As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month all month long, we highlight the bright women behind the camera. A powerful movie depends on many factors, including a fearless director to take control.
Here are 10 female directors to look out for in 2022.
Female directors to watch: Chloé Zhao
Chloé Zhao has made waves in the film industry as the first Asian woman and 2nd woman in history to win an Academy Award for Best Director for Nomadland. The Chinese-born director began her voyage into feature film directing 2015 indie film Songs My Brothers Taught Me. Based on her past movies, including the contemporary Western film The Rider (2017), Chloé directs stories revolving around self-discovery in the American West.
Chloé Zhao also made history as the first woman of color to direct a Marvel movie for The Eternals. Variety reports that the Oscar-winning director’s next project is a sci-fi Western Dracula adaptation. Chloé is set to write, produce, and direct.
Female directors to watch: Olivia Wilde
Actor turned director Olivia Wilde has made her mark in front and behind the camera. She had her directorial debut in 2019 with the coming-of-age high school comedy Booksmart. Olivia went on to win the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for the project. She also directed and played a supporting role in the upcoming psychological film Don’t Worry Darling. The film stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan.
Olivia Wilde likes to take a nurturing approach to her directing style and has a “no a**holes” policy. “The no a**holes policy, it puts everybody on the same level,” Olivia tells director Emerald Fennell in an interview with Variety.
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Female directors to watch: Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay is known for her work in feature films, documentaries, and television. In 2015, she became the first Black woman to earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director for her movie Selma. This film also was the first time a Black female director was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Her other work includes the 2012 indie film Middle of Nowhere, the mass incarceration documentary 13th, the Disney live-action A Wrinkle in Time, and the Netflix miniseries When They See Us.
Ava’s stories combine art and activism together, including topics like the intersection of race and justice. The director has many talents, working as a producer, writer, and distributor of independent films.
Female directors to watch: Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig is another filmmaker who simultaneously acts, writes, and directs. She began her career in the mumblecore movement — a series of movies in the 2000s with naturalistic acting that focuses on characters in their 20s and 30s.
Greta Gerwig rose to mainstream success when she starred and co-wrote the indie coming-of-age film Frances Ha in 2013. Her portrayal of struggling NYC dancer Frances earned her her first Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress. She then went on to direct Oscar-nominated Lady Bird in 2017 and a new adaptation of Little Women.
Sources report that Greta is set to direct a new Barbie film starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, and Kate McKinnon.
Female directors to watch: Céline Sciamma
Céline Sciamma is a French screenwriter and director who centers her films on the idea of the female gaze and the exploration of female sexuality in women and girls. Her debut film, Water Lilies (2008), earned her 3 nominations for the César Awards—France’s national film award show. The movie follows the sexual awakenings of 3 15-year-old girls in Paris.
Following Water Lilies, Céline wrote and directed the French coming-of-age films Tomboy (2011) and Girlhood (2014). She gained mainstream success in the U.S. with her 2019 movie A Portrait of a Lady on Fire; the historical drama tells a romantic story of a lesbian affair between an aristocrat and a painter. The film earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film in 2020.
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Female directors to watch: Nia DaCosta
Nia DaCosta is a rising director and screenwriter who has an eye for developing bold and terrifying thrillers and horror films. Her first feature film, Little Woods with Tessa Thompson and Lily James, won the Nora Ephron Award at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.
Nia became the first Black female director to debut #1 at the U.S. box office for her 2021 release, Candyman. The movie is the direct sequel to the original 1992 film, as the story returns to a now gentrified Chicago.
Deadline reported in 2020 that Nia DaCosta will direct the Captain Marvel sequel, titled The Marvels. At only 31-years-old, she will be the youngest filmmaker and the first Black woman to direct a Marvel film.
Female directors to watch: Emerald Fennell
While Emerald Fennell began her career as an actress, she has proved her impact as an award-winning filmmaker. The director and screenwriter rose to fame starring in films and TV shows like Anna Karenina, The Danish Girl, the BBC drama Call the Midwife, and The Crown.
Emerald Fennell’s breakout film was 2020’s comedy thriller Promising Young Woman, for which she directed and wrote the screenplay for. Starring Carey Mulligan, the movie received 5 Academy Award nominations, with Emerald winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Sources say she is set to direct a new film centered around obsession. While there is not much information about the project, Emerald plans to start filming this summer.
Female directors to watch: Cathy Yan
Cathy Yan made history as the first Asian woman to direct a DC film for Birds of Prey. The Chinese-born filmmaker started as a reporter for the LA Times and The Wall Street Journal before pursuing directing. In 2018, Cathy debuted her first film Dead Pigs — a dramedy following the events of the 2013 Huangpu River dead pigs incident.
Cathy Yan took on directing the 2020 superhero film Birds of Prey, which follows Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) who teams up with other powerful women to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
Variety shared in 2021 that Cathy Yan will write and direct The Freshening, based on Rachel Khong’s short story of the same name.
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Female directors to watch: Regina King
Already an award-winning actor, Regina King has shown audiences she is a talented director. She made her debut as a director in television, directing episodes for shows like Southland, Being Mary Jane, Scandal, and This Is Us.
Regina made her feature film directing debut for the drama One Night in Miami. The 2020 movie follows the fictionalized account of the 1964 meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke. Regina King became the first Black female director to have a film played at the 2020 Venice Film festival. The movie also received several award nominations, with Regina being the 2nd Black woman to earn a Golden Globe nomination of Best Director.
Female directors to watch: Mimi Cave
Mimi Cave is a triple threat in her own right as a dancer, director, and all-around artist. While the filmmaker is known for directing music videos and short films, she made her feature film debut with the new Hulu movie, Fresh. The black comedy thriller stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan and tells the story of a young woman who finds disturbing information about her charming boyfriend.
Mimi explained her directing process when she started filming Fresh to Indiewire.
“For me, I was really drawn more into the sort of power dynamics of the love relationship, and taking that into all sorts of different, more over-the-top aspects, and that was the thing that let me in there. We talk a lot about the commodification of women’s bodies.”
These 10 women and hundreds more female directors are making influential art with great meaning and impact. There is still more work to be done, though. As we look back on the progress made, we look forward to more strides for female representation in front and behind the camera.
