Lee Grant turned to filmmaking as part of the first Women's Project at The American Film Institute (AFI); her adaptation of Strindberg's "The Stronger" was later selected as one of the 10 best films ever produced for the AFI
Following her Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress for "Shampoo" (1975), Lee Grant was invited by AFI to take part in the first women's directing workshop. She directed a short adaptation of August Strindberg's play "The Stronger" in 1976, which was later selected as one of the 10 best films ever produced by AFI. The critical success of her AFI short led to her first feature film, "Tell Me a Riddle" in 1980. This was followed by several documentaries; and "Down and Out in America" (1986), which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Grant also directed several television movies throughout her career. For her directorial efforts, in 1987 Grant won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television for Nobody's Child, the first woman to win in that category.