Here are 21 great films you probably had no idea were directed by women.
An Education
Danish director, Lone Scherfig, brought this coming-of-age film to life in 2009. It stars Carey Mulligan as a young woman who gets romantically involved with a scam artist twice her age in 1960s England.
Away From Her
In 2006, actress Sarah Polley (eXistenZ, John Adams), switched gears and directed this emotionally devastating story about a woman discovering she has Alzheimer’s disease.
Boys Don’t Cry
Directed by Kimberly Peirce and based on a true story, 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry features Hilary Swank playing Brandon Teena, a young woman who tries to pass as a man with tragic results.
But I’m a Cheerleader
Jamie Babbit directed this sweet and funny coming-of-age movie about a girl who discovers her sexuality isn’t the same as the other cheerleaders on the squad.
Fifty Shades of Grey
British director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, broke box office records in 2015 with this kinky romance, but given that she had to answer to the book’s author, EL James, for everything, it’s unlikely she’ll be back for the sequel.
Fish Tank
British director Andrea Arnold helmed this often heartbreaking film that tells the story of a teen girl searching for love and acceptance in working-class England in 2009.
American Psycho
It’s almost surprising that a woman directed a film so edgy and frightening, but that’s what director Mary Harron is all about. Harron has even directed an episode of the epically creepy The Following for TV.
Julie and Julia
This mash-up between an unemployed blogger (Amy Adams) and the grand life of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) made us hungry for more films about great women. Sadly, this was writer/director Nora Ephron’s last film before she passed away in 2012.
Little Women
From 1994, this remake of the classic Little Women, directed by Gillian Armstrong, stole our hearts as our favorite young actresses, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis, played the beloved March sisters.
Lost in Translation
Director Sofia Coppola will never escape her famous name, but she did win an Oscar for Best Screenplay for this surprisingly touching little movie that remade Bill Murray’s career in 2003.
Monster
Based on the real-life female serial killer Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron), Patty Jenkins fearlessly directed this shocking film in 2003.
Sunshine Cleaning
From a script by Megan Holley, Christine Jeffs directs Emily Blunt and Amy Adams as two working-class sisters who struggle to operate a biohazard cleaning company.
The Hurt Locker
In 2008, Kathryn Bigelow stunned audiences with this explosive story about a weapons disposal technician addicted to his job and made Jeremy Renner a star — thank you, Kathryn! She became the first woman to win Best Director at the Academy Awards in 2010.
The Kids Are All Right
Lisa Cholodenko tackled this lovely film about a non-conventional family, where two lesbian moms deal with their children searching for their sperm donor father.
The Proposal
Directed by Anne Fletcher in 2009, Betty White steals the show as Grandma Annie in this rom-com about a pushy boss (Sandra Bullock), who forces her young assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her to avoid being deported back to Canada.
The Tempest
Renowned theater director Julie Taymor picked up a camera in 2010 and adapted Shakespeare’s The Tempest for the big screen with actresses Helen Mirren and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything).
The Runaways
In 2010, director Floria Sigismondi told the wild story of two real-life punk rock girls, Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), just as they were rising to fame in the late 1970s.
Tiny Furniture
Now famous for the HBO show Girls, Lena Dunham wrote and directed Tiny Furniture in 2010, about a young woman struggling to find her identity and bond with men in modern-day New York City.
Wendy and Lucy
Stark and quiet, Kelly Reichardt’s 2008 intense character study stars Michelle Williams as a broken young woman who tries to start a new life with her dog in Alaska.
Clueless
The 1995 movie Clueless, which was directed by Amy Heckerling and starred Alicia Silverstone, delightfully dominated the teenage zeitgeist for years.
Frozen River
Directed by Courtney Hunt in 2008, Frozen River is the harrowing tale about a single mom (Melissa Leo), who gets involved in a human trafficking ring at the Canadian border.
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