52 Films Directed by Women

In 2017 I heard about and decided to take on the 52 Films By Women challenge. The idea was to watch 52 films that were directed by women in order to raise awareness about female directors. At the time I was averaging around a film per day (now a little over 1.5 per day…), so I thought it would be easy, fun, and perhaps educational. I made it, but to my surprise it took genuine effort. Along the way, I found that I was expanding my palette, venturing further afield from my comfort genres of horror and science fiction to enjoy comedies, documentaries, and dramas. I even sparked a lasting interest in silent film (where female directors practically flourished, comparatively)!

Since then I’ve continued the challenge year after year–succeeding more often than not but often struggling to find more films. Since it continues to require effort from me–when, if women were fully represented in the director seat I’d accidentally reach the goal before the end of March–I decided this year to share some of my favorite films that I’ve counted toward my attempts. Note that not all directors were publicly women at the time of movie release, some directors are neither male nor female, and on occasion there is a male co-director.

Here then, stating it as accurately as I can, are my favorite 52 films not exclusively directed by men. (In alphabetic order).

Some note on the selection: This list is narrowed from over 100 films that I felt were most skillful or artistic. I’ve largely omitted entries that are frequently recommended (The Hitch-Hiker, Ravenous, Near Dark) or were recently released with great visibility and discussion (Black Christmas, Candyman) in favor of older or less well-known fare. Some more famous films I’ve left in because they surprised me. Completely missing are the films of lesser “quality” that I none-the-less love, such as Tank Girl–one of my all-time favorites.

1. ’49-’17 (1917) dir. Ruth Ann Baldwin [drama, western] A revived ghost town attracts bandits (silent)
2. American Honey (2016) dir. Andrea Arnold [drama] A young woman seeks adventure by joining a traveling group that sells magazine subscriptions
3. Appropriate Behavior (2014) dir. Desiree Akhavan [comedy, drama, romance] A woman struggles with her identities as she tries to reconnect with her ex-girlfriend
4. Audrie & Daisy (2016) dir. Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk [documentary] A case of online bullying that led suicide
5. Automated Hat-Maker and Sausage-Grinder/Chapellerie et charcuterie mécanique (1900) dir. Alice Guy [comedy] Surreal short displays a machine that simultaneously makes linked sausages and hats (silent)
6. The Beguiled (2017) dir. Sofia Coppola [drama] The presence of a wounded Union soldier unravels the facade of a cultured girls school in Virginia
7. Black Panthers (1968) dir. Agnes Varda [documentary] Interviews and footage of a rally to free Huey P. Newton
8. Bound (1996) dir. Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski [crime, thriller] A wife and her handy-woman lover scheme to steal mob money from her husband’s custody
9. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) dir. Jamie Babbit [comedy, romance, satire] A teenage lesbian is sent to a clinic to teach her proper gender behavior
10. City of God/Cidade de Deus (2002) dir. Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund [drama, true crime] Follows two slum kids taking very different paths in Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese)
11. The Curse of Quon Gwon: When the Far East Mingles with the West (1916) dir. Marian E. Wong [drama, short] A Chinese family in the US are cursed for being too American
12. Dog (2001) dir. Andrea Arnold [drama, short] A teenage girl discovers the true nature of her boyfriend when he abuses an animal
13. The Dream Lady (1918) dir. Elsie Jane Wilson [comedy, romance] An heiress uses her inheritance to become a fortune teller
14. “Ethnographic Films”/Zora Neale Hurston Fieldwork Footage (1929) dir. Zora Neale Hurston [documentary, short] A collection of shots taken in the rural American south (silent)
15. Eve’s Bayou (1997) dir. Kasi Lemmons [drama] The tenuous balance of Eve’s family breaks when she sees her father commit adultery
16. Evolution/Évolution (2015) dir. Lucile Hadzihalilovic [drama, horror, science-fiction] A small boy begins to suspect that the women caring for himself and the other boys are not as benevolent as they seem
17. Gimme Shelter (1970) dir. Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin [documentary, music] A film crew documenting the Rolling Stones’ 1969 tour captures the poor planning that led to a deadly confrontation at Altamont Speedway
18. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) dir. Ana Lily Amirpour [drama, horror, romance] A loner and a vampire meet up in an Iranian ghost town (Persian)
19. Girlfight (2000) dir. Karyn Kusama [drama] A young woman finds her balance through boxing
20. Hester Street (1975) dir. Joan Micklin Silver [drama, romance] Set in the late 19th century. Follows a traditional Russian Jewish woman as she joins her Americanized husband in New York
21. The Holiday (2006) dir. Nancy Meyers [comedy, romance] Two women exchange homes for the holidays and find adventure in each other’s ordinary life
22. In a World… (2013) dir. Lake Bell [comedy] A voice coach competes against her father’s protege for work in movie trailers
23. Lady of the Night/I kveld er det lov å være mann (2017) dir. Marin Håskjold [drama, short] One of a group of male friends shows up to a holiday party presenting as a woman (Norwegian)
24. Little Fugitive (1953) dir. Ray Ashley, Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin [drama] Believing he’s killed his brother, a young boy makes a life for himself at Coney Island
25. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum/Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum (1975) dir. Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta [crime, drama] A woman questioned by police about her night with a terrorist is convicted in the press
26. The Love Witch (2016) dir. Anna Biller [horror, romance] A witch uses magic to find true love
27. The Manor (2021) dir. Axelle Carolyn [horror, mystery] A patient discovers dark secrets in her nursing home
28. The Magician’s Alms/La charité du prestidigitateur (1905) dir. Alice Guy [comedy, fantasy, short] A magician teaches a lesson about charity (silent)
29. Marjoe (1972) dir. Sarah Kernochan and Howard Smith [documentary] Follows future B-movie star Marjoe Gortner as he exposes the evangelist preaching grift that he was raised in
30. Mayday (2021) dir. Karen Cinorre. [drama, fantasy, mystery] After an accident, a young woman awakens in a dangerous world where people trapped on a mysterious island have split into camps
31. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) dir. Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid [fantasy, short] A woman has disturbing dreams that erode reality (silent)
32. Mikey and Nicky (1976) dir. Elaine May [crime, drama] Two old friends spend a desperate night together as one attempts to avoid assassination
33. Miss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs/Le chiens savants (1902) dir. Alice Guy [performance, short] They’re good dogs (silent)
34. On the Rocks (2020) dir. Sofia Coppola [comedy, drama, romance] A woman worried about her marriage enlists the help of her philandering father
35. Paris is Burning (1990) dir. Jennie Livingston [documentary] Follows several members of the New York ball scene of the late 1980s. Livingston later co-created the show “Pose”, fictionally exploring the same era
36. Passionless Moments (1983) dir. Jane Campion and Gerard Lee [short] Odd, everyday moments for people in a neighborhood
37. Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) Trish Sie [comedy, music] The a cappella group reunites yet again, but this time there are over-the-top action film aspects
38. Portrait of a Lady on Fire/Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma [drama, romance] A woman arrives on a remote island to paint a noblewoman’s wedding portrait(French, Italian)
39. The Private Life of a Cat (1946) dir. Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid [documentary, short] Cats bear and raise a litter (silent)
40. Salomé (1922) dir. Alla Nazimova [biblical, drama] Stunning but costly version of the death of John the Baptist (silent)
41. Savage/Love (1981) dir. Shirley Clarke [performance, short] Captures a performance art piece about strong emotion
42. Selma (2014) dir. Ava DuVernay [biography, drama] Chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march from Selma to Montgomery to rally for voting rights
43. Smithereens (1982) dir. Susan Seidelman [drama] A young woman at the periphery of the New York punk scene searches for fame
44. Suspense (1913) dir. Phillips Smalley and Lois Weber [drama, short, thriller] A wife and infant hide from a home invader while the husband and police race to the rescue (silent)
45. Sweetie (1989) dir. Jane Campion [comedy, drama] A woman’s life is disrupted when her disturbed sister returns
46. That Ice Ticket (1921) dir. Angela Murray Gibson [comedy, short] A boy helps his older sister narrow down suitors with a nasty practical joke
47. Waitress (2007) dir. Adrienne Shelly [comedy, drama, romance] A pregnant, unhappily-married waitress sparks an affair with the new doctor in town
48. Warsha (2022) dir. Dania Bdeir [drama, short] A crane operator in Beirut takes a dangerous assignment in order to take advantage of the privacy for self-expression (Arabic)
49. Wasp (2003) dir. Andrea Arnold [drama, short] A single mother takes a chance on rekindling an old relationship, despite having no one to take care of her children
50. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) dir. Lynne Ramsay [drama, mystery, thriller] Tilda Swinton tries desperately to love her son Ezra Miller, but it’s for her to understand why he’s so horrible
51. Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021) dir. Kier-La Janisse [documentary] Lengthy exploration of what has become known as “folk horror”, with examples of films across the globe
52. Working Girls (1986) dir. Lizzie Borden [drama] A day in the life of a sex worker in a brothel