200 Films Directed by Women in One Year
Though the number is arbitrary, the experience was fulfilling. Some thoughts and highlights on my challenge to myself: watching 200+ films directed by women this year.
I’ve always taken interest in films directed by women. Women like Tamara Jenkins, Jane Campion, Agnès Varda, Andrea Arnold, and many more created films that I could relate to, be moved by, and that were able to enlighten me or change my perspective. Last year, though, I consciously decided to aspire to watch a lot more. It kind of all started with binge watching Lee Grant’s filmography early last year, and then watching the films she directed. There was a section about Lee Grant in the book entitled, Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors and the Feminist Reform of 1970s American Cinema by Maya Montañez Smukler, so on a whim, I decided to order it. The book dives into the emergence of women directors in American cinema in the 70s. Montañez Smukler discusses the various challenges, failures, and breakthroughs of the 16 women who were directing in the American film industry at that time.
After reading this informative work, I was inspired to watch more films by Joan Micklin Silver, Karen Arthur, Anne Bancroft, Elaine May, Barbara Loden, and many others listed in the book. Learning more about the context in which these women were working, regarding how difficult it was for them to break into the industry and get their films made, I appreciated the films even more, and their directors for being a part of paving the way. The book also acknowledges that while women were making strides in the 70s, slowly but surely, it was very typically only white women who already had some standing in the industry that were able to find any semblance of success. The industry has changed a lot, for the better in some ways, but not all, since then, and I recognize that there is still a lot more work to be done.
Early this year, I decided to keep track of the films I watched that were directed by women. Putting these films on a list enabled me to keep a conscious reminder to keep seeking them out. By October, I realized I had reached 150 films, and at that point, decided to commit to trying to watch 200 films directed by women in a single year. In my counting to 200, I included rewatches, though there aren’t very many since I tried to challenge myself to branch out, and short films, which account for under 15% of the films. The number 200 is rather arbitrary, as it was a random goal, but I’m content with achieving it. The experience was gratifying in the best of ways; seeking out directors I hadn’t heard of before, experiencing work tackling a wide range of subjects, and finally getting to films that had long been on my watchlists. Since I am a virgo and love a good list, I’ve chosen 20 films to recommend, my favourite rewatches of the year, and which directors I watched most from this year. If you even choose to watch one film I’ve mentioned after looking through the list, it would be an honour.
20 recommendations of films I’ve watched and loved this year:
The World of Us (2016, Yoon Ga-eun)
Yoon Ga-eun is absolutely my MVP director of the year. The World of Us was the first film of hers that I watched, and it’s perhaps the one that has stuck with me most this year, leading me to watch Yoon’s other feature (The House of Us), and two shorts (Sprout & Guest). Films about children that feel natural and are written with actual children’s voices and thoughts in mind are so rare and special, and Yoon has a terrific ability to write and direct authentic child performances, all while creating a beautiful world for these characters to inhabit.
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992, Leslie Harris)
Constantly bursting with energy, vibrancy, and heart throughout. A wonderful character piece on a young woman growing up in Brooklyn in the early 90s. Every interaction between Chantel and her friends, boyfriends, teachers, and family feels completely fresh, exciting, and real. It's devastating that this is Leslie Harris' only feature film to date, she deserves so much better.
Other People’s Children (2022, Rebecca Zlotowski)
I fell head over heels for this film at TIFF this year, and I can’t wait to be able to watch it again. This is Zlotowski’s strongest film by far, presenting a lead character, stunningly played by Virginie Efira, who is so fleshed out and real that it feels exhilaratingly refreshing. It’s a fresh, breezy take on the role of the stepmother and the complexities that experience can bring.
The Third Wife (2018, Ash Mayfair)
Absolutely stunning imagery. The story is very dark and strange, and the tone set by Mayfair is very bold for a first feature.
The Nightingale (2018, Jennifer Kent)
Such an assured vision. I was swept away by this journey of brutality and couldn’t look away.
Happening (2021, Audrey Diwan)
One of my favourites of this calendar year. Equally gorgeous and heartbreaking.
Daughters of the Dust (1991, Julie Dash)
Poetic, bringing to life a detailed place and culture with specificity and grace.
Babysitter (2022, Monia Chokri)
I have been following Monia Chokri’s career from the start, and she keeps fine tuning her style with every project. Her second feature is daring, bizarre, and unlike anything I’ve seen. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Microhabitat (2017, Jeon Go-woon)
Funny, wistful, and complex. Film as a way to try to understand what it means to have to participate in the impossibility of adulthood.
La Musica (1967, Marguerite Duras & Paul Seban)
The Duras film to which I have felt the most connection so far. I was completely entranced by both Delphine Seyrig’s performance and the use of mirrors in the film, gorgeous.
India Cabaret (1985, Mira Nair)
Nair gives room for these remarkable women to tell their stories. Both entertaining and insightful.
Mouthpiece (2018, Patricia Rozema)
Moving, inventive, and profound in how Rozema uses the device of two actresses playing one character to flesh out the complexities of experiencing grief.
Ode to Nothing (2018, Dwein Baltazar)
The decent into the perils of loneliness has never been so compelling. It’s hard to watch, yet hard to take your eyes off of it all.
Be Pretty and Shut Up! (1981, Delphine Seyrig)
Seyrig interviews many women in the film industry, giving a range of perspectives on how they viewed the position of women in the industry at the time. Women!
The Second Mother (2015, Anna Muylaert)
An evocative examination of class, rife with detail and humour.
Portrait of Jason (1967, Shirley Clarke)
Sitting with one subject for 105 minutes has never been so fascinating.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022, Laura Poitras)
Life is art is politics. Powerful and beautiful in equal measure. Nan Goldin is so fucking cool.
Fat Girl (2001, Catherine Breillat)
I had had this one on my watchlist for so long, and it didn’t disappoint. The unsentimental complexity of family ties. What a bold ending, too.
Turning Red (2022, Domee Shi)
Extraordinary animation, an adorable story, and Toronto being featured in such a lovely way.
Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976, Joan Micklin Silver)
An entirely charming 45 minutes, featuring a wonderful lead performance by Shelley Duvall as the titular outcast, Bernice. Joan Micklin Silver was truly one of the greats.
My favourite rewatches of the year:
All Over Me (1997, Alex Sichel), An Extraordinary Person (2013, Monia Chokri), The Company of Strangers (1990, Cynthia Scott), Desert Hearts (1985, Donna Deitch), Heal The Living (2016, Katell Quillévéré), Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975, Chantal Akerman), The Mafu Cage (1978, Karen Arthur), The Parent Trap (1998, Nancy Meyers), Petite Maman (2021, Celine Sciamma), The Savages (2007, Tamara Jenkins), Sibyl (2019, Justine Triet), The Willmar Eight (1981, Lee Grant), & When Women Kill (1983, Lee Grant).
Directors I’ve watched the most from this year, along with a film of theirs I recommend not previously mentioned:
6 films
- Lee Grant (1986, Down and Out in America)
5 films
- Chantal Akerman (1978, The Meetings of Anna)
- Nikyatu Jusu (2022, Nanny)
- Joan Micklin Silver (1979, Chilly Scenes of Winter)
- Lynne Ramsay (2011, We Need to Talk About Kevin)
- Agnès Varda (1977, One Sings, the Other Doesn’t)
- Rebecca Zlotowski (2010, Belle épine)
4 films
Clio Barnard (2010, The Arbor)
Mati Diop (2019, Atlantics)
Valérie Donzelli (2012, Hand in Hand)
Yoon Ga-eun (2013, Sprout)
3 films
Catherine Corsini (2018, An Impossible Love)
Mira Nair (1991, Mississippi Masala)
Patricia Rozema (1987, I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing)
Delphine Seyrig (1975, Maso and Miso Go Boating)
Alice Winocour (2019, Proxima)
Naoko Yamada (2018, Liz and the Blue Bird)