Female Film and TV Directors

1. Susannah Grant

Susannah Grant was born on January 4, 1963 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Erin Brockovich (2000), Unbelievable (2019) and The 5th Wave (2016). She has been married to Christopher Henrikson since 1995. They have two children.

Catch and Release 3-

2. Beeban Kidron

Director | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

She came to prominence with the much lauded adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's autobiographical novel 'Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'. Since then she's directed feature films, television dramas and documentaries. In 2008, she founded the charity called Filmclub with Lindsay Mackie. It has since ...

To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar Used People Amy Foster Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (tv series)

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3. Agnès Varda

Director | Cléo de 5 à 7

Agnès Varda was born on May 30, 1928 in Ixelles, Belgium. She was a director and writer, known for Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), Vagabond (1985) and Faces Places (2017). She was married to Jacques Demy. She died on March 29, 2019 in Paris, France.

Cleo from 5 to 7 Vagabond (1985) Jacquot de Nantes Les cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma

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4. Coline Serreau

Director | 3 hommes et un couffin

Coline Serreau was born on October 29, 1947 in Paris, France. She is an actress and director, known for Three Men and a Cradle (1985), Why Not! (1977) and Chaos (2001). She was previously married to Benno Besson.

Why Not! (1977) 3 hommes et un couffin Chaos (2001) 18 ans après (2003) Saint-Jacques... La Mecque (2005)

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5. Julie Taymor

Director | Frida

Julie Taymor is an Academy Award-nominated director, known for such films as Frida (2002) and Across the Universe (2007).

She was born on December 15, 1952, in Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Her father, Melvin Lester Taymor, was a gynecologist. Her mother, Elizabeth Bernstein, was a ...

Titus Frida Across the Universe The Tempest

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6. Ida Lupino

Actress | High Sierra

Ida was born in London to a show business family. In 1932, her mother took Ida with her to an audition and Ida got the part her mother wanted. The picture was Her First Affaire (1932). Ida, a bleached blonde, went to Hollywood in 1934 playing small, insignificant parts. Peter Ibbetson (1935) was ...

The Hitch-Hiker The Trouble with Angels The Bigamist

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7. Jill Sprecher

Writer | Clockwatchers

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in philosophy and literature, she moved to NewYork to study film and has since made Manhattan her home. She has worked as a coordinator, production manager and line producer on both studio and independent features. She studied film ...

Clockwatchers Thirteen Conversations About One Thing Thin Ice (2011)

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8. Betty Thomas

Self | Howard Stern

Betty Thomas was born July 27, 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating from Ohio University with a BA in fine arts. Initially sidetracked, Betty first taught school in Chicago but found herself restricted and needing more of an open forum for self-expression than a classroom. She found herself drawn...

Private Parts Only You I Spy John Tucker Must Die Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

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9. Agnieszka Holland

Director | Pokot

Having graduated from FAMU in Prague film (1971), Agnieszka Holland returned to Poland and began her film career working with Krzysztof Zanussi as assistant director, and Andrzej Wajda as her mentor. Her first feature film was PROVINCIAL ACTORS (1978), one of the flagship pictures of the "cinema of...

To Kill a Priest Europa Europa Olivier, Olivier The Secret Garden Total Eclipse Washington Square The Third Miracle Copying Beethoven In Darkness

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10. Margarethe von Trotta

Director | Hannah Arendt

Margarethe von Trotta was born in Berlin in 1942. In the 1960s she moved to Paris where she worked for film collectives, collaborating on scripts and co-directing short films. She also pursued an acclaimed acting career, starring in films by well known German directors such as Rainer Werner ...

The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum Das Versprechen Rosenstrasse

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11. Mimi Leder

Producer | The Morning Show

Mimi Leder was born on January 26, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and director, known for The Morning Show (2019), On the Basis of Sex (2018) and Deep Impact (1998). She has been married to Gary Werntz since January 26, 1986. They have one child. She was previously married ...

The Peacemaker Deep Impact Pay It Forward The Code

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12. Lone Scherfig

Director | An Education

Writer/director Lone Scherfig graduated from The National Film School of Denmark in 1984. Her first feature film, THE BIRTHDAY TRIP (1990), was selected for Panorama in Berlin, the New Directors section at MOMA in New York and won the Grand Jury Prix in Rouen. Her next film, ON OUR OWN (1998), ...

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself An Education One Day

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13. Marleen Gorris

Director | Antonia

Marleen Gorris was born on December 9, 1948 in Roermond, Limburg, Netherlands. She is a director and writer, known for Antonia's Line (1995), A Question of Silence (1982) and Broken Mirrors (1984).

De stilte rond Christine M. Antonia won Oscar Mrs Dalloway(1997) The Luzhin Defence (2000) Carolina Within the Whirlwind

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14. Niki Caro

Director | Whale Rider

Niki Caro is a New Zealand film director and screenwriter, born in 1967. Caro was born in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. She was educated first at the Kadimah College in Auckland, and then the Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. The School is a private girls' school, and ranks ...

Whale Rider North Country The Vintner's Luck

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15. Tamara Jenkins

Director | The Savages

Tamara Jenkins was born on May 2, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and writer, known for The Savages (2007), Private Life (2018) and Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). She has been married to Jim Taylor since 2002. They have one child.

Slums of Beverly Hills The Savages

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16. Tamra Davis

Director | A Conversation with Basquiat

Began her career directing music videos for acts like Tone Loc, Depeche Mode, Indigo Girls, NWA, Hanson and Sonic Youth and made her first feature in 92 with Guncrazy starring Drew Barrymore. Ms Barrymore received a Golden Globe Nomination. She then went on to direct feature films starring Chris ...

Guncrazy CB4 (1993) Billy Madison Best Men Half Baked The Wonder of Sex Crossroads

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17. Randa Haines

Director | Children of a Lesser God

Randa Haines was born on February 20, 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Children of a Lesser God (1986), Antwone Fisher (2002) and Something About Amelia (1984).

Children of a Lesser God - won Oscar, was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay The Doctor

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18. Elaine May

Actress | Small Time Crooks

Elaine May (born under the name Elaine Iva Berlin) is an American actress, comedian, film director, playwright, and screenwriter from Philadelphia. Her professional career started in the 1950s and is still ongoing. She has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. She ...

A New Leaf The Heartbreak Kid Ishtar

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19. Agnès Jaoui

Actress | Le goût des autres

Agnès Jaoui was born on October 19, 1964 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France. She is an actress and writer, known for The Taste of Others (2000), Look at Me (2004) and Family Resemblances (1996). She was previously married to Jean-Pierre Bacri.

Le Gout des Autres (2000) Look at Me (2004) Let's Talk About the Rain (2008)

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20. Kari Skogland

Director | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Emmy-nominated, BAFTA award-winning director Kari Skogland is CEO of Mad Rabbit, a development and production company. Skogland is committed to producing high-end one-hour dramas for the international market while she continues her award- winning work. Most recently she was Executive Producer and ...

Fifty Dead Men Walking The Stone Angel (2007) Liberty Stands Still

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21. Phyllida Lloyd

Director | Mamma Mia!

Phyllida Lloyd was born on June 17, 1957 in Bristol, England, UK. She is a director and producer, known for Mamma Mia! (2008), The Iron Lady (2011) and Herself (2020).

Mamma Mia! The Iron Lady

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22. Claire Denis

Director | High Life

The films of Claire Denis frequently explore the fragile connections between people and the ways in which the most seemingly inconsequential relationship can have life-changing effects. At the heart of Denis' cinema is a fascination with the delights and difficulties of belonging and otherness, the...

Beau Travail Trouble Every Day 35 Shots of Rum

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23. Penelope Spheeris

Director | Suburbia

Spheeris is often referred to as a 'rock 'n roll anthropologist'.

In 1974 she formed the first Los Angeles music video production company, ROCK 'N REEL. She concluded her music video work with the Grammy-nominated, "Bohemian Rhapsody" video for "Wayne's World". Spheeris' feature film debut was the ...

Senseless Wayne's World

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24. Rebecca Miller

Writer | Maggie's Plan

Rebecca Miller was born on September 15, 1962 in Roxbury, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Maggie's Plan (2015), Personal Velocity (2002) and Angela (1995). She has been married to Daniel Day-Lewis since November 13, 1996. They have two children.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee The Ballad of Jack and Rose Personal Velocity: Three Portraits

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25. Antonia Bird

Director | Priest

Antonia Bird was born on May 27, 1951 in London, England, UK. She was a director and producer, known for Priest (1994), Face (1997) and Ravenous (1999). She was married to Ian Ilett. She died on October 24, 2013 in London, England, UK.

Ravenous Face Mad Love Priest

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26. Lucrecia Martel

Director | La mujer sin cabeza

Born in 1966 in Salta in the North of Argentina,Lucrecia Martel settled down in Buenos Aires where she attended the ENERC (National Film School). She started by directing a few shorts among which Historias Breves I: Rey muerto (1995), which garnered several awards in the international film festival...

The Swamp The Holy Girl The Headless Woman

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27. Caroline Link

Director | Nirgendwo in Afrika

Caroline Link was born on June 2, 1964 in Bad Nauheim, Hesse, Germany. She is a director and writer, known for Nowhere in Africa (2001), Beyond Silence (1996) and Annaluise & Anton (1999).

Nowhere in Africa Jenseits der Stille

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28. Susan Seidelman

Director | Desperately Seeking Susan

Susan Seidelman was born on December 11, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Sex and the City (1998) and Smithereens (1982).

She-Devil (1989) Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) Making Mr. Right (1987)

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29. Sally Potter

Director | The Tango Lesson

Sally Potter made her first 8mm film aged fourteen. She has since written and directed seven feature films, as well as many short films (including THRILLER and PLAY) and a television series, and has directed opera (Carmen for the ENO in 2007) and other live work. Her background is in choreography, ...

Orlando (1992) The Tango Lesson The Man Who Cried Yes

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30. Isabel Coixet

Director | My Life Without Me

Isabel Coixet was born on April 9, 1960 in Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. She is a director and writer, known for My Life Without Me (2003), The Secret Life of Words (2005) and The Bookshop (2017).

My Life Without Me The Secret Life of Words Elegy

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31. Marjane Satrapi

Director | Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi was born on November 22, 1969 in Rasht, Iran. She is a director and actress, known for Persepolis (2007), The Voices (2014) and Chicken with Plums (2011). She is married to Mattias Ripa. She was previously married to Reza.

Persepolis Chicken with Plums

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32. Patricia Rozema

Director | Into the Forest

Patricia Rozema was born on August 20, 1958 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She is a director and writer, known for Into the Forest (2015), Mansfield Park (1999) and Grey Gardens (2009).

When Night Is Falling Mansfield Park Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

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33. Mary Lambert

Director | Pet Sematary

Mary Lambert was born in 1951 in Helena, Arkansas, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Pet Sematary (1989), Madonna: Like a Prayer (1989) and The in Crowd (2000). She has been married to Jerome Gary since September 28, 1991. They have one child.

Siesta Pet Sematary Pet Sematary II The In Crowd

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34. Roberta Findlay

Camera_department | The Altar of Lust

Noted adult and exploitation cinema filmmaker Roberta Findlay was born Roberta Hershkowitz in 1948 in New York City. The youngest in a family of three children, Roberta grew up in a tenement apartment in the Bronx. Findlay's Hungarian immigrant parents wanted her to be a pianist. Roberta met her ...

Tenement (1985) Blood Sisters (1987) Lurkers (1988) Prime Evil (1989)

the Queen of B-Horror films 4 nee

35. Olga Preobrazhenskaya

Director | Tikhiy Don

Olga Preobrazhenskaya was a Russian theater and film actress, film director, screenwriter and teacher. She studied in the studio of the Moscow Art Theater (1905-1906), then worked in provincial theaters. She made her film debut in 1913. In 1915, she played a number of roles of famous heroines: Liza...

(1881–1971)

Baryshnya-krestyanka (1916) Svetlyy gorod (1928) Baby ryazanskie (1928) And Quiet Flows the Don(1931) Vrazhyi tropy (1935) Paren iz taygi (1941) Stepan Razin (1941)

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36. Sharon Maguire

Director | Bridget Jones's Baby

Sharon Maguire was born on November 28, 1960 in Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales, UK. She is a director and producer, known for Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Incendiary (2008).

Bridget Jones's Diary

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37. Kirsten Sheridan

Writer | In America

Kirsten Sheridan was born on July 14, 1976 in Dublin, Ireland. She is a writer and director, known for In America (2002), Patterns (1999) and Disco Pigs (2001).

Disco Pigs (2001) August Rush

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38. Anne Fletcher

Director | The Proposal

Anne Fletcher was born on May 1, 1966 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is a director and actress, known for The Proposal (2009), Step Up (2006) and Hairspray (2007).

Step Up 27 Dresses The Proposal

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39. Chantal Akerman

Director | Les rendez-vous d'Anna

Chantal Akerman was born on June 6, 1950 in Brussels, Belgium. She was a director and writer, known for The Meetings of Anna (1978), I, You, He, She (1974) and A Couch in New York (1996). She was married to Sonia Wieder-Atherton. She died on October 5, 2015 in Paris, France.

The Captive (2000) A Couch in New York (1996) News from Home (1977)

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40. Lois Weber

Director | Suspense

Lois Weber, who had been a street-corner evangelist before entering motion pictures in 1905, became the first American woman movie director of note, and a major one at that. Herbert Blaché, the husband of Frenchwoman Alice Guy, the first woman to direct a motion picture (and arguably, the first ...

(1879–1939)

It's No Laughing Matter (1915)

had directed about 40 feature films

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41. Larisa Shepitko

Director | Voskhozhdenie

Larisa Shepitko was born on January 6, 1938 in Bakhmut, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine]. She was a director and writer, known for The Ascent (1977), Heat (1963) and You and Me (1971). She was married to Elem Klimov. She died on July 2, 1979 in near Redkino, Kalinin Oblast...

The Ascent (1977) Wings (1966)

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42. Alice Guy

Director | The Woman of Mystery

The world's first female filmmaker, French-born Alice Guy entered the film business in 1896 as a secretary at Gaumont, a manufacturer of movie cameras and projectors who had purchased a "cinématographer" from its inventors, the Lumiere brothers. The next year Gaumont became the world's first motion...

Vampire (1920)

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43. Karyn Kusama

Director | The Invitation

Karyn Kusama was born on March 21, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for The Invitation (2015), Destroyer (2018) and Girlfight (2000). She has been married to Phil Hay since October 2006. They have one child.

Girlfight Æon Flux Jennifer's Body

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44. Nicole Holofcener

Director | Enough Said

Nicole Holofcener was born on March 22, 1960 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Enough Said (2013), Friends with Money (2006) and Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018). She was previously married to Benjamin Allanoff.

Walking and Talking Friends with Money Lovely & Amazing Please Give

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45. Bronwen Hughes

Director | The Journey Is the Destination

Bronwen Hughes is known for The Journey Is the Destination (2016), Breaking Bad (2008) and Better Call Saul (2015).

Harriet the Spy Forces of Nature Stander

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46. Lucile Hadzihalilovic

Writer | Innocence

Lucile Emina Hadzihalilovic was born on May 7, 1961 in Lyon, Rhône, France, to Bosnian parents and grew up in Morocco. She studied Art History and Film Directing at the IDHEC. She has been working in film industry since 1980's, as director, editor, writer and actress in both short and feature films...

La bouche de Jean-Pierre Innocence

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47. Nicole Kassell

Director | The Woodsman

Nicole Kassell received a BA from Columbia University in Art History and an MFA from NYU's Film Program, where she was honored with full scholarships for two years. Her short film, "Jaime," won the DGA student female filmmaker prize, and her thesis film, "The Green Hour," premiered at the Sundance ...

The Woodsman A Little Bit of Heaven

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48. Callie Khouri

Producer | Thelma & Louise

Raised in Texas and Kentucky by her doctor father and mother. Went to Purdue University to study landscape architecture but switched to drama. Moved to Nashville after college to be with her family before heading to Los Angeles in 1982 to study at the Strasburg Institute. Worked for a commercials ...

Mad Money

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49. Christine Jeffs

Director | Sunshine Cleaning

Christine Jeffs was born on January 29, 1963 in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. She is a director and writer, known for Sunshine Cleaning (2008), Rain (2001) and Stroke (1993).

Rain Sylvia Sunshine Cleaning

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50. Hettie Macdonald

Director | Beautiful Thing

Hettie Macdonald was born on June 22, 1962 in Pancras, London, England, UK. She is a director, known for Beautiful Thing (1996), Doctor Who (2005) and Howards End (2017).

Beautiful Thing (1996)

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51. Dennie Gordon

Director | Jack Ryan

Dennie Gordon has been a trailblazing female director her entire career; spanning the worlds of feature films, television series, mini-series and branded content. Her range of genre busting entertainment spans an unusual spectrum of comedy and drama. After being one of the first women to graduate ...

Joe Dirt What a Girl Wants New York Minute

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52. Karen Moncrieff

Director | The Dead Girl

After receiving a B.S. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, Moncrieff moved to California to pursue a career as an actress. She appeared in numerous TV shows and B-movies and was a series regular on Santa Barbara (as Cassandra Lockridge) and Days of Our Lives (as Gabrielle Pascal.)

...

Blue Car The Dead Girl

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53. Jennifer Lynch

Director | Chained

Jennifer Lynch was born on April 7, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Chained (2012), Boxing Helena (1993) and Surveillance (2008).

Boxing Helena (1993) Surveillance (2008) Hisss (2010)

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54. Anna Boden

Producer | Half Nelson

Anna Boden is an American film director, cinematographer, editor, and screenwriter best known as the co-writer of the 2006 film Half Nelson. She is known for her collaborations with fellow filmmaker Ryan Fleck. While studying film at NYU, Boden met Ryan Fleck on the set of a student film. Soon they...

Sugar It's Kind of a Funny Story

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55. Melanie Mayron

Director | Thirtysomething

Melanie Mayron was born on October 20, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and actress, known for Thirtysomething (1987), Girlfriends (1978) and Snapshots (2018).

The Baby-Sitters Club Slap Her, She's French!

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56. Martha Fiennes

Director | Onegin

Martha Fiennes was born on February 5, 1965 in London, England, UK. She is a director and producer, known for Onegin (1999), The Fatal Lover, Mata Hari and Chromophobia (2005). She is married to George Tiffin. They have three children.

Onegin Chromophobia

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57. Tahmineh Milani

Writer | Nimeye Penhan

Tahmineh Milani (born 1 September 1960) is a professional film director, screenwriter, and producer who came to the limelight by breaking all the traditional and conventional norms about women and their presence in Iran's society. Being sentenced to prison have not stopped her from expressing their...

Two Women The Hidden Half The Fifth Reaction Cease Fire

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58. Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writer | Love & Basketball

Gina Prince-Bythewood (Writer/Producer/Director) studied at UCLA Film School, where she received the Gene Reynolds Scholarship for Directing and the Ray Stark Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduate. She was a member of UCLA's track and field team, qualifying for the Pac-10 Championships...

Love & Basketball The Secret Life of Bees

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59. Courtney Hunt

Director | Frozen River

Courtney Hunt was born in 1964 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Frozen River (2008), The Whole Truth (2016) and Utopia (2020).

Frozen River - was nominated for 2 Oscars

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60. Anne Fontaine

Writer | Les innocentes

Anne Fontaine was born on July 15, 1959 in Luxembourg. She is an actress and writer, known for The Innocents (2016), Coco Before Chanel (2009) and Reinventing Marvin (2017). She is married to Philippe Carcassonne. They have one child.

Coco Before Chanel The Girl from Monaco

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61. Debbie Isitt

Director | Nasty Neighbours

Debbie Isitt was born on February 7, 1966 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK. She is a director and writer, known for Nasty Neighbours (1999), Confetti (2006) and Nativity! (2009).

Nasty Neighbours Confetti Nativity

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62. Sarah Polley

Actress | My Life Without Me

Sarah Polley is an actress and director renowned in her native Canada for her political activism. Blessed with an extremely expressive face that enables directors to minimize dialog due to her uncanny ability to suggest a character's thoughts, Polley has become a favorite of critics for her ...

Away from Her Take This Waltz

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63. Icíar Bollaín

Director | Te doy mis ojos

Born in Madrid, Iciar Bollain has worked as an actress in films such El Sur (1983), directed by Víctor Erice; Sublet (1991) directed by Chus Gutiérrez, Malaventura (1988) directed by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón; El Mejor de los Tiempos (1990) and Un Paraguas para Tres (1992) directed by Felipe Vega, ...

Take My Eyes Even the Rain

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64. Floria Sigismondi

Director | The Runaways

Floria Sigismondi is a photographer and director. Apart from her art exhibitions she is best known for directing music videos. Her trademark dilating, jittery camerawork, noticeable as early as her video for Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People", has been replicated by a great number of directors...

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65. Joan Micklin Silver

Director | Hester Street

As a successful director working both inside and outside the Hollywood studio system, Joan Micklin Silver was a true lamplighter. Garnering a steady stream of awards and box office successes, she proved herself time and again as one of the most important woman directors to come out of the United ...

Loverboy (1989) Crossing Delancey (1988) Between the Lines (1977)

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66. Clara Law

Director | Fu sheng

Clara Law was born on May 29, 1957 in Macao, China. She is a director and writer, known for Fu sheng (1996), The Goddess of 1967 (2000) and Drifting Petals (2021). She is married to Eddie Ling-Ching Fong.

The Goddess of 1967

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67. Céline Sciamma

Writer | Portrait de la jeune fille en feu

Céline Sciamma was born on November 12, 1978 in Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France. She is a writer and director, known for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Petite Maman (2021) and Tomboy (2011).

Tomboy Water Lilies

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68. Adrienne Shelly

Actress | Waitress

The late Adrienne Shelly was born in Queens, New York, to Elaine Langbaum and Sheldon Levine. After graduating Jericho High School in Jericho, New York, she enrolled at Boston University and majored in film production. She dropped out after her junior year and moved to Manhattan, where she made a ...

Waitress (2007)

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69. Liliana Cavani

Director | L'ospite

Liliana Cavani was born on January 12, 1933 in Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She is a director and writer, known for L'ospite (1971), Dove siete? Io sono qui (1993) and The Night Porter (1974).

The Night Porter (1974) Ripley's Game (2002)

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70. Rose Troche

Director | Go Fish

Rose Troche was born in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Go Fish (1994), The Safety of Objects (2001) and Bedrooms and Hallways (1998).

Go Fish (1994) Bedrooms and Hallways (1998) The Safety of Objects (2001)

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71. Susanna White

Director | Generation Kill

Susanna White is a BAFTA winning British film and television director. She attended Bromley High School and Oxford University before being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study on the MFA Program at UCLA. Her work ranges from the hard-hitting HBO mini-series Generation Kill about the US invasion...

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

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72. Diane English

Writer | Murphy Brown

Diane English was born on May 18, 1948 in Buffalo, New York, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Murphy Brown (1988), The Women (2008) and Double Rush (1995). She was previously married to Joel Shukovsky.

The Women

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73. Clare Kilner

Director | House of the Dragon

Clare Kilner is known for House of the Dragon (2022), The Mosquito Coast (2021) and Snowpiercer (2020). She has been married to Martin Foster since August 29, 2007. They have one child.

How to Deal (2003) The Wedding Date (2005)

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74. Anna Biller

Director | Viva

Anna Biller is a writer and director who creates unique, female-focused, highly visual films. She has a BA from UCLA in art and an MFA from CalArts in art and film. Her first feature Viva played in film festivals all over the world and gained minor cult status, and her second feature The Love Witch...

Viva

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75. Samira Makhmalbaf

Director | Panj é asr

Samira Makhmalbaf Filmmaker

Born on February 15,1980 in Tehran. At the age of eight, she played in "The Cyclist" directed by her father, Mohsen Makhmalbaf the celebrated Iranian filmmaker.

At the age of 17, she directed her first feature titled "The Apple" and She went on to become the youngest ...

Sib (1998) The Blackboard (2000) At Five in the Afternoon (2003)

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76. Sanaa Hamri

Director | Something New

Sanaa Hamri is a renowned film, television, music video, and commercial director from Tangier, Morocco. She is currently in an overall deal with Amazon Television Studios. She is directing S2 of their "Lord of the Rings" show coming off of their tentpole series S2 of "The Wheel of Time" as EP/...

Something New Just Wright

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77. Lesli Linka Glatter

Director | Homeland

Lesli Linka Glatter is a director of film, network, cable, and premium cable television drama, with both pilots and episodes to her credit. Lesli's TV work includes Homeland (2011), The Newsroom (2012), The Walking Dead (2010), Justified (2010), Ray Donovan (2013), Masters of Sex (2013), Nashville ...

Now and Then (1995) The Proposition (1998)

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78. Léa Pool

Director | Emporte-moi

Léa Pool was born on September 8, 1950 in Genève, Switzerland. She is a director and writer, known for Set Me Free (1999), The Passion of Augustine (2015) and La femme de l'hôtel (1984).

Lost and Delirious Emporte-moi

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79. Nnegest Likké

Writer | Everything But a Man

Nnegest Likké is a multi-award winning writer-director-producer with a passion for making socially and culturally impactful, commercial films. She grew up in Oakland and San Francisco and attended college in Atlanta where she earned her B.A. in Mass Communications at Clark Atlanta University. ...

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80. Sarah Kernochan

Writer | Nine 1/2 Weeks

Sarah Kernochan was born in New York City. Educated at Rosemary Hall and Sarah Lawrence, she achieved early success by winning the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, at age 27, for her film "Marjoe." Her next move was to record two RCA albums as a singer-songwriter. Two years later her ...

Strike 3-

81. Danièle Thompson

Writer | La bûche

Danièle Thompson was born on January 3, 1942 in Monaco. She is a writer and director, known for The Log (1999), Orchestra Seats (2006) and Queen Margot (1994). She is married to Albert Koski. She was previously married to Richard Thompson.

La bûche Jet Lag Orchestra Seats Le code a changé

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82. Lucía Puenzo

Writer | XXY

Lucía Puenzo was born on November 28, 1976 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a writer and director, known for XXY (2007), The German Doctor (2013) and The Fish Child (2009).

XXY (2007) The Fish Child (2009)

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83. Lynne Littman

Director | Testament

Lynne Littman was born on June 26, 1941 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Testament (1983), Number Our Days (1976) and In Her Own Time (1985). She was previously married to Taylor Hackford.

Testament (1983)

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84. Dorothy Arzner

Director | Christopher Strong

Dorothy Arzner, the only woman director during the "Golden Age" of Hollywood's studio system--from the 1920s to the early 1940s and the woman director with the largest oeuvre in Hollywood to this day--was born January 3, 1897 (some sources put the year as 1900), in San Francisco, California, to a ...

(1922-1943)

Craig's Wife (1936) Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) Christopher Strong (1933)

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85. Farah Khan

Actress | Om Shanti Om

Farah Khan Kunder is an Indian film director, choreographer, writer, film producer, and actress with an extensive career in Hindi films. Khan studied at St. Teresa's Convent School, Mumbai, and then later studied sociology at St. Xavier's College, Bombay.

Khan's first movie as a choreographer was ...

Main Hoon Na Om Shanti Om

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86. Nancy Savoca

Director | True Love

Director Nancy Savoca was born in the Bronx, New York of Argentine and Sicilian immigrant parents, She graduated from New York University's film school where she was awarded for her short films. Savoca and her husband, producer Richard Guay, raised private funds to shoot their first film, "True ...

Dogfight (1991) If These Walls Could Talk (TV 1996)

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87. Lotte Reiniger

Director | Silhouetten

Lotte Reiniger was born on June 2, 1899 in Berlin, Germany. She was a director and writer, known for Silhouetten (1936), Der Graf von Carabas (1935) and Lotte Reiniger - The Fairy Tale Films (1961). She was married to Carl Koch. She died on June 19, 1981 in Dettenhausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

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88. Susan Stroman

Director | The Producers

Susan Stroman is the recipient of 5 Tony Awards, 2 Laurence Olivier Awards, 5 Drama Desk Awards, 8 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, a record 5 Fred Astaire Awards, and the George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Theater. She directed and choreographed "The ...

The Producers

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89. Julie Delpy

Actress | Trois couleurs: Blanc

Julie Delpy was born in Paris, France, in 1969 to Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet, both actors.

She was first featured in Jean-Luc Godard's Detective (1985) at the age of fourteen. She has starred in many American and European productions since then, including Disney's The Three Musketeers (1993), ...

The Countess

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90. Madonna

Soundtrack | A League of Their Own

The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops re-inventing herself, Madonna has sold over three hundred million records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide. Her film career, however, is another story. Her performances have consistently drawn scathing or laughable reviews from film ...

Filth and Wisdom W.E.

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91. Cate Shortland

Director | Lore

Catherine Shortland is an Australian filmmaker from Temora, New South Wales who is known for directing the Marvel film Black Widow. She also directed the feature length films Somersault, Lore and Berlin Syndrome. She directed the short films Pentuphouse, Flowergirl and Joy. She is married to Tony ...

Somersault

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92. Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo

Director | Pâté

Agnieszka Vosloo is a Polish-born New York-based film director and screenwriter. She graduated from the Directing Department of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she was honored with the prestigious Wasserman Award for directing. Her award-winning films screened at Sundance, Toronto and AFI ...

After. Life

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93. Stephanie Rothman

Writer | Terminal Island

Writer/director Stephanie Rothman was one of the few female filmmakers who specialized in low-budget drive-in exploitation fare in the '60s and '70s. Her movies are distinguished by gutsy, strong-willed and sympathetic women main characters and a radical libertarian feminist point of view. ...

Blood Bath (1966) The Velvet Vampire (1971) Knuckle-Men (1973) The Working Girls (1974)

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94. Diane Keaton

Actress | Annie Hall

Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, California, to Dorothy Deanne (Keaton), an amateur photographer, and John Newton Ignatius "Jack" Hall, a civil engineer and real estate broker. She studied Drama at Santa Ana College, before dropping out in favor of the Neighborhood Playhouse in New ...

Unstrung Heros Hanging Up

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95. Barbra Streisand

Actress | Yentl

Barbra Streisand is an American singer, actress, director and producer and one of the most successful personalities in show business. She is the only person ever to receive all of the following: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, National Endowment for the Arts, and Peabody awards,...

The Prince of Tides The Mirror Has Two Faces

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96. Nanette Burstein

Director | On the Ropes

Nanette Burstein was born on May 23, 1970 in Buffalo, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for On the Ropes (1999), American Teen (2008) and Going the Distance (2010). She is married to Scott Anderson (XV).

Oscar nominee for On the Ropes Going the Distance

97. Helen Hunt

Actress | As Good as It Gets

Helen Hunt began studying acting at the age of eight with her father, respected director and acting coach Gordon Hunt. A year later she made her professional debut and afterwards worked steadily in films, theatre and television.

Then She Found Me

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98. Anjelica Huston

Actress | The Grifters

Anjelica Huston was born on July 8, 1951 to director and actor John Huston and Russian prima ballerina Enrica 'Ricki' Soma. Huston spent most of her childhood overseas, in Ireland and England, and in 1968 first dipped her toe into the world of show business, taking on the lead role of her father's ...

Bastard Out of Carolina

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99. Barbara Kopple

Producer | Harlan County U.S.A.

Barbara Kopple was born on July 30, 1946 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and director, known for Harlan County U.S.A. (1976), American Dream (1990) and Shut Up & Sing (2006).

mostly documentaries

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100. Patricia Cardoso

Director | Real Women Have Curves

Patricia Cardoso is an award-winning director who has directed a wide range of films and episodes for the screen. Her first feature film, REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, was a box office and critical success and has become a landmark in US cinema. Cardoso's directing credits include episodes of THE SOCIETY...

Real Women Have Curves

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