3 Female Directors You Should Know About
Women have been pushing the boundaries of filmmaking for years, but it’s only in recent times that they have been given the recognition they deserve. Here is a list of five inspiring female directors who are breaking barriers and paving the way for other women in the industry.
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow was the first female director to win an Academy Award for Best Director, the BAFTA Award for Best Director and the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing for her film “The Hurt Locker”. She is among the most widely recognised and respected filmmakers in Hollywood and made her film debut with 1981’s “The Loveless” and her solo directional debut with 1987’s “Near Dark” which won a Silver Raven Award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film. Her other films include “Blue Steel”, “Point Break”, “Strange Days”, “The Weight of Water”, “K-19: The Widowmaker”, “Zero Dark Thirty” and most recently, “Detroit”.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She is known for her role in writing and directing the hit films “Little Women” and “Lady Bird”. “Lady Bird” was released in 2017, and despite its budget of $10 million, managed to make $80 million at the box office. Critics also adore the film, with a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 399 reviews, it had a 100% rating until the 196th review. The film would also be nominated for many awards and would win Best Actress in a Music or Comedy, and Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy). In 2019, Gerwig released the seventh film adaptation of “Little Women”, a novel that was originally made in 1868 by Louisa May Alcott. With the new script written by Gerwig, as well as her directing skills, the film would receive similar acclaim to her previous work “Lady Bird”. On Rotten Tomatoes, once again the film had an astounding approval rating of 95% from 425 reviews, with some critics stating that it “may just be the best film yet made by an American woman”. The film would also end up being another great box office success, making $220 million from its $40 million budget. Greta Gerwig also has a new movie, “Barbie” in the works for release in 2023, and despite not being very similar to either of Gerwig’s predecessors, lots of hype surrounds the release of the movie.
Catherine Hardwicke
Catherine Hardwicke is an American film director. She has directed 2003’s “Thirteen”, and 2008’s “Twilight”. Her films are no strangers to box office success and critical acclaim and have been the subject of praise. Hardwicke’s debut film “Thirteen” made waves for tackling young adult issues such as sexuality, drug addiction, bullying and secrets and was a box office success, making $10 million from its $2 million budget. Film critics also give the movie a solid rating, on Rotten Tomatoes it has a 81% approval rating and 154 reviews. One of Hardwicke’s most well-known films is “Twilight”. Despite not being a favourite of critics, the film was an astounding box office success, making $400 million from its measly $37 million budget, and would garner many awards, for her directing, Hardwicke would receive a Young Hollywood Award. Catherine Hardwicke would also direct for “Lords of Dogtown”, “The Nativity Story”, the successful “Red Riding Hood”, “Plush”, “Miss You Already”, “Miss Bala”, “Don’t Worry Darling”, “Prisoner’s Daughter” and “Mafia Mamma”.
Written by Mark Murphy Director