Women’s History Month: 11 Acclaimed Female Film Directors of the Past and Present
Female directors have been woefully underrated in Hollywood for the longest time. But in recent years, there seems to be a rise in female directors who are gaining recognition for their work, calling back to those who paved the way before them.
As Chloé Zhao soaked up the spotlight as the first female Asian director to win best director at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, her victory is just a small step toward the vast potential that could be unlocked if female directors were given equal resources and recognition.
Issues of Female Representation at The Academy Awards
The Academy Awards have been notoriously criticized for snubbing female directors of nominations, especially last year, when female directors dominated the awards discussions but failed to receive any nominations for Best Director. In the Academy Awards’ 92-year history, only five women have ever been nominated for Best Director, and only one has ever won. Yet women have continued creating in cinema, with or without other’s recognition.
In honor of Women’s History Month, let us revisit some of the revolutionary, inspiring female directors of the past and explore those who shall lead the way in the future.
Alice Guy-Blaché
Dorothy Arzner
Arzner worked for Paramount in the 1920s, directing many films including “Sarah and Son,” “Anybody’s Woman,” and “Honor Among Lovers.” She then left to work on her own, where she collaborated with numerous renowned actresses such as Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, and Lucille Ball. Arzner gave Golden Age female stars intelligent, complex roles and many have deemed her a major contributor to their later successes.
Ida Lupino
She also became the first female filmmaker to direct a film noir with “The Hitch-Hiker” in 1953. Lupino is known for delving into unconventional and largely controversial topics through her films, including bigamy, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, rape, and criticisms of many traditional social institutions.
Agnès Varda
Some of her many renowned works include “Cléo from 5 to 7,” “Vagabond,” “The Gleaners and I,” and Oscar-nominated documentary “Faces Places.” Director Martin Scorsese has described Varda as “one of the Gods of cinema.” Varda received an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was the first ever female director to receive an Academy Honorary Award.
Kathryn Bigelow
Bigelow is also known for having a wide variety in her filmography, covering genres from horror to action, sci-fi to period pieces. In addition to “The Hurt Locker,” Bigelow is known for films such as “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Point Break,” and “Detroit.”
Julie Dash
An American film director, writer, and producer, Julie Dash is best known for her feature “Daughters of the Dust,” as it became the first full-length film directed by a Black woman to receive a theatrical release in the United States. Inspired by her father’s Gullah family, the film revolves around three generations of Gullah women.
Dash’s experimental approach of a non-linear narrative was ahead of her time and received much praise from critics for its originality. Some of her other unconventional films include “Four Women,” “Illusions,” and “The Rosa Parks Story.”
Jane Campion
Campion is also the second of five women to be nominated for Best Director in Academy Award history. Other critically acclaimed films of hers include “Bright Star,” “An Angel at My Table,” and “The Portrait of a Lady.”
Patty Jenkins
Jenkins became the highest paid female director of all time after signing onto the “Wonder Woman” sequel as she received a major pay raise following the box office hit.
Ava DuVernay
She then went on to direct the historical drama film “Selma,” which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. She is the first Black female filmmaker to receive both these nominations. DuVernay’s work has made her the highest grossing Black woman director in American box office history.
Greta Gerwig
She then went on to direct the 2019 film adaptation of “Little Women,” starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet. The film received six nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, though Gerwig was snubbed for a Best Director nomination.
Chloé Zhao
She then went on to direct “The Rider” and “Nomadland,” the latter of which earning her a Golden Globe. Venturing into mainstream blockbusters, Zhao was announced in 2018 to be the director of upcoming Marvel film “Eternals,” starring Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, and more.