Vogue’s Female-Directed Film Challenge
From Palme d’Or winner The Piano to the ravishing new period drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire — and indie gem Daughters of the Dust — here are the best movies by women filmmakers to watch now.
More than a century on from the birth of Hollywood, women directors are still waiting to get their due. The latest Celluloid Ceiling report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film shows that just 18 per cent of the 250 top-grossing films in 2020 were helmed by women.
Awards bodies have long overlooked their achievements, studios have been reluctant to fund their projects and while many male auteurs have become household names, their female counterparts have been largely forgotten. The good news? Much of their groundbreaking work — once relegated to the margins of cinematic history — is now available to watch online. For those using quarantine to catch up on the classics, or to set as a personal challenge, we’ve shortlisted 20 of the best female-directed films of all time to occupy yours, and expand your mind in the process.
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