll explore what they’re about, why you should watch them, and if there’s anything similar out there. Without further ado…
The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
The Hitch-Hiker is a 1953 suspense thriller, directed by Ida Lupino and written by Patricia Highsmith.
The film was produced for just $110,000 and grossed $2 million in theaters. It stars Edmond O’Brien as the villainous hitch-hiker who terrorizes two vacationers (Dane Clark and Frank Lovejoy).
The hitch-hiker has been a popular trope in horror films for decades and this film was released during the time of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho when many people found themselves sitting on their own porches at night waiting to get picked up.
This fear only increased with Charles Starkweather’s murderous spree that began later in 1957. So watching this movie could be an interesting experience for anyone
In the 1950s, before there was a freeway system in the United States, you could find hitchhikers all over America. It was common to see people with their thumbs out along highways or on busy city streets.
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
In the early 1960s, French director Agnès Varda set out to explore what it means to be a woman. Her first film Cléo from 5 to 7 was made in 1962 and is now widely hailed as one of the most groundbreaking movies of its era.
The movie follows Cléo (Corinne Marchand), an attractive young Parisian who is going through some tough times. She’s been diagnosed with a terminal illness and she wants to spend her last few hours alive listening to music before she dies.
Throughout this short film, we see images of everyday life in France during the 1960s while hearing Cléo’s thoughts about love, death, money, family, and other things that are on her mind.
It starts out with her at 5 in the morning and she’s getting ready for work. She takes care of her cat, drinks coffee, and goes on a bike ride before starting work at 6 AM.
At 7 PM she meets up with friends for dinner before heading home where she spends the evening watching TV and talking on the phone with people until it’s time for bed.
She repeats this routine every day but as time progresses you can tell that things are not looking good.
![Cleo from 5 to 7 (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Q5CCB48JL.jpg)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
The film Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) directed by Chantal Akerman is a masterpiece of feminist filmmaking. It tells the story of an everyday housewife and mother who has been widowed for three years.
The film explores her life as she spends hours on mundane tasks; cooking dinner for her children, doing laundry, going to work at a department store where she sells gloves.
The audience observes Jeanne’s day-to-day activities from morning until night with no dialogue or plot points other than what we see play out in front of us through Akerman’s camera lens.
Jeanne is a single mother who spends her days cooking and cleaning while her son studies for his exams. The film observes the mundane rhythms of housework and family life through this woman’s daily routine.
It explores the monotony of domestic chores in what can be seen as an existentialist perspective on death and dying in that it presents these activities as tedious but necessary tasks which form meaning for those undertaking them.
![Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XSV89novL.jpg)
Seven Beauties (1975)
Seven Beauties is a 1975 Italian language film written and directed by Lina Wertmüller and starring Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, and Shirley Stoler.
Set during World War II, the film tells the story of an Italian everyman who is willing to do anything to survive after he is arrested for desertion and sent to a German prison camp.
Seven Beauties was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1976, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Giannini), Best Director (Wertmüller), Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
At the time, it was tied for the most Academy Award nominations ever received by a non-English-language film with Federico Fellini’s Amarcord (which won three awards). It was also the first foreign-language film nominated for Best Picture.
The main character, Pasqualino Frafuso (Giancarlo Giannini), is a Neapolitan who is drafted into the Italian army during World War II.
He deserts after being captured by the Germans during the invasion of Russia but is recaptured as he tries to sneak back into Italy.
Daughters of the Dust (1991)
Daughters of the Dust, directed by Julie Dash, is a story that will speak to your heart and leave you in awe at its end.
It’s 1991 and it’s been some time since the death of Queen Quet, queen of an ancient African kingdom.
The daughters she left behind are now scattered across the U.S., trying to make a new life for themselves in a world that has changed so much in their absence.
The film tells their story, from the early days when they would return home to visit with their mother and grandmother, through the heartbreak of leaving Africa forever and finally settling into what becomes not just America but Americanness.
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Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993)
In 1993, Jane Campion directed the film The Piano. In it, a mute woman named Ada (played by Holly Hunter) is sold to an English Captain as his wife in order to settle her father’s debts.
While this may sound like the plot of a horror story, it is actually one of the most beautiful and touching love stories ever told on screen.
The Piano is a 1993 drama directed by Jane Campion, starring Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel.
It tells the story of Ada, an English woman who immigrates with her daughter to New Zealand in 1842.
The film starts off with Ada’s husband abandoning them and their baby daughter at a port in Scotland because she can no longer play piano due to arthritis.
Ada has been playing since childhood but her skills are hindered by the illness which makes it difficult for her hands to move quickly enough across the keys.
Beau Travail (1999)
Beau Travail (1999) is a French-language film about an elite regiment of the French Foreign Legion from the perspective of a new recruit.
The movie follows one man, who has just arrived in Africa to join this elite regiment and we see him through his journey to becoming a part of this group.
The men he meets along the way are all doing their best to train, care for themselves, and maintain some semblance of humanity while living on the edge.
There’s not much dialogue in Beau Travail but you will find yourself captivated by it nonetheless.
In the late 1990s, a film called Beau Travail was released. This is a war film that follows the story of an elite group of soldiers in France’s Foreign Legion.
When it was first released, this movie became quite popular as it received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
The film won awards at Cannes Film Festival for Best Director and Best Actor, which were awarded to Claire Denis and Denis Lavant respectively.
The soundtrack also received much acclaim with composer Georges Delerue winning an award for his work on the score at Cannes Film Awards 2000.
Beau Travail is not only worth watching because of its accolades but also because it offers insight into foreign legion life during wartime. It does so by showing us how
Beau Travail is a film about the extreme physical and mental stresses of soldiering that director Claire Denis believes to be universal across cultures.
The title refers not only to the legendary French Foreign Legion but also to Marcel Proust’s famous novel “In Search of Lost Time”.
The movie Beau Travail is a 1999 French-language film directed by Claire Denis.
Though the director’s thesis in college was on Vietnam War movies, she decided to explore the themes of war and masculinity through this account of three young men stationed at a small outpost in Djibouti for six months.
The movie has been praised as one of the best films about war ever made, with many critics praising its cinematography and atmosphere.
It won several awards including Best Director at Cannes Film Festival for Claire Denis which marked her first such award.
![Beau Travail [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516DuPkmE6L.jpg)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Lost in Translation is a 2003 American romantic drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola.
The movie stars Bill Murray as Bob Harris, an aging actor who finds himself disoriented in Tokyo.
He embarks on a journey to find the woman he was once involved with. Along the way he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), an unhappy young wife, whom he becomes interested in during his stay at her hotel.
His thoughts are revealed through voice-over narration that has been described as “self-conscious.”
Lost in Translation was filmed in both Japan and California; it features mostly non-professional actors.
The movie explores themes of loneliness, alienation, and disorientation within an unfamiliar culture or environment.
These feelings are experienced not only by Bob but also by Charlotte after she arrives in Tokyo for her husband’s job assignment.
![Lost in Translation [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5186D8cwfIL.jpg)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
The Hurt Locker is a 2008 American war film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It tells the story of Staff Sergeant William James, an Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) bomb technician who was part of a U.S. military Joint Task Force in Baghdad during the Iraq War and his struggles to save himself and others from the constant threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The Hurt Locker (2008) was an intense, heart-pumping movie about a three-man bomb disposal team fighting for their lives in Baghdad.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal, this underrated thriller is the perfect antidote to a boring Sunday afternoon.
Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in history to win an Oscar for Best Director. Her film “The Hurt Locker” is a gripping account of a three-man bomb squad during the Iraq War.
The movie follows Staff Sergeant William James as he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder while on duty and his relationship with his new Iraqi friend, Ahmad.
The film’s intense action sequences are matched by its contemplative moments exploring how war changes people and their relationships. It was released 10 years ago today!
His team has to go into high-risk situations and disarm bombs while being exposed to extreme levels of stress. This movie gives viewers a glimpse into what it feels like for those living under this type of pressure and how they are able to cope with it.
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Fish Tank (2009)
The Fish Tank is a 2009 independent film written and directed by Andrea Arnold. The story is centered around 15-year old Mia, played by Katie Jarvis, who lives in a council estate on the outskirts of London with her two younger brothers.
Mia’s mother has died from cancer and she tries to fulfill her role as head of the house while also trying to be supportive of her siblings.
When she meets Lily (Kierston Wareing) while out shopping for school clothes, they begin an intense friendship that changes both their lives forever.
Fish Tank was nominated for four 2010 British Academy Film Awards including Best Supporting Actress Kierston Wareing for her portrayal as Lily; Best Director Andrea Arnold; Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking;
Winter’s Bone (2010)
The film was directed by Debra Granik and it stars Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, and Kevin Breznahan.
The film tells the story of Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) who lives in rural Missouri with her family which includes her mother Sarafine (Smoak), sister Jet (Dern), brother Teardrop (Kinnear), half-sister Lila Lee Raye (Goggins).
If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comment section
In the midst of winter, this movie offers a great escape. Winter’s Bone (2010) is an American independent drama film written and directed by Debra Granik.
It stars Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old girl living in rural Missouri who takes on her missing father’s responsibilities after he goes to prison for dealing drugs.
The film won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Actress for actress Jennifer Lawrence and was nominated for four other Oscars: Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Film Editing.
Winter’s Bone is a 2010 film that tells the story of 17-year-old Ree Dolly, who takes on her family responsibilities in order to ensure her younger siblings do not go hungry.
The movie was directed by Debra Granik and stars Jennifer Lawrence as Ree. It is based on Daniel Woodrell’s novel of the same name.
In this movie, the audience is introduced to a young girl named Ree who has just learned that her father has skipped bail and left for parts unknown.
She becomes determined to find him in order to make sure he doesn’t return to jail because of his drug addiction. This film was directed by Debra Granik with Jennifer Lawrence starring Ree Dolly.
Ree must brave the cold winter months in Missouri while she searches for her father, which means she will have no shelter from the bitter wind or snowstorms.
Not only does she have physical obstacles but also mental ones like hunger and fear, making it increasingly difficult for her not just physically but also emotionally.
![Winter's Bone [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41YmCDCdynL.jpg)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
“We Need to Talk About Kevin” is a 2011 film directed by Lynne Ramsay. Based on the novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver, tells the story of Eva Khatchadourian, a mother who struggles with her son Kevin’s disturbing acts when he grows up.
It stars Tilda Swinton as Eva and Ezra Miller as Kevin. The movie explores themes such as how difficult raising children can be for parents and also how we value our own lives over other people’s lives. In addition, it discusses what responsibility adults have to their children if they know that their child will grow up to be dangerous or violent.
This is a movie about how the actions of one person, Kevin, can have an impact on others.
It follows through with his journey from childhood to adulthood and examines how people around him were affected by his decisions.
It’s been a few years since the release of “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” an indie film starring Tilda Swinton.
The movie was based on Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel, and it is often cited as one of the most disturbing films in recent memory.
I’ve seen it twice now, and I think that anyone who hasn’t watched it ought to consider doing so.
It can be difficult to watch at times, but considering what we’re going through these days with gun violence – this movie might help us get some insight into what motivates school shooters such as Kevin Karras (the protagonist).
This week we are going to explore a film that is not for the faint of heart.
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) is an adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s novel, which follows a mother and her relationship with her son who commits mass murder.
The movie takes place over 12 years in time spanning from 1995-2007. The story starts off when Eva Khatchadourian sees herself on TV being interviewed about the school shooting her son committed at his high school.
Eva tries to imagine what could have led up to this event by looking through old photo albums, journals she wrote during the pregnancy, and home videos she made when he was younger.
Selma (2014)
Selma is a 2014 American historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb.
The film dramatizes the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Diane Nash, Ralph Abernathy, Mickey Schwerner, and others.
Selma depicts Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.
Along the way, they are met with violence and threats of death as well as people who join them along their journey for equality including white supporters.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) is an American coming-of-age comedy-drama film based on the graphic novel by Phoebe Gloeckner.
The film stars Bel Powley and Kristen Wiig as Minnie Goetze, a 15-year-old who begins to tell her tale in 1976 when she meets up with an older man at a bar.
The story is told through Minnie’s diary entries, which are illustrated in the book so that readers can see for themselves what happens next.
This book has been described as “the most honest depiction of female adolescence” and is great for anyone looking to read about someone else’s teenage experience.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl is based on real-life diaries from author, artist, and activist Phoebe Gloeckner.
The film explores teenage life in 1970s San Francisco through its protagonist 15-year-old Minnie Goetze who lives with her mother, an emotionally unstable alcoholic.
“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is a 2015 American coming-of-age drama film based on the graphic novel of the same name.
The story, written by Phoebe Gloeckner, follows 15-year-old Minnie Goetze (portrayed by Bel Powley) as she deals with her adolescence and issues such as sexuality, drugs, and abuse.
This drama is based on the graphic novel “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” by Phoebe Gloeckner, which was published in 2002.
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Toni Erdmann (2016)
Toni Erdmann is an award-winning German film about a father who tries to reconnect with his daughter by dressing up as her alter ego.
It’s important to note that the movie has won many awards, including the Golden Globe for best foreign-language film.” “The main character, Ines (played by Sandra Hüller), is a workaholic business consultant in Bucharest and she barely spends time with her family.
One day, Winifred (her father) decides to dress up as Toni Erdmann from one of her favorite movies and go visit her at work. Ines doesn’t take him seriously at first but eventually, they start bonding over their shared love of music until he drops his disguise and reveals himself.
The 2016 German film Toni Erdmann is a comedy-drama that follows the story of a father who tries to reconnect with his daughter after an awkward encounter.
The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Screenplay.
This movie has been met with critical acclaim from both critics and audiences alike, so it’s worth checking out.
Audiences who enjoy foreign films will appreciate the comedic nature of Toni Erdmann.
The film follows a divorced father, played by Peter Simonischek, who attempts to reconnect with his daughter (played by Sandra Hüller) through increasingly bizarre pranks and stunts.
![Toni Erdmann (2016) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51HzycWHbZL.jpg)
Lady Bird (2017)
Lady Bird is a movie about a young girl’s coming-of-age journey during the turbulent time of her senior year in high school.
This film was written and directed by Greta Gerwig, who also plays Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson’s mother Marion.
Lady Bird has to deal with family drama, difficult friendships, and boys as she tries to make sense of this crazy world we live in.
The central themes are love and loss which are ever-present throughout the entire narrative. The film ends on an optimistic note that leaves you feeling slightly hopeful for Ladybird’s future.
Lady Bird is a coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson.
It’s filmed in Sacramento, California, and directed by Greta Gerwig. Lady Bird follows her experiences as an outcast at school, her relationship with her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf), and how she navigates the world outside of Sacramento after graduating from high school.
The movie can be enjoyed by people who are looking for a beautiful coming of age story or those interested in seeing what it was like to grow up in the 1990s on the outskirts of one of America’s biggest cities.
Capernaum (2018)
The film Capernaum tells the story of a 12-year-old boy named Zain. He lives in Lebanon with his mother, father, and younger siblings. His family is poor and he often feels like he doesn’t have much to live for.
One day, when his parents are detained at work, Zain meets an older woman who offers him money if he agrees to leave his family behind and go away with her – what will happen?
The film “Capernaum” is a Lebanese drama that tells the story of Zain, a 12-year-old boy who sues his parents for bringing him into this world and not caring about their children’s future.
The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2019, but it lost to “Roma.”
The movie does an excellent job of showing how poverty affects people from childhood to adulthood.
It also gives insight into what life is like in Lebanon as well as illustrating the struggles of refugees living there.
One of the most compelling movies of 2018 is director Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum.” The film takes place in a Lebanese slum and follows Zain, a 12-year-old boy who has been born into poverty.
Atlantique (2019)
Atlantics is a 2019 American film written and directed by Mati Diop.
The film stars Melanie Laurent as the protagonist, Maud, who meets her estranged brother (Antoine) in order to sell off their family’s home on the Atlantic coast of France.
When she arrives at his apartment, he proposes they spend some time together before making any decisions about what to do with the house.
They are soon joined by two other siblings: one from London and one from New York City.
Over the course of five days, each sibling reveals their own secrets which leads them to question how much they really know about themselves and each other.
The Atlantics movie follows four siblings who come together for an unplanned reunion at a French seaside villa.
![Atlantique [Blu-Ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Siu1Q25ZL.jpg)
The Farewell (2019)
The Farewell is a movie about the life of an immigrant family in America. It tells the story of Henry Chang, his wife Gladys, and their three children who are all on different paths in life.
The film takes place over five days as they say goodbye to one another, with each day focusing on a different scene that highlights how fatherhood has shaped them.
The Farewell was written by director Lulu Wang from her own experiences of living with her Chinese-born parents and adapting to American culture while growing up.
The Farewell tells the story of an American woman living in China with her Chinese-American husband who must return home after she learns that she has terminal cancer.
It stars Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, and Shuzhen Zhou; directed by Lulu Wang. This film touches on themes such as family relationships, love for life, cultural identity, and loss of innocence.
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Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
In the novel Portrait of a Lady on Fire, author Daphne du Maurier sets out to explore the idea of what it means to be an artist.
The protagonist is not only a painter but also a sculptor. It’s through her art that she finds expression and meaning in life and death.
The author has written three best-selling novels, the most recent being Le Petit Prince published in 2015. This is his first work of nonfiction and it is an account of his mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The film explores what it means to lose one’s memory and sense of self while still retaining some semblance of their former selves which makes for an insightful read that every person can relate to in some way or another.
A new book, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, is coming out this year and it’s already become the talk of the town.
This book tells the story of two women who are very different in every aspect imaginable. One is a wealthy woman from an old family while the other starts with nothing but her sheer determination to do anything she can to get what she wants.
The question remains: will these two women be able to overcome their differences and succeed? Read on for more information about this exciting new release!
A portrait of a woman on fire is one that has been burned into the pages of history, but it was not always this way.
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Female Comedy Directors
Female comedy directors are an under-represented minority in Hollywood. With the recent success of films like Bridesmaids and Trainwreck, more women are taking on directing comedy films and finding huge success.
Female directors are an endangered species in Hollywood. Women make up less than 5% of the total number of filmmakers and they have been underrepresented for decades.
This is not a trend that’s going away anytime soon, so it’s time to start taking female comedy directors seriously.
The world would be a better place if women were able to take on more roles as creators and leaders, but this isn’t happening in film production or any other industry for that matter.
There are many talented female comedians out there who can make you laugh your head off, but we need these ladies behind the camera too!
The next generation needs role models to look up to because most little girls don’t see themselves reflected anywhere in the media landscape today.
In the past, people have always automatically assumed that men are better directors for comedies.
This is not true anymore! Female comedy directors are just as talented- if not more so- than their male counterparts.
They can make a movie just as funny and unique to them, while also being mindful of staying within budget constraints.
The following list highlights some of the best female comedy directors in Hollywood: (list names)
Female comedy directors are a rare breed. In the past, only 3% of all directors were female and, while this number has risen to 10%, it is still below average.
However, in recent years there has been an increase in female-directed comedies such as Bridesmaids (2011), Girls Trip (2017), and Rough Night (2017).
These films have proven that women can bring something fresh to the table when it comes to comedy filmmaking since they have different points of view than their male counterparts which leads them to create content with more nuance.
Who Is The Most Famous Female Director?
Who is the most famous female director? Sofia Coppola, of course! But you may not have realized she was a woman. Maybe that’s because women are still less likely to get hired for directing jobs in Hollywood.
The first and most iconic female director is Lillian Gish. She was born in 1893 and she had a career that spanned from 1912 to 1987, making her the longest working Hollywood actress of all time. Her many films include “One Reeler” (1912), “A Romance of Happy Valley” (1914), and “Broken Blossoms” (1918).
In 1922, she became one of the founding members of the Academy’s Board Of Directors alongside Cecil B.
DeMille, D. W. Griffiths, Mary Pickford, and Ronald Colman as well as being involved with other organizations such as The Actor’s Fund Of America and Motion Picture Relief Fund during their early days until her death in 1993 at
There are many accomplished female directors, but there is one who stands head and shoulders above the rest. The most famous female director in history is Kathryn Bigelow.
Bigelow has already won an Academy Award for her work as a director of “The Hurt Locker” in 2010 – the first woman to do so.
She also directed “Zero Dark Thirty,” which was nominated for five Oscars in 2013, including Best Picture.
Bigelow’s other films include “Strange Days,” “Point Break,” and “Near Dark.” She has been described by some film critics as the most influential woman working in Hollywood today.”
There are many female directors who have had a profound impact on the film industry.
Some of these women are known for their work in Hollywood, while others have found success directing films in other countries like Iran and China.
Ready to learn about more Film History & Film Movements?
I’m so excited to read this! I love learning about female film directors and their work.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I’m so excited to read this! I love learning about female film directors and their work.
No probs, Greg.