{"id":15075,"date":"2022-03-15T17:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T11:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ticketfairy.com\/word\/?p=15075"},"modified":"2022-04-08T16:30:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T11:00:43","slug":"29-films-directed-by-women-you-need-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ticketfairy.com\/word\/2022\/03\/15\/29-films-directed-by-women-you-need-to-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Films Directed by Women You Need to Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

There can be a long list of films directed by women today, yet it took eleven years for a woman to be honored with an Oscar for Best Director.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lina Wertmuller made history by becoming the first woman to win an Academy Award nomination back in 1977 for the film ‘<\/span>Seven Beauties<\/span><\/em>‘. But the first woman to win the award was Kathryn Bigelow for the movie \u2018<\/span>Hurt Locker<\/span><\/em>\u2019 in 2010. Chlo\u00e9 Zhao has made history by becoming just the second woman and the first woman of color to win the Best Director award for \u2018<\/span>Nomadland<\/span><\/em>\u2019 in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span>The Power of the Dog<\/span><\/em>\u2019 director Jane Campion is the first woman to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar twice. This proves women are not given the recognition they deserve at the Academy Awards even today. From C\u00e9line Sciamma\u2019s \u2018<\/span>Portrait of a Lady on Fire<\/span><\/em>\u2019 to Nora Twomey\u2019s \u2018<\/span>The Breadwinner<\/span><\/em>\u2019, we\u2019ve compiled a list of movies directed by women that focus on women’s issues, LGBTQ issues, award-winning and nominated films should watch!<\/span><\/p>\n

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (C\u00e9line Sciamma, 2019)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R-fQPTwma9o]\n

The fluidity of gender and sexual identity among girls and women is a common theme in C\u00e9line Sciamma\u2019s films. The 2019 movie \u2018<\/span>Portrait of a Lady on Fire<\/span><\/em>‘ too takes a similar path. Set in France, 1770, Marianne (No\u00e9mie Merlant), a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of H\u00e9lo\u00efse, (Ad\u00e8le Haenel), the young daughter of a French countess. Marianne poses as she hired a companion. She is instructed to complete the portrait in secret, but intimacy and attraction begin to blossom between both women.<\/span><\/p>\n

The latter is a reluctant bride-to-be who develops a mutual attraction to Marianne. Since the female artist must paint H\u00e9lo\u00efse without her knowing, Marriane observes her by day, to paint her secretly. In 2019, Scammia won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay for this film. The next film we\u2019re going to talk about has also been directed by C\u00e9line Sciamma.<\/p>\n

Watch \u2018Portrait of a Lady on Fire\u2019 on: Amazon Prime Video<\/a> | Hulu<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/h5>\n
You May Also Like: TF Pride Month: THE LGBTQIA+ Watchlist!<\/a><\/h5>\n

Tomboy<\/b> (C\u00e9line Sciamma, 2011)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Jb-Oys-IcWE]\n

\u2018Tomboy<\/em>\u2019 is a French film that sees a French family with two daughters, 10-year-old Laure (Zo\u00e9 H\u00e9ran) and 6-year-old Jeanne (Malonn L\u00e9vana), moving to a new suburban neighborhood during the summer holidays. With her Jean Seberg haircut and tomboyish ways, Laure is immediately mistaken for a boy by the local kids. The ten-year-old then decides to pass herself off as \u201cMikael\u201d. \u201cMikael\u201d is a boy different enough to catch the attention of the leader of the pack of kids – Lisa. She becomes smitten with Mikael.<\/p>\n

At home with her parents and younger sister, the older child of the family is Laure. While hanging out with her new pals and girlfriend, she is Mikael, who finds resourceful ways to hide her true self. Laure takes advantage of her new identity in this Sciamma film which brings a light and charming touch to this contemporary coming-of-age story. This 2011 film is also about relationships between children and parents. It follows an even more complicated relationship – one that\u2019s between one\u2019s heart and body.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018Tomboy\u2019 on: Amazon<\/a> | Vudu<\/a> | Google Play<\/a><\/h5>\n

Little Women (Greta Gerwig, 2019)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AST2-4db4ic]\n

Writer-director Greta Gerwig (‘Lady Bird’<\/i>) crafted a \u2018Little Women<\/em>\u2019 film. It draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott. The movie that won Gerwig a The Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay unfolds as the author\u2019s alter ego, Jo March (portrayed by Saoirse Ronan \u2018Ladybird<\/em>\u2019) reflects back and forth on her fictional life. \u2018Little Women<\/em>\u2019 (2019) follows the beloved story of the March sisters. In Greta Gerwig\u2019s take, four young women are each determined to live life on their own terms. This is both timeless and timely.<\/p>\n

Apart from Saoirse Ronan portraying Jo March, the film also stars Emma Watson (\u2018Harry Potter<\/em>\u2019, \u2018The Perks of Being a Wallflower<\/em>\u2019, and Beauty and the Beast<\/i>) as Meg March, Florence Pugh (\u2018Black Widow<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Midsommar<\/em>\u2019) as Amy March, Eliza Scanlen (\u2018Sharp Objects<\/em>\u2019, \u2018The Devil All the Time<\/em>\u2019) as Beth March, with Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet (\u2018Dune<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Beautiful Boy<\/em>\u2019) as their neighbor Laurie, Laura Dern (\u2018Jurassic Park<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Big Little Lies<\/em>\u2019) as Marmee March, and Meryl Streep (\u2018Mamma Mia!<\/em>\u2019, \u2018The Devil Wears Prada<\/em>\u2019) as Aunt March.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018Little Women\u2019 on: Netflix<\/a> | Amazon Prime Video<\/a> | STARZ<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/h5>\n

The Breadwinner <\/b>(Nora Twomey, 2017)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SnpBc8YvGpk]\n

From executive producer Angelina Jolie, \u2018The Breadwinner<\/em>\u2019, directed by Nora Twomey is an animated feature based on Deborah Ellis’ bestselling novel which follows Parvana, an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. When Parvana\u2019s father is wrongfully arrested, she cuts off her hair and disguises herself as a boy. She does this in order to support her family by working alongside her friend Shauzia, taking on odd jobs – Parvana discovers a new world of freedom and danger.<\/p>\n

With undaunted courage, the eleven-year-old draws strength from the fantastical stories she invents, as she embarks on a quest to find her father and reunite her family in this film voiced by Saara Chaudry (\u2018Charlie’s Colorforms City<\/em>\u2019), Noorin Gulamgaus, Kawa Ada, Ali Badshah (\u2018Shazam<\/em>\u2019), Shaista Latif, and more! This 2017 film equally thrills and enchants us. It is an inspiring and brilliantly animated tale that shows us the power of stories. Stories help us to sustain hope and carry us through dark times when we don\u2019t see light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018The Breadwinner\u2019 on: Netflix<\/a> | Amazon<\/a> | Vudu<\/a><\/h5>\n

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig, 2017)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cNi_HC839Wo]\n

In Greta Gerwig\u2019s \u2018Lady Bird<\/em>\u2019, an artistically inclined teenager – Christine \u201cLady Bird\u201d McPherson portrayed by Saoirse Ronan (\u2018Little Women<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Brooklyn<\/em>\u2019) navigates a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf, \u2018Roseanne<\/em>\u2019, ‘The Conners<\/em>\u2019) over the course of an eventful and poignant senior year of high school.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Greta Gerwig was honored with The Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay, The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director, The Satellite Auteur Award, National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay, and Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Filmmaker in 2017 for the film.<\/p>\n

This 2017 film also stars Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet (\u2018Dune<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Little Women<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Beautiful Boy<\/em>\u2019), Lucas Hedges (\u2018Boy Erased<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Manchester By the Sea<\/em>\u2019), Beanie Feldstein (\u2018Booksmart<\/em>\u2019), Tracy Letts (\u2018Ghostbusters: Afterlife<\/em>\u2019), Odeya Rush (\u2018The Giver<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Goosebumps<\/em>\u2019), and more!<\/p>\n

Find \u2018Lady Bird\u2019 on: Netflix<\/a> | Amazon<\/a> | Vudu<\/a> | Amazon Prime Video<\/a><\/h5>\n
You May Also Like: Winners Of The 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards 2022<\/a><\/h5>\n

Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, 2020)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7i5kiFDunk8]\n

Emerald Fennell\u2019s directorial debut \u2018Promising Young Woman<\/em>\u2019 sees Carey Mulligan (\u2018The Great Gatsby<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Drive<\/em>\u2019) as Cassie, a young woman who is wickedly smart and tantalizingly cunning. She is traumatized by a tragic event in her past, so she’s living a secret double life by night to seek vengeance against those who crossed her path and revenge for her best friend, Nina, who committed suicide after being raped by their classmate.<\/p>\n

The film also features Bo Burnham as Ryan, Alison Brie (\u2018GLOW<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Community<\/em>\u2019, \u2018BoJack Horseman<\/em>\u2019), Jennifer Coolidge (\u2018The White Lotus<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Legally Blonde<\/em>\u2019), Laverne Cox (\u2018Orange is the New Black<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Inventing Anna<\/em>\u2019), and more!<\/p>\n

“From groundbreaking director, Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve<\/em>) comes a delicious new take on revenge. Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman… until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future,\u201d reads<\/a> Prime Video\u2019s description of the film. Watch a med school dropout embark on a mission to punish predatory men in this provocative drama, to avenge her friend’s suicide in \u2018Promising Young Woman<\/em>\u2019. This is a wildly entertaining story about a delicious new take on revenge.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018Promising Young Woman\u2019 on: Amazon Prime Video<\/a> | Netflix<\/a> | Hulu<\/a> | Amazon<\/a> | YouTube<\/a> | Google Play<\/a> | HBO Max<\/a> | Apple TV<\/a><\/h5>\n

Pariah (Dee Rees, 2011)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rbBiTlGhrPY]\n

Dee Rees\u2019 2011 film \u2018Pariah<\/em>\u2019 is about a Brooklyn teenager Alike (Adepero Oduye, \u2018The Falon and the Winter Soldier<\/em>\u2019, \u201812 Years A Slave<\/em>\u2019). She lives in Fort Greene neighborhood with her parents portrayed by Charles Parnell (\u2018All My Children<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Mind the Gap<\/em>\u2019) and Kim Wayans (\u2018Living Color<\/em>\u2019) and her younger sister (Sahra Mellesse, \u2018You\u2019re Not You<\/em>\u2019).<\/p>\n

Alike is a lesbian who quietly embraces her identity. She is looking for her first lover. However, Alike wonders how much she can truly confide in her family, especially with her parents’ marriage already strained. The teenager\u2019s mother presses her to befriend a colleague’s daughter (Aasha Davis, \u2018South of Nowhere<\/em>\u2019). Alike finds<\/a> the gal to be a pleasant companion.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018Pariah\u2019 on: Apple TV<\/a> | Google Play<\/a> | Amazon<\/a> | Hulu<\/a> | Amazon Prime Video<\/a><\/h5>\n

The Hurt Locker<\/b> (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AIbFvqFYRT4]\n

In 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director for her movie \u2018The Hurt Locker<\/em>\u2019. It is a gripping drama following U.S. Army’s elite explosive ordnance disposal teams operating in Iraq. Before we could meet Marvel\u2019s superheroes Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Falcon’s now Captain America (Anthony Mackie) in the Marvel movies, we saw them in Bigelow\u2019s award-winning \u2018The Hurt Locker<\/em>\u2019 as Staff Sgt. William James and Sgt. J.T. Sanborn, respectively.<\/p>\n

The film follows James, Sanborn, and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty, \u2018Chicago P.D.\u2019). They are members of a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad, Iraq. The men face a set of increasingly hazardous situations, as their tour of duty enters its final weeks. Any of these situations could end their lives in an explosive instant.<\/p>\n

This film and its director won several accolades such as an Academy Award for Best Picture, BAFTA Award for Best Film, The Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, The Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Director, BAFTA Award for Best Direction, The Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, The Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature, The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director, The Satellite Award for Best Director, among others.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018The Hurt Locker\u2019 on: Amazon Prime Video<\/a> | Hulu<\/a> | Netflix<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/h5>\n

Margarita With A Straw (Shonali Bose, 2014)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yCQjrsV14sI]\n

Shonali Bose\u2019s 2014 film \u2018Margarita With A Straw<\/em>‘ revolves around a rebellious young woman called Laila (Kalki Koechlin, \u2018Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Gully Boy<\/em>\u2019) with cerebral palsy who leaves India to study in New York.<\/p>\n

On her journey of self-discovery, she unexpectedly falls in love and becomes involved in a life-changing affair with a blind female activist in this film also starring Sayani Gupta (\u2018Four More Shots Please!<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Inside Edge<\/em>\u2019), Revathi, Hussain Dalal, and more! Bose won the Stardust Award for Filmmaker Of The Year – Editor’s Choice for this film.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018Margarita With A Straw\u2019 on: Netflix<\/a> | JioCinema<\/a> | YouTube<\/a> | Voot<\/a> | Apple TV<\/a> | Google Play<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/h5>\n

Frozen (Jennifer Lee, 2019)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Zi4LMpSDccc]\n

Based on a bond between two sisters instead of needing a prince to save the day, 2013\u2019s Disney film \u2018Frozen<\/em>\u2019 is a screenplay by Jennifer Lee which she co-directed with Chris Buck. When their kingdom becomes trapped in perpetual winter, fearless Anna (Kristen Bell, \u2018The Good Place<\/em>\u2019) joins forces with mountaineer Kristoff (Jonathan Groff, \u2018Mindhunter<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Hamilton<\/em>\u2019) and his reindeer sidekick to find Anna’s sister, Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel, \u2018Enchanted<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Glee<\/em>\u2019), and break her icy spell.<\/p>\n

Their epic journey leads them to encounters with mystical trolls. This includes a comedic snowman (Josh Gad, \u2018Beauty and the Beast<\/em>\u2019), harsh conditions, and magic at every turn. Anna and Kristoff bravely push onward in a race to save their kingdom from winter’s cold grip. Lee won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, The Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film for the film.<\/p>\n

Find \u2018Frozen\u2019 on: Disney+<\/a> | YouTube<\/a> | Apple TV<\/a>\u00a0 | Google Play<\/a><\/h5>\n
You May Also Like: 5 Animated TV Shows You Should Watch in February 2022<\/a><\/h5>\n

The Assistant (Kitty Green, 2019)<\/span><\/h2>\n[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z9761kQCNWc]\n

The 2019 film \u2018The Assistant<\/em>\u2019 follows Jane (Julia Garner, \u2018Inventing Anna<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Ozark<\/em>\u2019), a recent college graduate and aspiring film producer. In the film, she just landed her dream job as a junior assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul with her day being much like any other assistant. This includes making coffee, ordering lunch, arranging travel accommodations, and taking phone messages. But as she follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the abuse that insidiously colors every aspect of her workday.<\/p>\n

It is an accumulation of degradations against which she decides to take a stand in the movie directed by Kitty Green. \u2018The Assistant\u2019 also stars Kristine Froseth (\u2018The Society<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Birds of Prey<\/em>\u2019), Matthew Macfadyen (\u2018Pride & Prejudice<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Succession<\/em>\u2019), Bregje Heinen (\u2018Babylon<\/em>\u2019), Patrick Wilson (\u2018The Conjuring<\/em>\u2019, \u2018Passengers<\/em>\u2019), Makenzie Leigh, and more!<\/p>\n

Find \u2018The Assistant\u2019 on: Amazon Prime Video<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/h5>\n

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman, 2020)<\/span><\/h2>\n