Movies for Women's History Month: An International Collection
March is Women's History Month and the movies below depict experiences that play an integral part of the history of women and girls over the past few centuries. Collectively, these films help to tell the female story in particular. Which movie do you think illustrates a piece of women's history most powerfully?
Celebrate and contemplate here.
Celebrate and contemplate here.
- Except for the first five, movies are in alphabetical order.
- Movies with *asterisks were directed by women.
- Some movies are based on true stories and some are not. All, however, reflect experiences that play an integral part in women's history.
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35 titles
- DirectorNiels Arden OplevStarsMichael NyqvistNoomi RapaceEwa FrölingInfluential industrialist Vanger's niece Harriet disappeared under mysterious circumstances 40 years ago. As a last attempt at solving the case, he hires investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway; Set in Sweden
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsElliot PageMichael CeraJennifer GarnerFaced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.U.S., Set in the U.S.
- DirectorVikas BahlStarsKangana RanautRajkummar RaoLisa HaydonA Delhi girl from a traditional family sets out on a solo honeymoon after her marriage gets cancelled.India; Set in India and other various countries
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsYalitza AparicioMarina de TaviraDiego Cortina AutreyA year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.Mexico, U.S.; Set in Mexico
- DirectorSherry HormannStarsSoraya Omar-ScegoIdriss Abdillahi HoufanehAwa Saïd DararWaris Dirie, born 1965 in Somalia, flees at thirteen when sold to be a mans fourth wife. She works as a maid at the Somalian embassy in London, then in a McDonald's where she's discovered and becomes an international top model.UK, Germany, Austria, France; Set in Somalia and the U.K.*
- DirectorJonathan KaplanStarsKelly McGillisJodie FosterBernie CoulsonAfter a young woman suffers a brutal gang rape in a bar one night, a prosecutor assists in bringing the perpetrators to justice, including the ones who encouraged and cheered on the attack.Canada, U.S.; Set in U.S.
- DirectorFrancis LeeStarsKate WinsletSaoirse RonanGemma Jones1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.U.K., Australia, U.S.; Set in England
- DirectorOusmane SembeneStarsMbissine Thérèse DiopAnne-Marie JelinekRobert FontaineA black girl from Senegal becomes a servant in France.Senegal, France; Set in Senegal and France
- DirectorKathleen HepburnElle-Máijá TailfeathersStarsViolet NelsonElle-Máijá TailfeathersCharlie HannahAfter a chance encounter on the street, a woman tries to encourage a pregnant domestic abuse victim to seek help.Canada, Norway; Set in Canada*
- DirectorBruno NuyttenStarsIsabelle AdjaniGérard DepardieuMadeleine RobinsonCamille Claude impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and she also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow.France; Set in France
- DirectorWash WestmorelandStarsKeira KnightleyFiona ShawDominic WestColette is pushed by her husband to write novels under his name. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms.UK, USA, France, Hungary, and the Netherlands; Set in France
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDanny GloverWhoopi GoldbergOprah WinfreyA tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.U.S.; Set in the U.S. and Kenya
- DirectorEmile ArdolinoStarsPatrick SwayzeJennifer GreyJerry OrbachSpending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.U.S.; Set in U.S.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsBrooklynn PrinceBria VinaiteWillem DafoeSet over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.U.S.; Set in the U.S.
- DirectorPhyllida LloydStarsMolly McCannClare DunneRuby Rose O'HaraA young mother escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.Ireland, U.K.; Set in Ireland*
- DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsTaraji P. HensonOctavia SpencerJanelle MonáeThree female African-American mathematicians play a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn's launch into orbit. Meanwhile, they also have to deal with racial and gender discrimination at work.U.S.; Set in the U.S.
- DirectorKhadija Al-SalamiStarsReham MohammedNaziha AlansiRana MohammedTen year old Jemenite girl asks a judge in Sana'a to grant her a divorce from a horrible marriage, after she was married away to prevent a public scandal after a rape of her sister.Yemen; Set in Yemen*
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsLubna AzabalMélissa Désormeaux-PoulinMaxim GaudetteTwins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history and fulfill their mother's last wishes.Canada, France; Set in Lebanon
- DirectorKim Do-YoungStarsJung Yu-miGong YooKim Mi-kyungKim Ji-yeong, an ordinary woman in her 30s, suddenly shows signs of being inhabited by others such as her late mother and older sister, and the stories of the people connected to her.South Korea; Set in South Korea*
- DirectorJoshua MarstonStarsCatalina Sandino MorenoGuilied LopezOrlando TobónA pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately-needed money for her family.Colombia, Ecuador, USA; Set in Colombia and the U.S.
- DirectorMike NewellStarsJulia RobertsKirsten DunstJulia StilesKatherine Watson teaches art history in 1953 at the respectable all-female Wellesley College. She encourages her conservative students to question and disregard the outdated societal mores for women.USA; Set in the U.S.
- DirectorOusmane SembeneStarsFatoumata CoulibalyMaimouna Hélène DiarraSalimata TraoréWhen a woman shelters a group of girls from suffering female genital mutilation, she starts a conflict that tears her village apart.Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia, Cameroon, France; Set in Burkina Faso
- DirectorGillian ArmstrongStarsJudy DavisSam NeillWendy HughesA proud young woman in early 20th century Australia must choose between marriage and independence.Australia; Set in Australia*
- DirectorEliza HittmanStarsSidney FlaniganTalia RyderThéodore PellerinA pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy.U.S.; Set in rural U.S. and New York City*
- DirectorNiki CaroStarsCharlize TheronJeremy RennerFrances McDormandA fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States, Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.U.S.; Set in the U.S.*