In the realm of filmmaking, the Academy Awards serve as a benchmark of excellence, yet beneath the glitz and glamor lies a persistent issue: the systemic overlooking of female directors and their contributions to the cinematic landscape. Despite a burgeoning wave of remarkable films crafted by talented women, the Academy continues to demonstrate a glaring disparity in its recognition of female directors. Out of the Academy’s 96 year history, only NINE women have ever been nominated for Best Director and only THREE have ever won:
- Lina Wertmüller: Seven Beauties (1975)
- Jane Campion: The Piano (1993)
- Sofia Coppola: Lost In Translation (2003)
- Kathryn Bigelow: The Hurt Locker (2009) – First winner!
- Greta Gerwig: Lady Bird (2017)
- Emerald Fennell: Promising Young Woman (2021)
- Chloé Zhao: Nomadland (2021) – Second winner!
- Jane Campion: The Power of the Dog (2022) – Third winner!
- Justine Triet: Anatomy of a Fall (2024) – Currently nominated!
The year 2023 bore witness to an array of outstanding works helmed by women, like Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”, Celine Song’s “Past Lives”, A.V. Rockwell’s “A Thousand and One”, and Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” (Triet is nominated for Best Direction this year!). Each offering unique perspectives and pushing artistic boundaries. As we delve into this discourse, it becomes evident that the oversight of female directors not only undermines diversity in the film industry but also deprives audiences of a rich tapestry of narratives awaiting their deserved acknowledgment and celebration. It’s time to shine some light on these skilled and passionate filmmakers and introduce you to your new favorite movie.
“A Thousand and One” directed by A.V. Rockwell
Taking place in New York City throughout the 90s and 2000s, “A Thousand and One” tells the story of a single mother, Inez––played by Teyana Taylor––who kidnaps her son, Terry, from the foster care system. She navigates through their struggles: constantly moving, raising him, and aiming for him to have a better life than she did. This film consists of poignant dialogue, also written by Rockwell, stunning acting, and heart wrenching suspense as their secrets and past begin to catch up to them. Not only is this film wildly entertaining and deeply touching, but an all-too-accurate portrayal of “how hard it is to keep Black families together, and the different things that try to rip us apart,” as Rockwell so expertly puts it in an interview with Filmmaker Magazine. “A Thousand and One” serves as Rockwell’s feature directorial debut, but you’d never be able to tell. “A Thousand and One” is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
“Anatomy of a Fall” directed by Justine Triet
If you’re interested in film, then you know that Justine Triet has had an incredible year as her court drama masterpiece continues to sweep awards season. “Anatomy of a Fall” is about a novelist, played by Sandra Hüller, who has to prove her innocence in her husband’s mysterious death. This film is, in this writer’s and movie-lover’s opinion, a modern masterpiece. The script is masterful and Triet directs some of the greatest acting performances of the 21st century. Hüller, who is nominated for Best Actress, is equal parts heartbreaking and scathing, and 15-year-old Milo Machado Graner makes a ridiculously strong case for one of the best child actors of all time. Last but certainly not least, this film stars Messi––not that Messi–– an adorable fluffy border collie who won the Palm Dog award at the Cannes Film Festival for best performance by a canine! Triet, who directed and wrote this film, is one of the most exciting auteurs working today and “Anatomy of a Fall” is a complex, provocative, and insightful film that delves into the dimensions of a woman and the misogyny that taints the world. “Anatomy of a Fall” is currently available on Apple TV.
“Barbie” directed by Greta Gerwig
The clock struck 12 on July 21st and the streets were swarmed in pink! It was truly the summer of Barbie as Greta Gerwig’s third solo directorial film about the world famous doll took the world by storm! A true example of a cultural phenomenon as it helmed dozens of Barbie collabs, the “Barbenheimer” double feature, and grossed over 1.4 billion dollars worldwide, achieving Barbie fans goals of a “Barbillion” dollars with ease. The film celebrates womanhood and the different emotions and characteristics that are part of humans’ ongoing journey of self-discovery. If by chance you haven’t seen “Barbie”, it’s about Barbie (Margot Robbie) who lives a perfect life in a perfect world: Barbieland; she then finds herself becoming human and a three dimensional person. The film impacted all people around the globe with its unapologetic femininity and relatable female leads, as always seen in Gerwig’s films.
“I think I told them that it’d make a billion dollars, which maybe I was overselling, but we had a movie to make, OK?,” Robbie told Collider while convincing studios to produce the film. “Barbie” has understandably shot Gerwig into the stratosphere of legendary filmmakers and is concrete, shimmering pink, proof that by trusting women to tell their own stories and giving them the resources they need, the success, acclaim, and connection will follow. Hopefully the astronomical mark “Barbie” has left on the scene opens doors for an influx of creative women in film.
“How to Have Sex” directed by Molly Manning Walker
“Life is a party until it’s not,” Matt Neglia writes on Walker’s feature “How to Have Sex” which follows three British teenage girls who go on an after-exams holiday to Greece, ready to drink, dance, and hook up with boys. Tara, played by Mia McKenna-Bruce, ends up getting assaulted by one of the boys they meet on the trip and internally navigates how to make it through each passing second. “How to Have Sex” doesn’t dramatize the actual occurrence or show it as violent, but the blunt portrayal of Paddy using her, makes the act unable to be misconstrued by anything other than non consensual and violating. Walker uses silence to really hit the audience with the thesis of the film: women are assaulted every day and it doesn’t have to be gory to be any more validly wrong. Tara goes throughout the trip without saying anything to her friends about what happened and McKenna-Bruce’s almost silent performance conveys the internal struggle of realizing what happened to her was wrong and that she shouldn’t think it’s not a big deal, an idea pushed on young women all the time.
Walker directed and wrote an intimate piece that will crack your heart open and hopefully wake the audience up to the reality that what happened to Tara is now forever a part of her life that she will carry it with her for a long time, and tomorrow it will happen to someone else. Walker’s portrayal of this harsh reality is striking enough to light a fire for change in anyone’s heart. “How to Have Sex” is now playing in select theaters in the U.S.
“Past Lives” directed by Celine Song
“You dream in a language I can’t understand. It’s like there’s this whole place inside you I can’t go,” says Arthur, played by John Magaro, to his wife Nora, played by Greta Lee, in this romantic drama written and directed by Celine Song. “Past Lives” is about a Korean-American woman, Nora, who has an established life and relationship in New York which becomes disrupted when her first love, Hae Sung, played by Teo Yoo, comes back into her life. This film is the perfect movie for anyone who loves romance, angst, and the complexities of one’s past and present. Song proves she is an expert at curating her direction and script to elicit the most specific feelings from the audience and “Past Lives” is a visually stunning symphony of emotions that go far beyond romantic attraction, but nostalgia, grief, and vulnerability. “Past Lives” is told in both English and Korean and the authenticity that Song brings to the film elevates it that much more.