Women Directors in 10 films

Women have directed films since the first days of cinema, but for most of its history they were pushed to the side. These ten films show the range and force of their work from the 1960s to today.

1
Cléo from 5 to 7 1962Agnès Varda · IMDb 7.8Two hours in Paris while a singer waits for the results of a medical test. Agnès Varda's New Wave film follows a woman who learns to see.
Next: Wanda
From Paris to America, where another woman steps into her own story, this one rougher and made almost single-handedly by its star.
2
Wanda 1970Barbara Loden · IMDb 7.1A woman leaves her husband and drifts with a small-time thief. Barbara Loden wrote, directed and starred in this rough American classic.
Next: Daughters of the Dust
Two decades on, the focus widens from one drifter to three generations of women preparing to leave their island.
3
Daughters of the Dust 1991Julie Dash · IMDb 6.6Three generations of Gullah women on a Georgia island get ready to leave for the mainland in 1902. Julie Dash's film was the first by an African-American woman to get a wide release.
Next: The Piano
The setting moves across the world to New Zealand, where a woman who does not speak arrives with her daughter and a piano.
4
The Piano 1993Jane Campion · IMDb 7.5A mute Scottish woman and her daughter arrive in New Zealand with a piano. Jane Campion became the first woman to win the Palme d'Or.
Next: Beau travail
From a Palme d'Or landmark to a very different study of bodies and desire: soldiers, a sergeant and Djibouti.
5
Beau travail 1999Claire Denis · IMDb 7.3Foreign Legion soldiers in Djibouti, and a sergeant eaten by envy. Claire Denis's film ends with one of the great dance scenes.
Next: Lost in Translation
Loneliness changes key, from a barracks to a Tokyo hotel, and from envy to a gentle comedy about sleepless nights.
6
Lost in Translation 2003Sofia Coppola · IMDb 7.7Two lonely Americans meet in a Tokyo hotel. Sofia Coppola's gentle comedy about sleeplessness and being far from home.
Next: The Hurt Locker
From a quiet hotel room to a war zone, where a bomb disposal team works under constant pressure.
7
The Hurt Locker 2008Kathryn Bigelow · IMDb 7.5A bomb disposal team in Iraq, and a man who cannot stop. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director.
Next: Fish Tank
Leaving Iraq for an Essex estate, the camera narrows to a fifteen-year-old who dreams of dancing.
8
Fish Tank 2009Andrea Arnold · IMDb 7.3A fifteen-year-old girl on an Essex estate dreams of dancing and meets her mother's boyfriend. Andrea Arnold's raw, close film.
Next: Toni Erdmann
From a girl's raw coming-of-age to a comedy of family awkwardness, where a father's pranks meet a daughter's serious career.
9
Toni Erdmann 2016Maren Ade · IMDb 7.3A father in joke-shop false teeth plays tricks on his serious businesswoman daughter. Maren Ade's nearly three-hour comedy is both painful and very funny.
Next: Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The guide ends in 1760 Brittany, where a love story is told through looks rather than jokes or words.
10
Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019Céline Sciamma · IMDb 8.0A painter in 1760 Brittany must secretly paint a bride who refuses to pose. Céline Sciamma's love story is told with looks, and won the screenplay prize at Cannes.

Learn more about Women Directors →