In its 87 years of existence, only four women have ever been nominated for a Best Director Oscar. All of those nominees have made my list of the greatest movies directed by women. While researching this project, the original draft was more than 100 titles; narrowing it down to 10 was not easy, which is why I encourage you to chime in with your own choices in the comment section. In honor of Ava Duvernay, the latest and probably not last snub, for her brilliant “Selma”, here are 10 movies that make a good case for more original female voices at the movies.
1) Seven Beauties
Lina Wertmuller’s Seven Beauties is an ugly movie. Wertmuller is a female Italian director whose films weren’t supposed to be nice to look at. She consistently tried to break societal taboos over her long illustrious career. “Seven Beauties” was the best film of her career and justifiably made her become the first female director to ever get nominated for Best Director. Tackling the holocaust, WW2 and Italy’s ugly role in the war was a risk. The taboos tackled by Wertmuller were indelibly cringed in an air of shame in her native country. She wanted to push buttons with her film and make the audience as uncomfortable as possible. Wertmuller shot her scenes with no restraint, purposely going over the top with original characters that stay etched in your memory for a good, long time. “Seven Beauties” is a landmark of cinema and clearly inspired Tarantino to re-write WW2 history himself 34 years later with “Inglourious Basterds”.
2) The Hurt Locker
Here is Kathryn Bigelow’s taut, tense and incredibly terrific movie that justifiably won the Oscar for Best Picture. I could have chosen other Bigelow gems like “Point Break”, “Strange Days” and “Near Dark”, but “The Hurt Locker” was the best and most important achievement. An episodic movie that dealt with male testosterone and adrenaline by studying a man who thrived on it, and kept putting himself in the most dangerous situation imaginable. The attention to detail is staggering. “War is a Drug” the title card reads at the beginning of Bigelow’s film. This movie is a drug. Jeremy Renner’s incredible performance and Bigelow’s incredibly controlled direction changed the way we saw action films and reinvented the possibilities for the new century. Not surprising that Bigelow was the first ever woman awarded the Best Director Oscar, and this quickly became a landmark in 21st century cinema.
3) Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola’s best movie as a director was such sensitive, delicate stuff – and I do mean that as a compliment. Every frame is beautifully photographed by Lance Acord; the film is a portal to a brightly colored, anything-can-happen Japan. And the performances by the two leads – Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen – just sublime. In showing unrequited, unforgivable, love between these two strangers lost in a place far away, Coppola infuses every frame of her magically romantic film with a sense of purpose and free will. It’s as if every convention known to Hollywood is thrown out the window and replaced by a
freshness you usually see in Japanese films made by Wong Kar Wai or Ozu. Most surprising of all, it’s American and as purely poetic as any movie can be.
4) The Piano
Jane Campion’s “The Piano” is the most personal movie of her astonishing filmography. This almost plotless story about a group of people who aren’t, on the whole, particularly easy to sympathize with, is a stunning mood piece and a haunting adult fairy tale about a woman’s quest to control her identity and destiny. A practically silent Holly Hunter gives an Oscar Winning performance that is as mesmerizing as it is haunting, and Anna Paquin, then 11 years old, won an Oscar playing Hunter’s smart and witty young daughter. Campion, never one to shy away from Gender politics, gave us a portrait of love, fear and passion amidst a world where a woman is not supposed to have the necessary freedom to fulfill her every desires. Rarely do we witness beauty as real as what is captured in this film. Campion’s cinematic landmark is such a visually stunning film, it’s almost intoxicating how its atmosphere sweeps across the screen and ravishes the eyes.
5) The Triumph of the Will
Was there ever any doubt that this – quite possibly the most influential film of all time – would not make the list? “Triumph of the Will” is a Nazi propaganda film that, despite its disturbing subject matter, revolutionized the way movies were made. Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl singlehandedly rewrote the language of cinema with her use of cinematography and music. This is a work of staggering brilliance with shots that are still hard to achieve to this very day. It is then no surprise that filmmakers such as Peter Jackson, George Lucas and Ridley Scott have all admitted to having studied and copied Rifenstahl’s masterpiece. Watching the film with attention to all the details on screen is an incredible experience; add in the fact that this was meant as a propaganda tool by the Nazis and you have one of the most harrowing cinematic experiences imaginable.
6) Cléo de 5 à 7
The French New Wave was a boys club – that is until a young Agnes Varda showed up to shake the party. We all know “Breathless”, “The 400 Blows”, “Contempt” and “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, but no French New Wave top five could be complete without “Cléo de 5 à 7” a rich absorbing look at a woman embracing death and looking into the unknown. The film is a staple of feminist filmmaking and introduced to us a character that we could eerily relate to. Awaiting the results of a medical exam that could potentially lead to a stomach cancer diagnosis, Cleo wanders around the streets of Paris as themes of existentialism and mortality get played out. It’s a groundbreaking movie that gave way to one of the most iconic and important female voices in cinematic history. The boys club was forever shaken.
7) Zero Dark Thirty
Forget about the Bin Laden raid, which ends the movie, what counts in Kathryn Bigelow’s film is how they actually got there in the first place. The procedural work rivals that of “All The Presidents Men” and “Zodiac”, as does the harrowing relevance that burns at its core. A great performance by Jessica Chastain infuses every frame, and Bigelow, a great action director, proves her worth as a director of considerable intellectual skill. The controversy Bigelow’s film got upon release was obviously unwarranted and cost it Best Picture to –huh? – Argo? Haters will hate, but this movie has stood the test of time and will continue to do so.
8) Winter’s Bone
Debra Granik’s second feature film, “Winter’s Bone”, is the kind of movie that gets progressively better as you delve deeper and deeper into it. It is filled with humane, authentic characterizations of a society that is rooted in evil and people who have lost all hope in life and succumbed to morally wrong choices. There are memorable scenes that linger (the gutting of a squirrel, the taking of a girl, a final ambiguous mumbling sentence) a sense of dread that might turn the most primitive of moviegoers off. It is through and through a product of American Independent cinema and we should never forget its important existence. Then newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, delved deeply into her role and created something memorable and real. It was an absolutely spellbinding lead performance that brought subtlety to her role as a teenage girl desperately looking for her – quite possibly dead – father in the wild Ozarks of Missouri.
9) Boys Don’t Cry
I still hold out hope that director Kimberly Peirce will one day make as great a movie as her 1999 debut “Boys Don’t Cry”. Featuring an Oscar Winning performance from Hilary Swank, this was ballsy, original filmmaking at its finest. The true story of Brandon Teena, a trans-man raped, beaten and murdered by acquaintances after they discover that he is anatomically female, “Boys Don’t Cry” was a statement by Peirce to stop the madness and advance as a society. She doesn’t hold any punches and knocks us out with every stinging detail in this tragic, and sadly still relevant, story
10) Big
Director Penny Marshall became the first female director ever to direct a movie that grossed more than 100 million dollars at the box office. No small feat. She was sadly one of the few true feminine voices in Hollywood to sit in the director’s chair during the 1980’s. Who can forget the iconic piano dancing scene that is the centerpiece of this constantly copied, but never bettered, 1988 movie starring Tom Hanks as a boy trapped in a grown man’s body. Marshall’s short but impressive streak would continue with “A League of Their Own” and the vastly underappreciated “Awakenings”, starring Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams.
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This was extremely difficult.
1.The Piano
2.Eve’s Bayou
3.Lost in Translation
4.Selma
5.American Psycho
6.Zero Dark Thirty
7.We Need To Talk About Kevin
8. Pariah
9.Orlando
10. City of God
(I hope the moderators let me post this, because I’m at my wits’ end, and I don’t know what else to do here…)
OK – I have a challenge for you guys! 🙂 I need the help of some Birdman fans, if there are any here (that feel strongly enough about it to help me out)… It seems every thinking person in this world hated this movie, and for mostly the same reasons (which will be given below). I loved it, but I’m simply not smart enough to be able to counter these people’s arguments effectively, or even figure out whether they are clearly right about the movie sucking, and I am clearly wrong, or if it’s, at least, dependent on the person, and not a fault of the movie itself.
I feel stupid that I simply can’t hate the movie too, like all the cool kids, so I’m going to try one last, desperate thing: let other people, smarter than I, try to see if they can come up with a good rebuttal to this person’s comments on the movie, which, I believe, reflect rather well pretty much everybody’s criticisms of it. I’m sorry if you think this means I can’t think for myself – maybe you’re right, even though you should know I’ve tried, and I just can’t find the arguments, but don’t FEEL, in my heart of hearts, that I should just be giving up on this movie, and start hating it like everybody else. Which is why I’m asking for your help… Can anybody, please, help me?
The person who wrote the initial comment will, of course, be able to counter any arguments brought forth to defend Birdman, should there be any (I’m hoping against hope). I will confirm the person’s identity, should they decide to come forth and defend their point of view, which I believe they will, since they seem to feel rather strongly about it, as does everybody else who hates the movie. I hope they can forgive me my little indiscretion (not asking for permission), but, if they can’t, they should at least know that I take these things to heart, and I have been very upset by all of the hate this movie has been receiving. I’m not doing this for fun, or to try to play a sick joke on anybody… Besides, the post is public, so I could have just linked to it instead. I just think this is better for all those involved.
Here is the comment in question, word for word, edited only as far as spacing of paragraphs goes, to avoid that the poster be TOO easily identified, in case they should wish to avoid it:
“I still don’t really like it, despite all of the technical flair with which it’s executed (and the ensemble doing pretty much exemplary work). What I see is still a script laden with pretension heavy as lead. I don’t think the writing is anywhere near as inspired as some of the technical marvels at display. There are numerous examples: The most satiric moments in the movie (the scene with the critics for example) is a cheap shot (that Barthes allusion is pointless and not very well executed), the rendezvous at the bar with the theater critic is a parody (I only accept it as somehow valid if the entire movie is seen through the prism of Riggan’s madness, and that’s not really interesting to me, because he’s not an interesting character to begin with, an ignoramus, basically, but an ignoramus devoid of comical meaning – as a case study his is more tedious than tragic).
Everything Inarritu says about modern life (the usual qualms of the contrarian) is so basic to invite only a shrug. He doesn’t say anything that I would consider challenging or deep. He says whatever is expected of the modern-day contrarian who views Hollywood with disdain and thinks social media have a corrosive influence on our everyday existence, our ability to be in sync with ourselves and the reality at hand. Whether he is right or not, is not really important. It doesn’t enhance the art, it only enhances his agenda.
The problem with Birdman ultimately is this: It’s a movie that so obviously pines for seriousness, but in a deceptively light form (the comic aspect of the movie), it’s trying to deliver a message but at the same time trying to obscure that message so it seems shrouded in ambiguity. But Inarritu at heart is not an ambiguous filmmaker, he is a didactic, message-driven filmmaker. His technical solutions are well-executed this time around, but the core of his movie is the same old Inarritu: ‘The world is fucked, but I have figured out what’s wrong. Now go, follow me!’ To me, that’s not interesting. I want artists probing questions, not pointing to solutions.”
The Piano – Jane Campion
Zero Dark Thirty – Kathryn Bigelow
Europa Europa – Agnieszka Holland
Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola
The Hurt Locker – Kathryn Bigelow
Elsker dig for evigt/ Open Hearts – Susanne Bier
Frozen River – Courtney Hunt
Things Behind the Sun – Allison Anders
Frida – Juliet Taymor
200 Cigarettes – Risa Bramon Garcia
Sasha, I just thought I would let you know that Jennifer Kent was named best Director at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA) on Wednesday night. That’s our version of the Oscars over here in Oz. That makes her win the fifth time in 12 years that a female has won best director. The Babadook also snagged best film (tied with The Water Diviner (eww!)) and best screenplay, also by Kent. Hoping this restores your faith that there are some film industries that recognise talent regardless of gender.
Yentl is my only mention. Robbed of Oscar nominations and wins all round. I could not believe the life changing impact on me! Such a beautiful film that is in a league of its own.
The Secret Garden, by Agnieszka Holland
1) Seven Beauties (Lina Wertmuller, 76 (Italy))
2) Triumph of the Will (Leni Riefenstahl, 35 (Germany))
3) Chilly Scenes of Winter (Joan Micklin Silver, 81)
4) Wanda (Barbara Loden, 70)
5) Harlan County USA (Barbara Kopple, 75)
6) Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai di Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 75 (Belgium))
7) Bright Star (Jane Campion, 2009 (New Zealand/Australia/UK))
8) The Beaches of Agnes (Agnes Varda, 2008 (France))
9) Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, 2006)
10) Entre Nous (Diane Kurys, 83 (France))
11) Europa Europa (Agnieszka Holland, 90 (Germany/France/Poland))
12) Tiny Furniture (Lena Dunham, 2010)
13) The Heartbreak Kid (Elaine May, 72)
14) Olympia (Leni Riefenstahl, 38 (Germany))
15) Madchen in Uniform (Leontine Sagan, 31 (Germany))
16) The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)
17) Beau Trevail (Claire Denis, 99 (France))
18) The Decline of the Western Civilization (Penelope Spheeris, 81)
19) Dogfight (Nancy Savoca, 91)
20) Between The Lines (Joan Micklin Silver, 77)
21) Cleo from 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda, 62 (France))
22) Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay, 99 (Scotland))
23) Day Night Day Night (Julia Loktev, 2006 (Belgium))
24) The Hitchhiker (Ida Lupino, 53)
25) Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)
26) Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
27) American Dream (Barbara Kopple, 90)
28) Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling, 82)
29) Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 91)
30) Daisies (Vera Chytilova, 66 (Czechloslovakia))
31) A New Leaf (Elaine May, 71)
32) The Father of My Children (Mia Hansen-Love, 2009 (Belgium))
33) An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion, 90 (New Zealand/Australia))
34) My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong, 79 (Australia))
35) Vagabond (Agnes Varda, 85 France))
36) The Cool World (Shirley Clarke, 64)
37) Lovely and Amazing (Nicole Holofcener, 2001)
38) Eve’s Bayou (Kasi Lemmons, 97)
39) Beautiful Thing (Hettie McDonald, 96)
40) Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (Eleanor Coppola (w/ George Hickenlooper & F. Bahr), 91)
41) Titus (Julie Taymor, 99 (US/UK))
42) Girlfriends (Claudia Weill, 78)
43) Strangers in Good Company (Cynthia Scott, 90 (Canada))
44) Little Dorrit (Christine Edzard, 88 (UK))
45) The Night Porter (Liliana Cavani, 74 (Italy))
46) Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, 2005)
47) Old Enough (Marisa Silver, 84)
48) We Need To Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011 (UK/US))
49) Testament (Lynne Littman, 83)
50) Bastard Out of Carolina (Angelica Huston, 96)
51) Clueless (Amy Heckerling, 95)
52) White Material (Claire Denis, 2009 (France))
53) American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman (w/ Robert Pulchini), 2003)
54) In The Realms of the Unreal (Jessica Yu, 2004)
55) Friends with Money (Nicole Holofcener, 2006)
56) Dance, Girl, Dance (Dorothy Arzner, 40)
57) True Love (Nancy Savoca, 89)
58) The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010)
59) River of Grass (Kelly Reichardt, 94)
60) The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 99)
61) Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009 (UK))
62) Sugar Cane Alley (Euzhan Palcy, 83 (France/Martinique))
63) Little Women (Gillian Armstrong, 94 (US/Canada))
64) Hester Street (Joan Micklin Silver, 75)
65) Faithless (Liv Ullmann, 2000 (Sweden/Norway))
66) Smithereens (Susan Seidelman, 82)
67) Away From Her (Sarah Polley, 2006 (Canada))
68) Araf (Yasim Ustaoglu, 2012 (Turkey))
69) The Piano (Jane Campion, 93 (New Zealand/Australia)
70) Smooth Talk (Joyce Chopra, 85)
71) The Bigamist (Ida Lupino, 53)
72) Please Give (Nicole Holofcener, 2010)
73) Rambling Rose (Martha Coolidge, 91)
74) C’est La Vie (Diane Kurys, 90 (France))
75) Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow, 87)
76) The Boys Next Door (Penelope Spheeris, 85)
77) Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (Marina Zenovich, 2008)
78) Player Hating: A Love Story (Maggie Hadleigh West, 2011)
79) Gas Food Lodging (Alison Anders, 92)
80) Fatso (Anne Bancroft, 80)
81) Little Man Tate (Jodie Foster, 91)
82) Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, 2011)
83) I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (Patricia Rozema, 87 (Canada))
84) Valley Girl (Martha Coolidge, 83)
85) Monster (Patty Jenkins, 2003)
86) Goodbye First Love (Mia Hansen-Love, 2012 (Belgium/France))
87) Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006)
88) Boys Don’t Cry (Kimberly Peirce, 99)
89) First Love (Joan Darling, 77)
90) Jesus Camp (Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, 2006)
91) Crossing Delancey (Joan Micklin Silver, 88)
92) The Ballad of Little Jo (Maggie Greenwald, 93)
93) Peppermint Soda (Diane Kurys, 77 (France))
94) Party Girl (Daisy Von Scherler Meyer, 95)
95) Yentl (Barbara Streisand, 83)
96) Children of a Lesser God (Randa Haines, 86)
97) The Future (Miranda July, 2011)
98) Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (Charlotte Zwerin, 88)
99) Grace of My Heart (Alison Anders, 96)
100) Big (Penny Marshall, 88)
101) Love Serenade (Shirley Bassett, 96 (Australia))
BONUS: 10 Great Short Films Directed by Women
1) Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren, 43)
2) Special Delivery (Eunice Macaulay (w/ John Weldon), 78 (Canada))
3) Powers of Ten (Ray (and Charles) Eames, 77)
4) Quasi at the Quackadero (Sally Cruickshank, 76)
5) The Street (Caroline Leaf, 76 (Canada))
6) Moonbird (Faith Hubley (w/ John Hubley), 58)
7) Trevor (Peggy Rajski, 94)
8) Born in Beirut (Liliane Matta, 2002 (Lebanon))
9) Bob’s Birthday (Alison Snowden, 94 (UK))
10) Kudzu (Marjorie Anne Short, 77)
Nothing by Claire Denis?
“What a great thread, especially because it allows readers to expand beyond the usual Oscar fare.”
Totally!
List update: Brave gets an honorable mention – I just didn’t think of it, before it was mentioned here, or know it was directed by a woman.
I thought about Monster, and it’s close to an HM, but not quite there, because I don’t really “like” it.
“Oh shoot! Thnaks for the heads up Claudiu, When Harry Met Sally was Reiners but it was so Ephron!”
I know! 🙂 I love that movie…
Fabulous opportunity for someone to come up with a great list, perhaps a definitive one, I reckon.
What a great thread, especially because it allows readers to expand beyond the usual Oscar fare.
Ida Lupino.
I want to say that Ida Lupino deserves mention as one of the first actresses to also direct major movies. She’s so unsung, never even nominated for an Oscar, not even for The Hard Way, for which she won the 1943 New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress.
Personal Top 15
1. Beau Travail – d. Claire Denis
1. Seven Beauties – d. Lina Wertmuller
3. Winter’s Bone – d. Debra Grunik
4. A League of Their Own – d. Penny Marshall
5. The Piano – d. Jane Campion
6. Europa Europa – d. Agnieska Holland (sp?)
7. The Headless Woman – d. Lucretia Martel
8. Meshes in the Afternoon – d. Maya Deren
9. Jeanne Dielman – d. Chantal Akerman (frankly respect it more than adore it)
10. Citizenfour – d. Laura Poitras
11. My Brilliant Career – d. Gillian Armstrong
12. Cleo from 5 to 7 – d. Agnes Varda
13. Olympia – d. Leni Riefenstahl (hate including her but her two major films were remarkable)
14. We Need to Talk About Kevin – d. Lynne Ramsey
15. Lost in Translation – d. Sofia Coppola
Oh shoot! Thnaks for the heads up Claudiu, When Harry Met Sally was Reiners but it was so Ephron!
The first one I posted were movies at the top of my head so here’s my revised personal bests in order:
1. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola)
2. Frida (Julie Taymor)
3. Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola)
4. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
5. Orlando (Sally Potter)
6. The Piano (Jane Campion)
7. Clueless (Amy Heckerling)
8. Midnight Heat (Lauruice Guillen)
9. Little Miss Sunshine (co-directed by Valeri Faris)
10. White Material (Claire Dennis)
Honorable Mention: Sleepless in Seattle (Nora Ephron), The Kids are Alright (Lisa Cholodenko), We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsey), Treeless Mountain (Kim So-yong), Vanity Fair (Mira Nair)
I made a rather exhaustive list. But to say women director’s don’t stack up to men directors is just foolishness.
(in order of preference)
The Night Porter – Liliana Cavani
Titus – Julie Taymor
The Piano – Jane Campion
The Virgin Suicides – Sofia Coppola
Monster – Patty Jenkins
Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola
American Psycho – Mary Harron
Away From Her – Sarah Polley
A League of Their Own – Penny Marshall
Marie Antoinette – Sofia Coppola
Cloud Atlas – Lana Wachowski (co-director)
Boys Don’t Cry – Kimberly Pierce
We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lynne Ramsay
Tiny Furniture – Lena Dunham
The Babadook – Jennifer Kent
Paris is Burning – Jennie Livingston
Stories We Tell – Sarah Polley
The Woodsman – Nicole Kassell
Zero Dark Thirty – Kathryn Bigelow
Somewhere – Sofia Coppola
Desperately Seeking Susan – Susan Seidleman
Clueless – Amy Heckerling
Fish Tank – Andrea Arnold
The Hurt Locker – Kathryn Bigelow
Stefanie Daley – Hillary Brougher
Thirteen – Catherine Hardwicke
Winters Bone – Debra Granik
Pet Semetary – Mary Lambert
Slums of Beverly Hills – Tamara Jenkins
The Kids Are Alright – Lisa Cholodenko
Yentyl – Barbra Streisand
Tank Girl – Rachael Talalay
The Loneliest Planet – Julia Lotkev
A few I don’t think have been mentioned, and I loved :
Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley)
Monster (Patty Jenkins)
Brave (Brenda Chapman (co-director)
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)
Enough Said (Nicole Holofcener)
Bright Star (Jane Campion)
Bend it like Beckham (Gurinder Chadha)
I would include My Brilliant Career, but otherwise a very good list.
This years looks like it will be a big year for female directors. Suffragette, directed by Sarah Gavron and Three Generations, directed by Gaby Dellal both have the potential to be huge later in the year.
I’d like to add in Campion’s “Bright Star” to everyone’s compiled lists. Not as bold print as “The Piano” but lovely, lyrical cinema. It’s only a few years old, but I feel like it’s already a forgotten gem, and it’s the only time I ever really sparked to Abbie Cornish (who…. fell right off the radar, didn’t she?).
Clueless trumps all those movies – it builds an entire world, ignited a hundred trends, remains quotable today…
And A League of Their Own is better than Big.
Regarding Leni Reifenstahl’s Triumph of the Will and Olympia, it’s just amazing that a WOMAN FILMMAKER was given more resources, support, encouragement and power in Nazi Germany than in any other country at any other time. Hard to fathom.
Here’s my list after a quick jaunt to the IMDb. I’ve decided not to follow the rules. 😛 I’m sure there are loads missing because I don’t know who directed some movies that I love a lot. I only know that I like a director after seeing their name pop up over and over again.
Wonder Woman*
Cloud Atlas
American Psycho
Bend it Like Beckham
Awakenings
The Matrix Revolutions
Titus
Johnny Dangerously
Across the Universe
Triumph of the Will
The Prince of Tides
Eve’s Bayou
The Namesake
Real Genius
Marie Antoinette
The Beaver
The Brady Bunch Movie
The Matrix Reloaded
Riding in Cars with Boys
Whale Rider
Black Nativity
Bright Star
The Virgin Suicides
28 Days
Sugar Town
*Interstellar taught us that time means nothing so…..
Lucrecia Martel, Clare Denis, Mira Nair, Sarah Polley are all incredible names that are left behind in this site because, you know, FOREIGN or not Oscar material! So don’t be condescending on everyone!
Damn! I forgot about Little Miss Sunshine that was co-directed by Valerie Faris. Does co-directing count? Or do they have to have full credit?
It it counts, I’d rank Little Miss Sunshine at #5.
My top 10 films directed by a woman are:
1. Zero Dark Thirty – Kathryn Bigelow
2. The Hurt Locker – Kathryn Bigelow
3. Unbroken – Angelina Jolie
4. Selma – Ava DuVernay
5. Clueless – Amy Heckerling
6. A League of Their Own – Penny Marshall
7. The Kids Are All Right – Lisa Cholodenko
8. Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Amy Heckerling
9. Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola
10. The Bling Ring – Sofia Coppola