Is your arm sore from all the fist pumping you did while watching Wonder Woman this weekend? Us, too. The DC heroine’s film pleased both audiences and critics alike, and it soared past estimates for its box office, making $100.5 million in its first weekend. But Wonder Woman‘s victory wasn’t just one for female superheroes; it was one for female directors, too. Filmmaker Patty Jenkins is the first woman director to have a $100+ million opening weekend. Want to watch more movies made by female filmmakers? These are the women directors you should know after watching Wonder Woman.
Women Directors You Should Know After Watching Wonder Woman
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Movies: Silver & Black (upcoming), Beyond the Lights, The Secret Life of Bees, Love & Basketball
Prince Bythewood has been responsible for thoughtful relationship-driven dramas in the past, so we’re excited to see her next attached to helm Silver & Black, the female-centric Spider-man spinoff.
Kathryn Bigelow
Movies: Detroit (upcoming), Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker, K-19: The Widowmaker, Point Break, Blue Steel, Near Dark
Bigelow was the first woman to earn a Best Director Oscar for The Hurt Locker, but she has a decades-long career of directing kinetic action movies.
K-19: The Widowmaker and Blue Steel are streaming free on Tubi TV.
Ava DuVernay
Movies: A Wrinkle in Time (upcoming), 13th, Selma, Middle of Nowhere
After directing Oscar nominees 13th and Selma, DuVernay is helming the adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s children’s fantasy classic (making her the first woman of color to direct a film with a $100+ million budget).
Andrea Arnold
Movies: American Honey, Wuthering Heights, Fish Tank, Red Road
Whether applying her talent to unconventional road movie American Honey or gothic classic Wuthering Heights, Arnold always brings a sense of realism to her projects.
Fish Tank is streaming free on Tubi TV.
Jodie Foster
Movies: Money Monster, The Beaver, Home for the Holidays, Little Man Tate
The actress-turned-director isn’t just great with getting good performances out of her fellow thespians; she also has a strong visual sense that’s impressive for someone who transitioned from in front of the camera to behind it.
Home for the Holidays is streaming free on Tubi TV.
Rebecca Miller
Movies: Maggie’s Plan, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Personal Velocity
Maggie’s Plan was one of last year’s underseen gems, and it featured Miller’s keen insight into interpersonal relationships.
Personal Velocity is now streaming free on Tubi TV.
Maren Ade
Movies: Toni Erdmann, Everyone Else, The Forest for the Trees
Nuance and details have made Ade’s three features – including last year’s Oscar nominee Toni Erdmann – feel true to life.
The Forest for the Trees is streaming free on Tubi TV.
Kasi Lemmons
Movies: Black Nativity, Talk to Me, The Caveman’s Valentine, Eve’s Bayou
Few directors come out of the gate with a debut as assured as Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou, and her subsequent films have shown an ability to work in any genre.
Eve’s Bayou will return to Tubi TV July 1.
Jill Soloway
Movies: Afternoon Delight
Soloway only has one feature to their credit – the underrated Afternoon Delight – but they’re better known for her TV work creating shows like Transparent and I Love Dick.
Afternoon Delight is now streaming free on Tubi TV.
Mira Nair
Movies: Queen of Katwe; New York, I Love You; The Namesake; Vanity Fair; Monsoon Wedding; Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
Knowing that Nair has a Harvard Sociology degree helps explain the level of depth she brings to human interaction in her wide-ranging filmography.
New York, I Love You and Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love are now streaming on Tubi TV.
Marianna Palka
Movies: Bitch, Always Worthy, Good Dick
This actress-director’s work boasts aggressive titles, but the indie filmmakers has the talent to back it up.
Good Dick is now streaming free on Tubi TV.
Kelly Reichardt
Movies: Certain Women, Night Moves, Meek’s Cutoff, Wendy and Lucy, Old Joy
This film festival regular crafts dramas that are intimate and some of the best recent examples of slow cinema in America.
Night Moves is streaming free on Tubi TV.
Karyn Kusama
Movies: The Invitation, Jennifer’s Body, Aeon Flux, Girlfight
Kusama came out swinging with her powerful debut Girlfight, and last year’s The Invitation was one of 2016’s best horror films.
Niki Caro
Movies: The Zookeeper’s Wife; McFarland, USA; North Country; Whale Rider
Caro’s debut, Whale Rider, was a remarkable story of girl power, and The Zookeeper’s Wife gives Jessica Chastain the spotlight as an unsung hero of World War II.
Lone Scherfig
Movies: Their Finest, One Day, An Education, Italian for Beginners
Including this year’s World War II drama Their Finest, Scherfig’s movies burst with heart and emotion, but they’re never overly sentimental.
Italian for Beginners is streaming now on Tubi TV.
Which female filmmaker is your favorite? We stuck to narrative films so this wouldn’t be a 3,000 word post, but we also like documentarians like Lucy Walker, Barbara Kopple, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Laura Poitras, Ondi Timoner, Abigail Disney, and more.
