List
Spotlight on Women Directors: Movers and Shakers
These influential directors have broken barriers in film and have established themselves as "directors to watch." Compiled by Sharon, Rummanah, and Chris.
-
The Marvels
2024Get this itemCarol Danvers (aka Captain Marvel), Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel), and Monica Rambeau join forces to take down Dar-Benn, Kree’s new leader who’s determined to rebuild her own depleted home planet by draining other worlds. We totally support filmmaker Nia DaCosta’s unique vision and creative choices, though she got a lot of pushback for this movie. She is the first Black woman to direct a Marvel Studio movie.
-
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
2023Get this itemBased on the beloved 1970 novel by Judy Blume, this dramedy follows 11-year-old Margaret Simon, whose life is upended when her family moves from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. It’s a terrific adaptation, and certainly one of the best coming-of-age movies in a long while. Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. Don't miss her feature film debut, The Edge of Seventeen (2016).
-
Joy Ride
2023Get this itemLaugh-out-loud funny and outrageous, this story of identity and self-discovery features four unlikely friends on a whirlwind road trip. In her directorial debut, Adele Lim’s comedy broke barriers for its representation of Asian Americans outside of the model minority myth and combatted Asian stereotypes through her lovable and messy characters. She also cowrote the screenplay for this movie, along withRaya and the Lost Dragon (2021) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018).
-
Till
2023Get this itemA powerful historical drama from filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu, told through the lens of Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, who became an educator and a prominent activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Danielle Deadwyler in the lead role should have gotten an Oscar nomination.
-
Turning Red
2022Get this itemWe’re thrilled that Pixar is moving toward more diverse stories. Animator/director/screenwriter Domee Shi, working with a woman-led filmmaking team, perfectly captures the rollercoaster ride that is puberty with humor, candidness, and compassion. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. Shi previously won an Oscar for her animated short film Bao (2018).
-
Aftersun
2022Get this itemFor her feature film debut, writer/director Charlotte Wells created a deeply personal story. We meet Sophie, who is remembering the last vacation she took with her father 20 years ago, trying to come to terms with what she thought she knew about him and things she could not understand or know at the time. It earned much critical acclaim and topped critics' lists. Paul Mescal received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Sophie’s father, and Charlotte Wells won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.
-
Petite Maman
2023Get this itemThis quietly stunning fable magically imagines a child (in the forest, of course) meeting a childhood version of her own mother. It's all wonderfully becalming, a fairytale with an air of a cozy mystery about it and yet endowed with an undercurrent of something truly profound and special. From writer/director Céline Sciamma, her other must-watch films include Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and Tomboy (2011).
-
One Night in Miami
2021Get this itemDistinguished actress Regina King makes her feature film directorial debut, which was nominated for three Oscars in 2021. Working with an excellent screenplay from Kemp Powers, it fictionalizes a real meeting in a room at the Hampton House between Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown to celebrate Ali’s 1964 title bout win. Every actor has moments to shine in this powerful and captivating drama.
-
Shiva Baby
2021Get this itemHilarity ensues in this near-slapstick comedy of errors at a shiva. Whatever can go wrong, does go wrong. The acting is amazing, the banter witty and absurd...the whole thing is relentlessly, delightfully acerbic but with a surprisingly poignant core. From writer/director Emma Seligman. Seligman also directed Bottoms, which can be found on Amazon Prime.
-
Harriet
2020Get this itemCynthia Erivo stars as Harriet Tubman, and she does an awesome job. Erivo researched to find the right singing voice for the role and did many of her own stunts. Director Kasi Lemmons says that this biopic is a freedom story. Here are two earlier films to put on your to watch list: Eve’s Bayou (1997) and Talk to Me (2007).
-
Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
2020Get this itemCathy Yan became the first Asian American woman director to make not just a superhero movie, but an empowering women-centric superhero romp with a wicked sense of humor and exhilarating action.
-
Booksmart
2019Get this itemThe directorial debut from actor Olivia Wilde, this raunchy and original coming-of-age comedy is about two high school seniors, Amy and Molly, who spent all their time hitting the books, being perfect students, and not going to parties. Their goal was to get into the best universities. On the eve of graduation, they find out that their classmates who partied rather than studied also got into Ivy League schools as well. Amy and Molly decide to spend their last night of high school catching up on all the fun they missed.
-
Under the Same Moon
2008Get this itemFrom Mexican filmmaker Patricia Riggen. This is her debut feature length movie, and it became a box office hit in the U.S. The story follows 9-year-old Carlitos, as he journeys from Mexico to America to find his mother, who illegally immigrated four years ago. The director cast the famous actor/comedian Eugenio Derbez, in his first dramatic role, as Carlitos' traveling companion.
-
Saving Face
2005Get this itemFilmmaker Alice Wu skillfully balances humor and sensitive family dynamics with her feature film debut that focuses on the relationship and secrets between a lesbian Chinese American daughter and her more traditional mother. It played at Sundance and the Toronto International Film Festival and got a GLAAD nomination for Outstanding Film - Limited Release. Wu went on to direct the splendid Netflix movie The Half of It.
-
Daughters of the Dust
2017Get this itemWritten and directed by Julie Dash, this breathtaking movie, set in 1902, focuses on the women of the Peazant family, some of whom are preparing to leave their home on Saint Helena Island in South Carolina for the mainland and a more modern way of life. Interweaving the past, present, and future via a circular narrative, this movie is poetic, leaving a lasting and thoughtful impression. The film, initially released in 1991, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film registry by the Library of Congress being “historically, culturally, or aesthetically significant.”
Bookmatch
Bookmatch allows Skokie Library cardholders to receive a custom list of titles prepared for you by the library's expert staff.
Try Bookmatch