Female Director

1. Maria Schrader

Maria Schrader was born in Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany, on September 27th, 1965. She directed and co-wrote the screenplay of the awards-winning film Liebesleben (2007). As well, she directed Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (2016) and the Emmy-award wining miniseries Unorthodox (2020) (...

2. 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.

3. Doris Dörrie

Writer | Kirschblüten - Hanami

Dörrie completed her schooling at a humanistic high school, from which she graduated in 1973 with her Abitur. In the same year he spent two years in the USA. There she studied film and acting at the Drama Department at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. This was followed by ...

4. Olivia Wilde

Actress | Tron: Legacy

Actress and activist Olivia Wilde is a modern day renaissance woman, starring in many acclaimed film productions, while simultaneously giving back to the community.

She was born on March 10, 1984 in New York City. Her parents are Leslie Cockburn (née Leslie Corkill Redlich) and Andrew Cockburn. Her ...

5. Susanne Bier

Director | Hævnen

Though Academy Award®, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award winning writer and director Susanne Bier's work often plays out against a wide-reaching global backdrop, its focus is intimate, carefully exploring the explosive emotions and complexities of familial bonds. This unique combination is part of ...

6. 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 ...

7. Agniia Galdanova

Director | Queendom

Agniia Galdanova is known for Queendom (2023), Les Fils du Calvaire - Super Hero (Clip Officiel) (2016) and Out of Place (2017).

8. A.V. Rockwell

Director | A Thousand and One

A.V. Rockwell is known for A Thousand and One (2023), Feathers (2018) and The Gospel (2016).

9. Sian Heder

Writer | CODA

Sian Heder was born on June 23, 1977 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for CODA (2021), Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Little America (2020). She is married to David Newsom. They have two children.

10. Lucy Walker

Director | The Crash Reel

Lucy Walker was born in London, England, UK. She is known for The Crash Reel (2013), Waste Land (2010) and Blindsight (2006).

11. Julia Hart

Writer | Fast Color

Julia Hart is known for Fast Color (2018), I'm Your Woman (2020) and Miss Stevens (2016). She has been married to Jordan Horowitz since 2008. They have two children.

12. 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...

13. Mia Hansen-Løve

Director | L'avenir

Cinema came into Mia Hansen-Løve's life when she was seventeen, as Olivier Assayas made her start as an actress in Late August, Early September (1998). Two years later, he gave her the part of "Aline" in his Les Destinées (2000). Their artistic collaboration was coupled by a union in real ...

14. April Mullen

Director | Wander

April Mullen's latest directorial offer is Hello Stranger which is in post production. Wander (2021) premiered at the Deauville Film Festival in France and was released by Saban, Universal and Paramount. Mullen also directed Below Her Mouth (2016), a relentless love story shot entirely by an all ...

15. Maïwenn

Actress | Polisse

Maïwenn (sometimes credited as Maïwenn Besco or her birth name Maïwenn Le Besco, born 17 April 1976) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter.

Maïwenn Le Besco was born in Les Lilas, Seine-Saint-Denis, France, a suburban area east of Paris. Maïwenn is of mixed Breton, Vietnamese, French, ...

16. Gina S. Noer

Writer | Like & Share

Gina S. Noer is known for Like & Share (2022), Two Blue Stripes (2019) and Cinta Pertama, Kedua, & Ketiga (2021).

17. Eva Husson

Director | Bang Gang (une histoire d'amour moderne)

Eva Husson was born in 1977 in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France. She is a director and writer, known for Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story (2015), Those for Whom It's Always Complicated (2013) and Girls of the Sun (2018).

18. Catherine Hardwicke

Director | Twilight

Hardwicke's first film as a director was the Sundance winner THIRTEEN which explored the transition into teenage years with an authenticity that still captures young audiences (1.3 billion Tik Tok engagements.) Hardwicke directed LORDS OF DOGTOWN before she became best known as the director of ...

19. 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).

20. Angela Schanelec

Director | Ich war zuhause, aber

Angela Schanelec was born on February 14, 1962 in Aalen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She is a director and actress, known for I Was at Home, But... (2019), The Dreamed Path (2016) and Music (2023). She was previously married to Juergen Gosch.

21. Mounia Meddour

Director | Papicha

Mounia Meddour was born on May 15, 1978 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. She is a director and writer, known for Papicha (2019), Hitman (2007) and Edwige (2012). She has been married to Xavier Gens since 2005.

22. Alice Diop

Director | Saint Omer

Alice Diop was born in 1979 in Aulnay-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. She is a director and writer, known for Saint Omer (2022), We (2021) and Towards Tenderness (2016).

23. Ildikó Enyedi

Director | Teströl és lélekröl

Ildikó Enyedi was born on November 15, 1955 in Budapest, Hungary. She is a director and writer, known for On Body and Soul (2017), Simon, the Magician (1999) and My Twentieth Century (1989).

24. Alli Haapasalo

Director | Tytöt tytöt tytöt

Alli Haapasalo is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. She received acclaim for writing and directing On Thin Ice, her thesis film for New York University's famed film school Tisch School of the Arts. This mercenary story won several awards in the United States and was nominated for Prix ...

25. Mari Okada

Writer | Sayonara no asa ni yakusoku no hana o kazarô

Mari Okada is known for Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018), Her Blue Sky (2019) and Tokyo Halloween Night (2013).

26. Nia DaCosta

Writer | Candyman

Nia DaCosta was born on November 8, 1989 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Candyman (2021), Little Woods (2018) and The Marvels (2023).

27. 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.

28. Stella Meghie

Director | Jean of the Joneses

Stella Meghie is known for Jean of the Joneses (2016), The Weekend (2018) and The Photograph (2020).

29. Tina Satter

Writer | Reality

Tina Satter was born in 1974 in Concord, New Hampshire, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Reality (2023), Late Night with Seth Meyers Podcast (2016) and Girls on Film (2018).

30. Ana Lily Amirpour

Director | A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Ana Lily Amirpour was born in Margate, Kent, England, UK. She is a director and writer, known for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), The Bad Batch (2016) and Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2021).

31. Kelly Reichardt

Director | Wendy and Lucy

Kelly Reichardt was born and raised in Miami-Dade Country, Florida, to a family of police officers. She had an interest in photography from a very young age. She started by using her father's camera, which he used for photographing crime scenes. She went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in ...

32. Mona Fastvold

Director | The World to Come

Mona Fastvold was born on March 7, 1986 in Oslo, Norway. She is an actress and producer, known for The World to Come (2020), The Sleepwalker (2014) and The Childhood of a Leader (2015). She was previously married to Sondre Lerche.

33. Kelly Fremon Craig

Writer | Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Kelly Fremon Craig is a writer and director from Whittier, California. She made her directorial debut with The Edge of Seventeen. James L. Brooks' Gracie Films acquired the project in 2012, and developed the screenplay with Fremon Craig. She graduated from UC Irvine with an English degree. Fremon ...

34. Justine Triet

Director | Anatomie d'une chute

Justine Triet is a graduate from the Paris National School of Fine Arts. Since then, she has directed a couple of films dealing with the place of the individual within a group: Sur place (2007) was shot right in the middle of the 2006 student protest; Solférino (2009) was filmed during the ...

35. Lila Avilés

Director | La camarista

Lila Avilés was born on April 11, 1982 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Lila is an actor and director, known for The Chambermaid (2018).

36. Anissa Bonnefont

Director | Wonder Boy

Anissa Bonnefont was born on February 26, 1984 in Paris, France. She is a director and actress, known for Wonder Boy (2019), The Informer (2019) and Nadia (2021). She is married to Andrea Di Stefano. They have two children.

37. Olivia Newman

Director | Where the Crawdads Sing

Olivia Newman is an American film director and screenwriter. She is best known for directing First Match (2018) and the 2022 feature adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing. Olivia was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. She holds a B.A. in French and women's studies from Vassar College and an MFA in film ...

38. Emerald Fennell

Writer | Saltburn

Emerald Lilly Fennell is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Fennell first ...

39. Ash Mayfair

Director | Vo ba

Ash Mayfair is known for The Third Wife (2018), Between Shadow and Soul (2020) and Sam (2011).

40. 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), ...

41. Kaouther Ben Hania

Director | The Man Who Sold His Skin

The accomplished Tunisian director, Kaouther Ben Hania, boasts two Oscar nominations, a testament to her exceptional cinematic prowess. Her groundbreaking work consistently earns international acclaim. In the highly competitive main competition of the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, her poignant film...

42. Kathryn Bigelow

Director | Zero Dark Thirty

A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in an old bank vault, where she made art and waited to be ...

43. Maite Alberdi

Director | La memoria infinita

Academy Awards® Nominee Director and Producer, she is the first Chilean women to be nominated to the Oscars. She has developed a particular style that is characterized by the intimate portrait of small worlds, her renowned label has led her to be one of the most important voices of Latin American ...

44. Lynne Ramsay

Director | You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay was born on December 5, 1969 in Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK. She is a director and writer, known for You Were Never Really Here (2017), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) and Ratcatcher (1999). She was previously married to Rory Stewart Kinnear.

45. Kat Coiro

Director | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Kat Coiro is an award-winning director, producer and EP. Her 2022 Universal Pictures film "Marry Me" starring Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson and Maluma, is certified fresh with a 92% audience score. "Marry Me" was simultaneously #1 in theaters and #1 on streaming. She directed the pilots for the ...

46. Lorene Scafaria

Producer | Hustlers

Lorene Scafaria was born on May 1, 1978 in Holmdel, New Jersey, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Hustlers (2019), Coherence (2013) and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012).

47. Leslye Headland

Producer | Bachelorette

Leslye Headland was born on November 26, 1980 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Bachelorette (2012), Sleeping with Other People (2015) and Russian Doll (2019). She has been married to Rebecca Henderson since September 18, 2016. They have one child.

48. Athina Rachel Tsangari

Producer | Attenberg

Athina Rachel Tsangari was born on April 2, 1966 in Aspra Spitia, Greece. She is a producer and director, known for Attenberg (2010), Chevalier (2015) and The Slow Business of Going (2000).

49. Yui Kiyohara

Director | Watashi-tachi no ie

Yui Kiyohara was born in 1992 in Tokyo, Japan. Yui is a director and writer, known for Our House (2017), Remembering Every Night (2022) and A Certain Bagatelle (2015).

50. 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 ...

51. Liz Garbus

Producer | What Happened, Miss Simone?

Liz Garbus was born on April 11, 1970 in the USA. She is a producer and director, known for What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015), The Farm: Angola, USA (1998) and Becoming Cousteau (2021). She is married to Dan Cogan. They have two children.

52. 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).

53. Alice Rohrwacher

Director | Lazzaro felice

Alice Rohrwacher was born on December 29, 1981 in Fiesole, Tuscany, Italy. She is a director and writer, known for Happy as Lazzaro (2018), La Chimera (2023) and The Wonders (2014).

54. Aisling Walsh

Director | Maudie

Aisling Walsh studied Fine Art at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology. There was no film course there at that time but there was a film appreciation society that she joined and through this she developed an interest in filmmaking and started making her own short movies. The ...

55. Carly Stone

Writer | The New Romantic

Carly Stone is known for The New Romantic (2018), North of Normal (2022) and Kim's Convenience (2016).

56. Rose Glass

Director | Saint Maud

Rose Glass was destined to be a director from a young age. Upon leaving home she studied film and video at London College of Communication, UAL - where she directed her first 'proper' shorts - and also gained experience as a runner on professional sets. Eventually she made her way to the NFTS, ...