In honour of International women’s month I thought it would be important to bring light to female directors in the industry. As an aspiring female director I never really got to know much about the women behind the scenes of the industry having only learnt about the men. So when I decided to watch films directed by women I started to find some of my favourite directors from it. Being a women in any industry is hard but being a women in film feels impossible so this is for younger me to prove that there is a space in the industry for women.
Greta Gerwig
Possibly one of my favourite directors of all time Greta Gerwig has only directed 3: Lady bird, Little women and Barbie. These are all films for women and she is unapologetic about it. Everyone of these films have connected with girls across the world in some way or another the main one being Barbie. Barbenheimer was a world wide phenomenon but with out barbie Oppenheimer would not have made the box office numbers it got, yes it would still have a lot from it being a Christopher Nolan film just not as much. However as soon as award season came round the corner Barbie’s female cast didn’t get an Oscar nomination the only person who got one was Ryan gosling. Greta Gerwig had been snubbed but it would be hard for them to choose someone to switch with her however she may not have an Oscar but she did make a lot of young girls feel seen.
Celine song
Another woman who created one of the best films of last year. Past lives was Celine’s debut film and was an incredible one which was snubbed during award season. Past lives while nominated for multiple Oscars was not nominated for best director which was an extremely well deserved nomination the academy didn’t care about. Celine’s next project Materialists will be premiering this year in America in June with no confirm release for the UK. Celine is a director to watch out for knowing that she wrote and directed Past lives by herself only the future can tell what masterpieces she will create in the future.
Nia DaCosta
Nia DaCosta is a director with a small filmography with only 3 feature length films those being Little woods, 2021’s candyman and most recently the Marvels. While some of these films aren’t the greatest I still believe she has a strong future ahead of her with her next film being my most anticipated of next year that being 28 years later the bone temple. While the Marvels may not be the greatest film ever it was heavily review bombed by people the film is still extremely fun and shouldn’t be taken to seriously especially since it is a marvel film. Nia is one of the few female directors who’s directed a marvel film which will hopefully change in the future.
Sofia Coppola
Probably the most famous one on this list Sofia Coppola has created multiple films that are highly acclaimed. Her most popular films being Lost in translation, The virgin suicides, Marie Antoinette and most recently Priscilla. All of which are extremely good. However she tends to be pushed aside for her father Francis Ford Coppola with some people saying that she is a bad director and is only famous because of her dad. While she did get into the industry easier because of her dad she has stapled herself as one of the best female directors with some people knowing her and not her dad. People saying that she relies on her dads fame continue to push the narrative that women cant succeed without the help of men.
there are many more women I could put in this list before it became to long such as: the Wachowski sisters, Charlotte Regan, Cheryl Dunye, Emma seligman, Sai Paranjpye. There are so many more amazing directors who dont get enough recognition the deserve. Women all over the industry dont get the credit they deserve both on and off screen whether they be an actress, an editor, a director, a cinematographer and so much more. If you are an aspiring woman who wants to be in the industry do it and create the stories that need to be told.