Female Directors

I'm doing research for my Media Studies exam on Women in film. My chosen study is "Is it possible for female directors to match the success of males in Hollywood?" (and am using Sophia Coppola as my case study)

We have to research our topic, and part of our research is to ask people what they think, which is why I am asking here.

What do you think about female directors?
Have you heard of any?
Do you think they have a tougher time making it than males?
Have you seen any films by female directors and if so, what did you think of them?

What do you think about female directors?
For me the end result is did I enjoy the movie, I don't discriminate or choose a film due to a director's sex. Although I guess it also comes down to what genre of films you enjoy, as I don't know any female directors involved in scifi or horror movies.

Have you heard of any?
Yes ... see below

Do you think they have a tougher time making it than males?
I think that they probably do when they are just starting their career. However i would hope that Hollywood would judge on movie success and the project's merits rather than the director's sex. Saying that and judging by some of the dross that we are fed by Hollywood ... good judgement is sadly missing in many studios.

Have you seen any films by female directors and if so, what did you think of them?
I should mention that I am Australian, and therefore these I know ...

Gillian Armstrong is an Australian director.
The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992) ...
Little Women (1994) ...
Oscar and Lucinda (1997)
Charlotte Gray (2001)

Jocelyn Moorhouse is another Aussie
Proof (1991)

Sue Brooks is yet another Aussie
Japanese Story (2003)

Jane Campion is a New Zealand director.
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
The Piano (1993)
An Angel at My Table (1990)

I have seen and enjoyed these movies, many have been nominated for awards and some have won.

I especially liked the Piano, which was visually stunning and moving. However in a whole, they are not on top 100 list.

I have then gone through a Wiki surf ... and recognised hardly any of the 184 names listed.

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What do you think about female directors?

Just as good as male directors but they seem to be far fewer. Not sure why that is, but it's too bad.

Have you heard of any?

Gillian Armstrong
Lina Wertmüller
Leni Riefenstahl
Julie Taymor
Kei Fujiwara
Adrien Shelley
Sarah Polley

are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Do you think they have a tougher time making it than males?

Possibly, though that then begs the question of why it's harder for them.

Have you seen any films by female directors and if so, what did you think of them?

I guess my favorites are Gillian Armstrong (High Tide, My Brilliant Career, Oscar & Lucinda) and Lina Wertmüller (The Seduction of Mimi, Love and Anarchy, Seven Beauties, Swept Away).

Seven Beauties is one of my all time favorites. While I like Swept Away I don't think it's nearly as good as most people who I've talked to about it do (it was a favorite amongst my high school friends and I've often seen it called her best. I like all the ones I listed better than it). As for Gillian Armstrong, High Tide is excellent, My Brilliant Career is good, and Oscar & Lucinda is uneven, with some amazing parts (like the glass church) but I didn't like the acting from the two leads in that film (Blanchett and Fiennes). They really got on my nerves.

I will quote Diablo Cody for this one:

"When I was in Telluride, I was invited to speak on a ladies-only panel with Laura Linney and Tamara Jenkins, among others. I agreed because I was flattered to be included, but I did think it was kind of weird that Having A Pu**y is still considered a liability/novelty/quirk in the world of film."

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Thanks guys

With only 4% female directors it's odd that she feels it's nothing to be concerned about.

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http://www.last.fm/user/diezelpower/

She wasn't commenting on directors, but Hollywood in general. I made a weak attempt at connecting this user's question with Ms. Cody's quote.

That said, I think Ms. Cody was spot on.

What do you think about female directors?


Ability supercedes gender.


Have you heard of any?


Very few.


Do you think they have a tougher time making it than males?


Yes. Imagine that, Hollywood being sexist.


Have you seen any films by female directors and if so, what did you think of them?


One of my favorite films was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, as she did a magnificent job capturing the essence of the California in 70's in Lords of Dogtown. I've even watched the movie with director's commentary on.




How can you not love a movie that opens with Jimi Hendrix playing Voodoo Chile (Blues Version)...

and ends with Skip/Heath singing Maggie May?

And everything in between.


Thank You, Catherine, where ever you are.

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Movie quote puzzles:

http://www.sizzlequiz.com/SelectFreeGame.aspx?c=Movies

Have a look at Katherine Bigelow's Strange Days

oops sorry I forgot to answer the questions!

What do you think about female directors?

Not bothered who the director is as long as the film's good

Have you heard of any?

of course! as well as the ones mentioned in the posts above, there's Mira Nair who's turned out a fair few films, British directors Gurinda Chadha, Sally Potter, Lynne Ramsey and Antonia Bird and the famous Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf. A couple of well known French directors are Catherine Breillat and Claire Denis.

Do you think they have a tougher time making it than males?

Women have a tougher time in all jobs at the top, so there's no reason why film should be different. Look at the number we can name considering that women represent half the population they looks pretty under represented.

Have you seen any films by female directors and if so, what did you think of them?

yes, I've seen films by all the directors I've named above, some were great - Lynne Ramsey's Ratcatcher is one of my favourite films - but films should be treated on their merits not on the sex of the person who made them huh?

What do you think about female directors?
A good movie is a good movie, I don't care what sex you are

Have you heard of any?
Yes, Sofia Coppola, Mary Harron, Barbra Streisand,

Do you think they have a tougher time making it than males?
Sadly, yes

Have you seen any films by female directors and if so, what did you think of them?

Yes, I loved American Psycho by Mary Harron

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I used to be addicted to crystal meth, now I'm just addicted to Breaking Bad.

You all should go back a few generations and check out the work of...


Ida Lupino

True Hollywood pioneer, she was helming film projects back in the '40s and '50s and television series in the '60s when there just plain weren't any female directors. The good Noir The Hitch-Hiker (1953) is probably her best overall film followed closely by The Outrage (1950) which tackled the subject of rape back when most wouldn't even speak the word, much less examine the issue. She also co-wrote some screenplays as well, including both of those. She was an actress/writer/director who broke the mold.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

You can also go back to the 1920s when Dorothy Arzner began directing silent movies and made the transition to talkies. She made some memorable films, including The Wild Party with Clara Bow and Fredric March, Merrily We Go to Hell with Sylvia Sydney and Fredric March, Christopher Strong with Katharine Hepburn as an aviatrix, Nana where she tried to turn young Anna Sten into another Garbo, a strong version of Craig's Wife with Rosalind Russell, and the Lucille Ball musical, Dance, Girl, Dance. Arzner also was the first woman to join the Directors Guild. She was a well-known lesbian and many of her films certainly have a gay subtext whether anybody wants to believe it or not.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Nice call. I know her sister Rita, who plays/played tennis at the club I managed. Very sweet lady.

I think there are too few women directors, a woman directed Pet Semitary, one of the best Stephen King adaptations.

just a suggestion, why not say women can achieve a different kind of fame at the same level of male actors. sorry if that was vague. it's like trying to compare female and male authors. some critics say you can't really have a comparison between the two since the female psyche is way different from those of men. try reading julia kristeva, or helene cixous. if feminism turns you off, you'll at least find something interesting there when it comes to art and the sexes. i'm a guy and i still appreciated what they had to say.

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What do you think about female directors?
I don't think a great deal about them specifically. I tend to hold my judgement until I've seen their work. Though I do think more female directors would not necessarily be a bad thing. Also there are female directors and then there are women who occasionally make movies - these tend to be actresses.


Have you heard of any?
Nora Ephron - You've Got Mail
Agnes Varda - Cleo de 5 a 7 (beautiful french new wave movie)
Sophia Coppola
Gillian Armstrong
Scarlett Johansson recently made her directorial debut in New York, Je Taime.
Penny Marshall - A league of their own
Amy Heckerling - Clueless
Mira Nair - Vanity Fair
Barbara Streisand - Yentl
Adrienne Shelley RIP

Do you think they have a tougher time making it than males?
The obvious answer is yes and you might wanna look into the psychology between male and female relationship to follow this discussion. Men don't want to be directed by women - they find it more difficult taking orders from a women than they do a man.

Have you seen any films by female directors and if so, what did you think of them?
Yes i have and i didnt have any special opinion on the films because they were made by women for the most part but when a film is from a woman's point of view as in the lead character then you can watch it and 'thank god a woman made this movie, if a man did it...'
e.g. Clueless.

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Undercoverlovers 100 REDUX

Amen, Pike. I was going to cite her, but you beat me to it. Lupino was always a joy to watch on screen and a dynamic director behind the camera. She wasn't just a good woman director, she was a damn good director of either sex.

Surprised not more mentions of Kathryn Bigelow, she seems to make testosterone packed films- Near Dark, Point Break.

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Because she makes ***** films?