Female Film Directors

7.5  

(1873-1968)


• Worked as a secretary for a moving picture camera company in Paris
• Set up Solax studios with her husband to make films
• World's first female director, and the first woman to head her own studio
• Directed 30-40 films between 1896-1920
• Awarded the badge of the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1953
• Notable works: The Spring Fairy (1906), The Pit and the Pendulum (1913), Matrimony's Speed Limit (1913), The Lure (1914)

6.8  

(1897-1979)



• Dropped out of medical school and began working at Paramount Pictures
• Impressed Hollywood directors with her work in editing
• While many female directors faded to obscurity after the end of the silent era, Arzner prevailed
• First woman to join the Director's Guild of America
• Invented the boom mike
• Notable works: Christopher Strong (1933), Craig's Wife (1936)

7.1  

(1916-1995)


• Born into a theatrical family and was an actress herself
• Avoided glamourous "Jean Harlow" parts for more grittier, tough roles
• Moved into directing feature films and television episodes
• Often evoked controversial themes and working-class drama in her work
• Notable works: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bewitched, Outrage (1950), The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

7.5  

(1926- )



• First woman to be nominated for Best Director
• Notable works: The Seduction of Mimi (1972), Seven Beauties (1975), A Night Full of Rain (1978)

7.2  

(1932- )


• Performed in an improv comedy team with Mike Nichols, that became famous on TV, radio, and Broadway
• Began playwriting, screenwriting, acting in, and eventually directing films
• Notable works: A New Leaf (1971), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Mikey and Nickey (1978), Ishtar (1987)

6.7  

(1946- )



• First female president of the Director's Guild (2002-2003)
• Notable works: Valley Girl (1983), Real Genius (1985), Rambling Rose (1991)

6.2  

(1943- )



• First woman to direct a movie that grossed over $100 million
• Notable works: Big (1988), Awakenings (1990), A League of Their Own (1992)

5.4  

(1941-2012)



• Notable works: When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You've Got Mail (1998)

7.6  

(1954- )



• Second woman to be nominated for Best Director
• Notable works: The Piano (1993), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Bright Star (2009)

7.2  

(1971- )



• Third woman (and first American woman) to be nominated for Best Director
• Notable works: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003), Marie Antoinette (2006), Somewhere (2010)

7.5  

(1951- )



• First female to win the Academy Award for Best Director
• Notable works: Near Dark (1987), The Hurt Locker (2009)

8.4  

(~1965- )



• Notable works: Old Joy (2006), Wendy and Lucy (2008), Meek's Cutoff (2010)

7.8  

(1969- )



• Notable works: Ratcatcher (1999), Morvern Callar (2002), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

7.5  

(1969- )



• Notable films: 2 Days in Paris (2007), The Countess (2009), 2 Days in New York (2012)