Friend and filmmaker A. Sayeeda Clarke recently sent out an email asking the NYU grad listserve to share their favorite films from Women Directors.
After a ton of cutting and pasting (I’m sure) compiling the list she posted it back on the listserve for the curious. I thought it was a good idea for a list (to get your film IQ up) so I’m sharing it here.
Click the link below to read it and comment if you have any additions or corrections!
Great Films Directed by Women
- 35 shots of Rum - Claire Denis
- A League of their Own - Penny Marshall
- After the Wedding - Susanne Bier
- Al Otro Lado - Natalia Almada
- American Psycho - Mary Harron
- American Splendor – Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
- An Education – Lone Scherfig
- Angel at My Table – Jane Campion
- Beau Travail - Claire Denis
- Bend it Like Beckham – Gurinder Chadha
- Big - Penny Marshall
- Billy Madison – Tamra Davis
- Bintou – Fanta Regina Nacro
- Boys Don’t Cry – Kimberly Peirce
- Brothers – Susanne Bier
- Caramel – Nadine Labaki
- Cleo from 5 to 7 – Agnès Varda
- Clueless – Amy Heckerling
- Daisies – Věra Chytilová
- Daughters of the Dust – Julie Dash
- Deadline - Kirsten Johnson
- Desperately Seeking Susan – Susan Seidelman
- Dogfight - Nancy Savoca
- Eve’s Bayou - Kasi Lemmons
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Amy Heckerling
- Fat Girl - Catherine Breillat
- Fire - Deepha Mehta
- Fish Tank - Andrea Arnold
- Frida - Julie Taymor
- Friends With Money – Nicole Holofcener
- Frozen River - Courtney Hunt
- The Future - Miranda July
- Gas Food Lodging – Allison Anders
- Girlfight – Karyn Kusama
- Go Fish - Rose Troche
- Harlan County USA – Barbara Koppel
- The Headless Women – Lucrecia Martel
- The Hitchhiker - Ida Lupino
- The Holy Girl - Lucrecia Martel
- The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow
- Jeanne Dielman - Chantel Akerman
- The Kid Stays in the Picture – Nanette Burstein
- The Kids are All Right – Lisa Cholodenko
- La Captive - Chantal Akerman
- La Cienaga - Lucrecia Martel
- Le Bonheur - Agnès Varda
- Little Man Tate – Jodie Foster
- Little Miss Sunshine – Valerie Faris
- Look Who’s Talking – Amy Heckerling
- Lost In Translation – Sofia Coppola
- Love & Basketball – Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Lovely and Amazing – Nicole Holofcener
- Meshes in the Afternoon – Maya Deren
- Monsoon Wedding – Mira Nair
- Monster – Patty Jenkins
- My Brilliant Career – Gillian Armstrong
- The Namesake – Mira Nir
- Near Dark – Kathryn Bigelow
- The Night Watch – Liliana Cavani
- The Oath – Laura Poitres
- Pariah – Dee Rees
- Personal Velocity – Rebecca Miller
- Pet Cemetary - Mary Lambert
- The Piano - Jane Campion
- Please Give – Nicole Holofcener
- Point Break – Kathryn Bigelow
- Pretty Woman – Penny Marshall
- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee – Rebecca Miller
- Private Parts - Betty Thomas
- Rage - Sally Potter
- Ratcatcher - Lynne Ramsay
- A Real Young Girl – Catherine Breillat
- Red Road - Andrea Arnold
- Salaam Bombay – Mira Nair
- The Savages – Tamara Jenkins
- Seven Beauties – Lina Wertmuller
- SherryBaby - Laurie Collyer
- Sisters in Law - Kim Longinato
- Slums of Beverly Hills – Tamara Jenkins
- Sweetie – Jane Campion
- Talk to Me – Kasi Lemmons
- Take Care of My Cat – Jeong Jae-eun
- Thirteen - Catherine Hardwicke
- Things We Lost In Fire – Susanne Bier
- Triumph of the Will – Leni Riefenstahl
- Vagabond - Agnès Varda
- The Virgin Suicides - Sofia Coppola
- Wanda – Barbara Loden
- WASP - Andrea Arnold
- Water - Deepha Mehta
- Wayne’s World – Penelope Spheeris
- Weight of Water – Kathryne Bigelow
- Whale Rider – Niki Caro
- White Material – Claire Denis
- Winter’s Bone - Debra Granik
- The Woodsman - Nicole Kassell
Big thanks to Sayeeda for agreeing to let me repost the list… be sure to follow her on twitter and tell her thanks.
*Additions
- Away From Her – Sarah Polley
- Decline of Western Civilization – Penelope Spheeris
- Humanoids From The Deep – Barbara Peeters
- I Shot Andy Warhol – Mary Harron
- Look At Me – Agnès Jaoui
- Morvern Callar – Lynne Ramsay
- Old Joy - Kelly Reichhardt
- Strange Days - Kathryn Bigelow
- Suburbia – Penelope Spheeris
- “Various shorts” - Maya Deren
- Valley Girl - Martha Coolidge
*Thanks to my old classmate and writing/directing talent Doug Lenox for the additions!
“Various shorts” - Maya Deren
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That is a stellar list.
My additions:
Suburbia (1983) – Penelope Spheeris
Decline of Western Civilization – Penelope Spheeris
Valley Girl – Martha Coolidge
Away From Her – Sarah Polley
Look At Me – Agnès Jaoui
Humanoids From The Deep (1980) (Cult movie awesomeness) – Barbara Peeters
Kelly Reichhardt’s work (Personally not a fan, but her work is important)
Additions to my additions:
Morvern Callar – Lynne Ramsay
I Shot Andy Warhol – Mary Harron
Strange Days – Kathryn Bigelow
Maya Deren’s films (Not a huge fan, but like Reichardt, I think Deren’s work is definitely worth mentioning)
Thanks for the comment Doug. Excellent additions… When I first saw the list I was happy I’d seen a few of them and then quickly realized I hadn’t seen MOST of them… It’s a good starter though. And I like how you make the distinction of how Reichhardt’s work is perhaps not for you personally but still important. That’s a great comment!