Currently, there is a lack of female direction representation in the film-making industry. Female directors aren’t getting the same opportunities that male directors do. The Academy Awards, BAFTA and Cannes Film Festival have a poor record in recognizing the achievements of women directors.
The lack of acknowledgement doesn’t come from the absence of female directors. On the contrary. As we shall see, there are a lot of female directors that are doing amazing work on the big screens. So, in this article, Adamz Production will reveal the 6 best female directors in the film industry.
1. Agnès Varda (Belgium: “Cléo from 5 to 7”)
Film historians have cited Varda’s work as central to the development of the French New Wave film movement; her uses of location shooting and non-professional actors were unconventional in the context of 1950s French cinema. Agnès Varda’s films, photographs, and art installations focus on documentary realism, feminist issues, and social commentary with a distinct experimental style.
2. Haifaa Al-Mansour (Saudi Arabia: “Wadjda”)
Haifaa Al Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia and is regarded as one of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom. Haifaa’s film, Wadja, marked two important firsts in history: the first feature film shot entirely inside Saudi Arabia and the first feature-length one made by a female Saudi director.
3. Jane Campion (New Zealand: “The Piano”)
Campion is the second of four women ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and is the first female filmmaker in history to receive the Palme d’Or. Alongside Agnes Varda, she’s regarded by many as the greatest female director ever.
4. Jehane Noujaim (Egypt: “The Square” )
Best female documentary film director known for her films Control Room, Startup.com, Pangea Day and The Square, the latter of which earned her a nomination for an Academy Award. In The Square, Egyptian-American documentarian, Jehane Noujaim, depicts the ongoing Egyptian Revolution of 2011 from its roots in Tahrir Square.
5. Mira Nair (India: “The Monsoon Wedding”)
Nair specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. Using her documentary film-making and acting experience, Nair sought out for real “street children” to more authentically portray the lives of children who survive in the streets and are deprived of a real childhood.
6. Sofia Coppola (USA: “Lost In Translation”)
Won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for her iconic drama Lost In Translation. She is the daughter of director, producer and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola. Lost in Translation, a minimalist comedy-drama, is responsible for Sofia Coppola’s win for Best Original Screenplay, as well as her three other Academy Awards nominations, including Best Director.
14 Comments