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- Alice Guy. Widely considered the first female film director, Guy is also credited with helming one of the first narrative films, an 1896 short called “The Cabbage Fairy.”
- Lois Weber. A woman of many interests, Weber was a street evangelist and musician before she turned to acting and filmmaking. In 1908, she began her directing career at American Gaumont Chronophone, where fellow filmmaking pioneer Alice Guy-Blaché and her husband were then ensconced.
- Lotte Reiniger. Born and raised in Germany, Reiniger pioneered the use of silhouette animation, directing one of the first feature-length animated films, the 1926 release “The Adventures of Prince Achmed,” with this technique.
- Dorothy Arzner. Arzner grew up in Hollywood and began typing scripts before working her way up to helming “Women’s Fashions” for Paramount in 1927. While directing the studio’s first talkie, “The Wild Party,” she improvised a boom microphone for silent star Clara Bow, who was nervous about speaking on camera.
- Kathryn Bigelow. Given her insanely varied filmography, Kathryn Bigelow is clearly capable of directing any genre of film. Whether it's a surfing movie starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze (Point Break) or a sci-fi thriller starring Ralph Fiennes (Strange Days), Bigelow has more than proven her prowess as a cinematic visionary.
- Agnès Varda. The name Agnès Varda may not be a familiar one, but she's a filmmaker whose contributions to cinema are fundamental and crucial. Her directorial debut in the drama La Pointe Courte was considered by critics as the film that paved the way for the French New Wave.
- Sofia Coppola. Sofia Coppola is the only daughter of renowned director Francis Ford Coppola. She debuted as the christened infant child to Michael Corleone in The Godfather, but upon reaching adulthood, she learned that her true passion is filmmaking.
- Jane Campion. By the time she won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2022, Jane Campion had already built up an illustrious directorial career that spanned three decades.
- Penny Marshall. Big, A League of Their Own, The Preacher's Wife. 639 votes. Penny Marshall blazed a trail for women in Hollywood with her work both in front of and behind the camera.
- Kathryn Bigelow. Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker, Point Break. 812 votes. Kathryn Bigelow is a highly acclaimed filmmaker, known for her intense and visually stunning films.
- Sofia Coppola. Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette. 793 votes. Sofia Coppola's dreamy, introspective films are marked by their lush cinematography and atmospheric storytelling.
- Amy Heckerling. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless, National Lampoon's European Vacation. 472 votes. Having made her mark on the world of film with iconic comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless, Amy Heckerling has become nothing short of a legend.
Aug 13, 2023 · Greta Gerwig is the first female director to make a billion-dollar blockbuster. This list highlights other prominent women in Hollywood.
Mar 9, 2022 · Tour our photo gallery featuring Chloe Zhao, Jane Campion, Emerald Fennell, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, Ida Lupino and more.
Mar 11, 2022 · Tour our photo gallery featuring Chloe Zhao, Jane Campion, Emerald Fennell, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, Ida Lupino and more.
Mar 1, 2021 · Claudia Weill, Julie Dash, Joyce Chopra, and other directors available on Criterion Channel paved the way in film and television.
