Women Film Directors You Should Know
Fortunately, women have recently been prominent both in front of and behind the camera for some of the most talked-about films, including Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” and Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall.” Jennifer Lee’s “Frozen 2” (co-directed with Chris Buck) stands as the highest-grossing film directed by a woman, with "Barbie," Anna Boden’s “Captain Marvel” (co-directed with Ryan Fleck), and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” following closely. Below, we've curated a list of the best female film directors you should be familiar with: a group of pioneers, award winners, well-known figures, and indie favorites. They are all women, yet they transcend the label of “women directors.” With each “Action!” they call, we move closer to the day when lists like this become unnecessary. Despite women constituting half of all film school graduates, only nine women have been nominated for the best director Oscar throughout the awards’ history, with just three winning the award: Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker,” Chloé Zhao for "Nomadland," and Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog.”
Desiree Akhavan

Akhavan, the daughter of Iranian immigrants, initially gained recognition and humor for “The Slope,” a web series she co-created with Ingrid Jungermann, where they played a lesbian couple in Brooklyn. Her first feature film, “Appropriate Behavior”, received nominations for a Film Independent Spirit Award and a Gotham Award. She directed “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival. In recent years, she has contributed her expertise to various TV projects, including “Tiny Beautiful Things,” “I Love That for You,” “Hacks,” and “The Bisexual.”
Jane Campion

Jane Campion is one of only three women to have won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside Julia Ducournau and Justine Triet. She was also the second woman to receive a best director Oscar nomination and the first to have multiple nominations. These honors were for “The Power of the Dog,” which earned her the esteemed statuette, and “The Piano.” Her filmography also includes the John Keats biopic “Bright Star,” the Henry James adaptation “The Portrait of a Lady” (which garnered two Oscar nominations), “Holy Smoke!,” and the Emmy-winning series “Top of the Lake.”
Sofia Coppola

As a baby, Sofia Coppola appeared in "The Godfather," her father Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar-winning masterpiece for Best Picture. In 1999, she directed her first acclaimed feature, "The Virgin Suicides." Her second film, "Lost in Translation," received four Academy Award nominations, making her the third woman to be nominated for Best Director. Although she did not win that award, she secured Best Original Screenplay and made history again with "The Beguiled," becoming the first woman in 56 years to win the Best Director award at Cannes. Her subsequent collaboration with Bill Murray, "On the Rocks," was praised as a critical masterpiece, as was the Priscilla Presley biopic, "Priscilla."
Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay did not start using a camera until she was 32, initially achieving success in Hollywood by founding a public relations firm. In 2014, she directed "Selma," which was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Her documentary "13th" explored systemic racism in the U.S. prison system and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. With Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” DuVernay became the first Black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget over $100 million. Her Emmy-winning Netflix series about the Central Park 5, “When They See Us,” is regarded as a benchmark for TV miniseries, and she continued to impress with “Origin,” a bold adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.”
Nora Ephron

Renowned journalist and witty writer Nora Ephron followed in her parents' footsteps by entering the screenwriting industry, starting with two projects for actor Meryl Streep and director Mike Nichols. Her first project, “Silkwood,” earned Ephron her first Oscar nomination, along with four additional nominations for her collaborators. “Heartburn” was Ephron’s adaptation of her own best-selling novel. In addition to writing “When Harry Met Sally…,” she directed seven of her scripts, including two films starring Tom Hanks (“Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail”), as well as other films featuring John Travolta (“Michael”), Steve Martin (“Mixed Nuts”), and Streep (“Julie & Julia”). A year after Ephron passed away due to leukemia complications, she was posthumously nominated for a 2013 Tony for writing “Lucky Guy,” the play that marked Hanks' Broadway debut.
Emerald Fennell

Emerald Fennell's first film as a director, the provocative feminist thriller “Promising Young Woman,” received five Oscar nominations and won for best original screenplay. With “Saltburn,” a fiery psychosexual class-conscious black comedy, Fennell established herself as one of the most thrilling creators of cinematic magic. In addition to her film directing achievements, Fennell is a multi-Emmy nominee for her contributions both on- and off-camera in “The Crown” and “Killing Eve,” and she also made a brief yet amusing appearance as the always-pregnant Midge in “Barbie.”
Greta Gerwig

Regarding "Barbie," Greta Gerwig has achieved success with all three of her solo directorial projects. Her imaginative film about the iconic fashion doll made her the first female director to helm a billion-dollar movie. Complete with everything from stunning accessories to challenging the patriarchy and exploring a full existential crisis, the film became a cultural sensation. Gerwig was nominated for best adapted screenplay, and the film received a total of eight nominations for the 2024 Oscars. Her introspective adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” garnered six Oscar nominations and won one; her solo directorial debut, the vibrant coming-of-age film “Lady Bird,” received five nominations.
Amy Heckerling

Amy Heckerling’s filmography includes two iconic portrayals of high school dynamics: “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Clueless.” She also helmed “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and “Look Who’s Talking,” which was a huge box office hit, earning nearly $300 million globally and leading to two sequels. The writer-director has also crafted episodes for “The Office,” “Gossip Girl,” “Red Oaks,” and “Royalties.” The Off-Broadway musical version of “Clueless” features a libretto by Heckerling.
Penny Marshall

After rising to fame as a '70s sitcom star on "Laverne & Shirley," a show co-created by her brother, the late director Garry Marshall, Penny Marshall embarked on her own journey behind the sitcom cameras. She made her film directorial debut with the Whoopi Goldberg movie "Jumpin' Jack Flash," which led to six more films before her passing in 2018. Her most notable films include "Big," "A League of Their Own," "Awakenings," and "Riding in Cars With Boys."
Nancy Meyers

Rom-com icon Nancy Meyers earned an Oscar nomination for her debut screenplay, "Private Benjamin," which she co-wrote with her then-husband, Charles Shyer, and Harvey Miller. The pair continued to collaborate on projects like the "Father of the Bride" films, "I Love Trouble," and the Lindsay Lohan version of "The Parent Trap," which marked Meyers' first time as a director. She later directed several nostalgic romantic comedies, including "What Women Want," "Something's Gotta Give," "The Holiday," "It's Complicated," and "The Intern."
Kimberly Peirce

For her debut feature film "Boys Don't Cry," which dramatizes the murder of Brandon Teena, Peirce received two Spirit Award nominations and a National Board of Review honor for an outstanding directorial debut. The film also earned Hilary Swank her first Oscar for Best Actress. Since then, Peirce has directed episodes of "The L Word," "Halt and Catch Fire," "Dear White People," and "Kidding." She also directed the "Carrie" remake, "Stop-Loss," and has an upcoming historical drama, "This is Jane," about underground abortion service providers.
Gina Prince-Bythewood

Gina Prince-Bythewood achieved a significant career milestone with the popular cult classic "Love & Basketball," produced by Spike Lee. After receiving a Spirit Award for that screenplay, she went on to direct other notable films, such as "The Secret Life of Bees," "Beyond the Lights," "The Old Guard," and the acclaimed epic historical action movie "The Woman King."
Dee Rees

Dee Rees made her feature debut with the queer coming-of-age drama "Pariah," produced by her former professor, Lee. The film received Sundance’s cinematography award, was acknowledged with Film Independent Spirit and Gotham Awards, and became the first film by a Black woman to join the Criterion collection. Rees also directed "Bessie," a TV film about blues singer Bessie Smith, which won four Emmy Awards. Her feature film as a writer-director, "Mudbound," earned four Oscar nominations, making Rees the first Black woman nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. She also directed the adaptation of Joan Didion’s "The Last Thing He Wanted" and has several other projects underway.
Celine Song

If receiving two Oscar nominations for her debut film as a director is any sign, then Celine Song is a filmmaker to observe closely. Song wrote and directed "Past Lives," a poignant movie exploring romance, divided cultural identities, and the depth of decision-making. It's highly probable that her upcoming project, "The Materialists," will also highlight her considerable skills.
Agnès Varda

The late pioneer of the French New Wave, Agnès Varda, earned her first Oscar nomination just months after Angelina Jolie presented her with an honorary statuette from the Academy at the Governors Awards. The prolific multitalented artist began directing in the mid-'50s with "La Pointe Courte," followed by feminist classics like "Cléo From 5 to 7" and "Vagabond." She was married to fellow filmmaker Jacques Demy for nearly three decades and documented his death from AIDS complications in her dramatic work "Jacquot de Nantes." She also co-directed the documentary "Faces Places," which was nominated for best documentary feature, making Varda the oldest person to receive a competitive nomination.
Lana and Lilly Wachowski

Best known for the cyberpunk, paradigm-shifting "Matrix" series, Lana and Lilly Wachowski have also collaborated on projects like "V for Vendetta," "Cloud Atlas," and the Emmy-nominated "Sense8." In 2012, Lana received the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award as the first major Hollywood director to publicly identify as transgender, and in 2016, Lilly also announced she is a transgender woman. Recently, they have ventured into individual projects: Lilly with the TV series "Work in Progress," and Lana with the fourth "Matrix" film, "The Matrix Resurrections."
Chloé Zhao

Chloé Zhao achieved global acclaim with "Nomadland," a wandering and touching portrayal of being an outsider. The film garnered six Oscar nominations, winning best picture and best director, which made Zhao the second woman and the first Asian woman to receive the prestigious best director award. Her other works include Marvel's "Eternals" and the critically acclaimed "Songs My Brothers Taught Me" and "The Rider."
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