The film industry is heavily dominated by men, from on-screen stars to behind the scenes.
Women struggle to be taken seriously in the industry but in recent years they have been making their mark in Hollywood. Many have become household names and are taking their place in the director’s chair.
In the past few years the number of top movies directed by women is 10.6%, according to a study found by USC Annenberg. This is the highest percentage in a decade.
Women are still missing the accreditation during award shows, only seven female directors have been nominated for Best Director in the 95 years the Oscar have been around. The first win was in 2010 with Kathryn Bigelow’s film, “The Hurt Locker”.
The most recent Oscar win was Jane Champion in 2022 for “The Power of the Dog”.
Representation both on the big screen and directors chair matter, here is a list of influential films directed by women.
- “American Psycho” (2000) directed by Mary Harron
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Starring Christian Bale, this movie follows a New York banking executive as he indulges in his psychopathic ego (gruesome serial killer) as he tries to hide it from co-workers and friends.
- “Clueless” (1995) directed by Amy Heckerling
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A young coming of age film that gives us a glimpse into a rich and socially successful family in Beverly Hills, CA.
- “The Matrix” (1999) Lily Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
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The film tells a story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground rebels fighting computers that rule the earth.
- “The Virgin Suicides” (1999) directed by Sofia Coppola
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A group of teen boys become infatuated with five sisters who are sheltered by their parents and have a doomed fate.
- “The Parent Trap” (1998) directed by Nancy Meyers
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Identical twins separated by their divorced parents cross paths at summer camp and switch places to meet their other parents.
- “Nomadland” (2020) directed by Chloe Zhao
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A woman goes on a journey through western United States after losing everything during the Great Recession, becoming a modern-day nomad.
- “Mamma Mia” (2008) directed by Phyllida Lloyd
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Musical about a single mother who owns a hotel on a Greek island and the daughter secretly invites her mothers ex-lovers to see who her biological father is.
Here are my favorite movies directed by women.
- “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton
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Hoover family pile on into an old van to road trip to California for a beauty pageant, we see the family dynamic unfold throughout the trip.
- “Lady Bird” (2017) Greta Gerwig
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A California high school student wants to run away from her small town but has a rocky relationship with her mothers that pushes her to a new state.c
- “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (2019) directed by Celine Sciamma
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Set in the eighteenth century, a female painter is painting a wedding portrait of a young woman and they fall in love in the process.
- “Jennifer’s Body” (2009) Karyn Kusama
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A demon possesses a cheerleader who now has an appetite of male human flesh, her best friend needs to stop her before her boyfriend dies.
- “Booksmart” (2019) Olivia Wilde
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Academic overachievers find out that their “lazy” classmates got accepted to elite colleges and they realize they missed out on their teen years. They have one night to fill up four years of fun before they graduate.
- “Real Women have Curves” (2002) directed by Patricia Cardoso
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First generation Mexican-American girl gets accepted into Columbia but has to battle her traditional parents as her passage to womanhood.
Have you seen any of these movies before? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU!