On January 31st, The Guardian published an article titled “Why are there so few female filmmakers?” Less than a month later, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the director’s prize at the 62nd Directors' Guild of America Awards. Then, in March, she repeated that feat at the 82nd Oscars, where only three women (Lina Wertmüller, Jane Campion and Sofia Coppola) have previously even been nominated. Although membership of the Academy remains secret, it’s probably fair to assume that it’s disproportionatly male. What is known is that, when it was founded in 1927, there were 33 male members and three females (Mary Pickford, Jeanie MacPherson and Bess Meredyth) – or 8%.
Although women make up a large percentage of directing students enrolled in film schools, as of 2008, they made up only 9% of Hollywood feature directors. Of the 241 films that have grossed over $100 million in the US in the last decade, only five female directors made the list, Vicky Jenson, Nancy Meyers, Catherine Hardwicke, Anne Fletcher and Phyllida Lloyd. None of them enjoy the fame or recognition of most of their counterparts who appear in front of the camera.
Amoeba's female directors with sections
Here at Amoeba Hollywood, of the 97 directors with their own sections, only five are female -- Doris Wishman, Enid Baxter Blader, Johanna Vaude, Maya Deren and Su Friedrich.
There are of course other female directors out there -- some are responsible for some of the greatest films in film history. So in honor of Women’s History Month (and given my completist's need to make long lists), here are a few more:
AFRICA
Anne Mungai Cheryl Dunye Cindy Magara
Fanta Régina Nacro Gurinder Chadha Khady Sylla
Ngozi Onwurah Peace Anyiam-Fiberesima Pratibha Parmar
Safi Faye Sarah Bouyain Sarah Maldoror
ASIA
Ann Hui Aparna Sen Byambasuren Davaa Dalia Hager
Deepa Mehta Hana Makhmalbaf Ivy Ho Jiayin Liu
Joan Chen Kaori Momoi Kinuyo Tanaka Lee Suk-Gyung
Marguerite Duras Maryam Keshavarz Marzieh Meshkini Mehreen Jabbar
Mira Nair Nadine Labaki Naomi Kawase Niki Karimi Pouran Derakhshandeh
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad Sabiha Sumar Samira Makhmalbaf
Sepideh Farsi Shamim Ara Shashwati Talukdar
Shimako Sato So Yong Kim Soonrye Yim Suma Josson
Sylvia Chang Tahmineh Milani Trịnh Thị Minh Hà
Ying Ning Yu Li Zero Chou
Not Pictured: Indu Krishnan, Mahin Oskouei, Mona Zandi-Haqiqi, Parisa Bakhtavar, Vidi Bilu and Yasman Malek-Nasr.
EUROPE
Agnès Jaoui Agnès Varda Agnieszka Holland
Alice Guy Blaché Annabella Miscuglio Antonia Bird Asia Argento
Beeban Kidron Caroline Link Catherine Breilla Chantal Akerman
Claire Denis Coline Serreau Doris Dörrie
Elfi Mikesch Floria Sigismondi Germaine Dulac
Helke Sander Icíar Bollaín Jacqueline Audry Leni Riefenstahl
Liliana Cavani Lindy Heymann Lucile Hadzihalilovic Lynn Ramsey
Mai Zetterling Margarethe von Trotta Marleen Gorris
Márta Mészáros Martha Fiennes Monika Treut
Sally Potter Sharon Maguire Susanne Bier
Ulrike Ottinger Vera Chytilová Zana Briski
Not pictured: Birgit Hein, Christine Edzard, Helma Sanders-Brahms, Johanna Vaude, Phyllida Lloyd, Shona Auerbach
(Already pictured: Lina Wertmüller)
NORTH AMERICA
Alison Maclean Allison Anders Amy Heckerling
Amy Holden Jones Barbara Hammer Barbara Kopple Barbara Loden
Barbara Peters Barbra Streisand Betty Thomas
Christine Choy Colette Burson Connie Field Darnell Martin
Dennie Gordon Diane Keaton Dianne Houston Dorothy Arzner
Drew Barrymore Eisha Marjara Elaine May
Ellen Perry Euzhan Palcy Frances-Anne Solomon
Grace Lee Ida Lupino Jamie Babbit Jennifer Chambers Lynch
Jennifer Jason Leigh Jessica Yu Joan Darling Joan Micklin Silver
Jodie Foster Joyce Wieland Julie Dash Julie Taymor
Jürgen Vsych Kasi Lemmons Kelly Reichardt
Kimberly Peirce Lesli Linka Glatter Lizzie Borden Loni Ding
Louise Alaimo Madonna Maggie Greenwald
Maria Maggenti Mary Benjamin Mary Harron Mary Lambert
Maya Angelou Mimi Leder Miranda July
Nancy Savoca Neema Barnette Nia Vardalos Nicole Holofcener
Nisha Ganatra Nnegest Likké Nora Ephron
Patricia Rozema Patty Jenkins Penelope Spheeris Penny Marshall
Rebecca Miller Sarah Polley Shirley Clarke
Sonali Gulati Stephanie Rothman Susan Seidelman Tamara Jenkins
Tiffany Huang Tita Poe
Valerie Faris Zahra Dowlatabadi Zoe Cassavetes
Not pictured: Caroline Thompson, Hilary Birmingham, Judy Smith, Karen Arthur, Kate Davis, Monika Treut and Yunah Hong
(Already pictured: Anne Fletcher, Catherine Hardwicke, Doris Wishman, Enid Baxter Blader, Katherine Bigelow, Martha Coolidge, Maya Deren, Nancy Meyers, Sofia Coppola, Su Friedrich and Vicky Jenson)
OCEANIA
(already pictured: Jane Campion)
SOUTH AMERICA
Carla Camurati Eliane Caffé Helena Solberg
Lúcia Murat Lucrecia Martel Nelly Kaplan Sandra Kogut
Suzana Amaral Tata Amaral
Not pictured: Ana Carolina, Betse De Paula and Marta Rodríguez
I know there are a lot more, so please hit me with some additions!
