20 Women Directors You Should Know About

Chloé Zhao

Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao made history at the 2021 Golden Globes, becoming the first Asian woman to win the Best Director award – and the second female director to do so – for her powerful yet intimate film Nomadland. She also accepted the award in a t-shirt, which is a vibe!

Other Chloé Zhao films to watch:

Her debut film Songs My Brother Taught Me (2015)

The Rider (2017)

Marielle Heller

Although arguably best known for her directing work, Marielle Heller also dabbles in acting (The Queen’s Gambit) and writing.

Thanks to big award contenders Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, Heller has been propelled into the public eye, as is definitely one to watch for Best Director/ Picture awards in the future.

Other Marielle Heller films to watch: 

The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)

Ava DuVernay

A trailblazing American filmmaker, Ava DuVernay was the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe award (Regina King became the second black female director to receive a nomination in 2021), which she received for her 2014 film Selma.

Other Ava DuVernay films to watch: 

13th (2016)

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Lulu Wang

Best known for her funny, intimate and moving film The Farewell – which disappointingly wasn’t nominated for any Oscars in 2020 – Lulu Wang is definitely another one to watch.

Recommended viewing:

The Farewell (2019)

Carol Morley

The first British director to feature on our list, Carol Morley is best known for her semi-documentary Dreams of a Life. Morley has kept the film world entertained during lockdown by organising a Friday Film Club on Twitter which has provided film fans with many new recommendations!

Other Carol Morley films to watch: 

Out of Blue (2019)

Chinonye Chukwu

Nigerian-American filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu cemented her directorial future with Clemency – one of the best films of 2020 (in our opinion), which resulted in her becoming the first black woman to win the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Clemency was a critically-acclaimed hit worldwide, and proved popular with Phoenix audiences and staff members alike.

Melina Matsoukas

Another female director who has felt the sting of being snubbed by the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, Melina Matsoukas’ career began as a music video director – and she has two Grammy’s and four MTV Video Music Awards to show for it.

In 2019, she turned her attention to feature films, with her remarkable debut Queen & Slim – a film which resonated with our audiences when shown and remains a firm favourite.

Olivia Wilde

American actress turned filmmaker, Olivia Wilde broke into the world of directing with her 2019 teen-drama Booksmart, which remains one of our favourite ever coming-of-age movies.

If Booksmart is anything to go by, her latest project Don’t Worry Darling – which stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine – is set to be a must-see later this year.

Céline Sciamma

A truly remarkable French screenwriter and director, Céline Sciamma became a household name back in 2019 thanks to her critically-acclaimed smash Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

What sets Sciamma’s work apart is her brilliant exploration into the fluidity of gender and sexual identity among girls and women.

Other Céline Sciamma films to watch: 

Water Lilies (2007)

Tomboy (2011)

Girlhood (2014)

Greta Gerwig

Already a talented actor, Greta Gerwig may have made her name starring in films, but her career as a filmmaker is fast outshining her acting.

Her debut film Lady Bird landed her Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and although she missed out on holding the award, Gerwig did gain a great professional partnership with lead star Saoirse Ronan.

Other Greta Gerwig films to watch: 

Little Women (2019)

Lynne Ramsay

Scottish director Lynne Ramsay has been nominated for the Best British Film BAFTA three times, as well as winning the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for her unforgettable debut Ratcatcher.

Learn more about Lynne Ramsay in our 6 Great British Directors short course.

Other Lynne Ramsay films to watch: 

Morvern Callar (2002)

We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Kasi Lemmons

Although less well-known than some featured on this list, Kasi Lemmons directed the stunning 2019 biopic Harriet – based on the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman – which landed lead actress Cynthia Erivo both a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for her flawless performance.

Other Kasi Lemmons films to watch: 

Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Claire Denis

The second French film director and writer to feature on this list, Claire Denis’ feature film Beau Travail is considered one of the greatest films of the ’90s.

Other Claire Denis films to watch: 

Trouble Every Day (2001)

35 Shots of Rum (2008)

High Life (2018)

Lana and Lilly Wachowski

Collectively known as the Wachowskis, Lana and Lilly have worked as a writing and directing dream team through most of their film careers.

Best known for their sci-fi epic series The Matrix (a fourth instalment of which is set to be released in 2022), the pioneering trans women have commented on how The Matrix was actually a transgender allegory, with many fans having described the films as “perfectly representing what it means to be a closeted trans person”.

Other Wachowski films to watch: 

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Rungano Nyoni

Zambian-Welsh director and screenwriter, Rungano Nyoni was catapulted into stardom after her 2017 film I Am Not a Witch which she both wrote and directed.

The film went on to win Nyoni the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut and has accumulated accolades from countless international film festivals.

Mira Nair

Based in New York, Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair specialises in films on Indian society for international audiences.

She holds two of India’s six BAFTA nominations for Best Film Not in the English Language, and also has an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film under her belt for Salaam Bombay! 

Other Mira Nair films to watch: 

Monsoon Wedding (2001)

The Namesake (2006)

Queen of Katwe (2016)

Agnès Varda

A legend in the business, we had to include the late, great Agnès Varda in this list! The Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, photographer and artist was a true pioneer and is widely considered the mother of the French New Wave film movement of the ’50s and ’60s.

Other Agnès Varda films to watch: 

Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Le Bonheur (1965)

Vagabond (1985)

Jacquot de Nantes (1991)

Faces Places (2017)

Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow made history back in 2010 with her Best Director and Best Picture Oscar win for The Hurt Locker, becoming the first woman director to win. Jump forward 11 years and, disappointingly, Bigelow remains the only woman director to have the accolade, despite many women filmmakers having created award-worthy films in the past decade.

Other Kathryn Bigelow films to watch: 

Point Break (1991)

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Detroit (2017)

Desiree Akhavan

American filmmaker, producer, screenwriter and actress, Desiree Akhavan has graced us with some of the most stunning LGBTQ+ cinema of recent years.

Perhaps best known for her 2018 film The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Akhavan garnered a US Dramatic Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for the film.

Other Desiree Akhavan films to watch: 

Appropriate Behaviour (2014)

Sally Potter OBE

English director and screenwriter, Sally Potter OBE is a British cinema royalty. Her offbeat and bold film Orlando (loosely based on Virginia Woolf’s novel of the same name) brought her work to a wider audience.

Throughout her expansive career, Potter has gone on to win over forty international awards, and has received both Oscar and BAFTA nominations.

Learn more about Sally Potter in our 6 Great British Directors short course.

Other Sally Potter films to watch: 

The Tango Lesson (1997)

Ginger and Rosa (2012)

The Party (2017)