Women Film Directors
Film making has been a male domain since the emergence of motion picture as an art form although many women film directors have gained an important role in the movie industry. Alice Guy-Blanche (1873-1968), a French film director was making movies as early as at the end of the 19th century and established herself as one of the most prominent film directors in the silent movies era. She was not only the first woman film director but she was also one of the first directors of fiction movies.
Until the mid-20th century, women film directors struggled with more or less women-unfriendly conditions in film making. Things started to improve only after the second-wave feminism in the 1960s but women film directors still remain a minority in film directing. However, those few that established themselves as successful directors are not any less internationally influential than the most reputable male directors.
Some of the greatest name of today’s women cinematography include:
Jane Campion. One of the most internationally reputable New Zealand film directors is both director and screenwriter. She is best known for her film The Piano that earned her a nomination for Best Director at the 66th Academy Awards making her the second woman in history to be nominated for this prestigious award. She has not won the Award for Best Director but she has won the Award for Best Original Screenplay. Other internationally successful films by Jane Campion include The Portrait of a Lady, In the Cut, Holy Smoke! and Bright Star.
Kathryn Bigelow. The American film director is the first woman director to win the Academy Award for Best Director for her film The Hurt Locker in 2009. Other internationally successful films directed by Kathryn Bigelow include Near Dark, Point Break, Strange Days and The Weight of Water. In 2010, she was listed on the Time annual list of 100 most influential people in the world.
Beeban Kidron. The British film director is best known for directing the BBC television drama Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and the internationally successful film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. She is also the cofounder (together with Lindsey Mackie) of the FILMCLUB, an educational charity which became one of the most influential after-school film clubs in the United Kingdom.
Mary Harron. The Canadian film director and screenwriter became famous for the cult thriller American Psycho. She also directed the film I Shot Andy Warhol, The Notorious Bettie Page and many TV series.
Nora Ephron. The American film director, screenwriter, producer, journalist and novelist is best known for her screenplays for movies Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally…, and Sleepless in Seattle which was directed by herself. She was nominated for Academy Award for Best Screenplay for all three films but she never won. Nora Ephron also directed a number of other very successful films including Heartburn, You’ve Got Mail, Michael, Hanging Up Her, Lucky Numbers and Bewitched. Her most recent movie was Julie & Julia in 2009.