A female directors thread, because why not.

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Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
I usually like films directed by women as they are more character driven with emphasis on humanity vs car chases and explosions.
Hmmmmm.....

Is that then the reason that they aren't more common? The movie-going-watching public more often than not wants car chases and explosions?
IMO, that could be why women directors aren't as popular. Though the main reason is that there's not many women directors making movies. There's a ton of male directors that no one has every heard of before too. And the further we go back in time the less women directors were working.

Yes, I do think that women directors make more subtle, emotional humanistic films (not all of them of course). While men directors tend toward more guy type thinking with direct action, plot driven, (not all of them of course).

But mainly it's the audience that pays to see movies that drive what gets made. And from all the big budget, CG, superhero movies and remakes & sequels...I'd say the audience wants to see crap



Welcome to the human race...
Hey, that's my favorite Twilight Zone episode!

But do people really care if a movie was directed by a man or a woman though? That doesn't really effect the movie does it? I just found out that my favorite Twilight Zone was directed by a woman. Still my favorite one, doesn't change anything.

But maybe a lot of women are not interested in being directors nowadays perhaps and that is why there is a shortage? Even when I went to film school, it was all males in the class, so maybe there is just a lack of interest? Kind of how the make up department is mostly women for example, where as the directors are mostly men? Just different genders prefer different jobs... Is that the reason for the shortage?
I noted earlier how it's kind of the same thinking behind auteur theory - if you care enough about directors in the first place, you'll likely notice it (and even then you'd be forgiven for not paying the utmost attention to whoever directed episodes of an old TV show like The Twilight Zone since TV doesn't put as much emphasis on directors as movies do, especially not in the early years). The difference obviously being that auteur theory favours individuals that are distinguished by their particular filmographies whereas gender is just a matter of arbitrarily sorting people into groups (with one group being so much larger than any other that it's more or less accepted as a default by most people) so it's too broad to be of particular interest.

As for film school, all I can tell you from my own experience with film school is that it's considerably more balanced in terms of gender, but I figure there's also the matter of how many people actually become directors after attending film school as opposed to taking up any other film-related occupation like cinematography or editing or sound - regardless of gender, not everyone wants to be a director (and even then you could make the case that the numbers are going up for women in recent years but they're still outnumbered anyway). Directing is hard to get into and harder to maintain - it's a tough job with limited openings, after all.
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It's partly the age-old problem that female directors are assumed to be solely making films that are of interest to women, whereas male directors are assumed to be making universal films. There's also the issue that being a boss is considered negative for women, like they're being bossy or overbearing, whereas the same traits in men are seen as marks of confidence. A male-centred industry will favour men, just as a female-centred industry would favour women.

I think it's quite notable that the only female director to have won an Oscar wins for directing a 'masculine' film.

As a whole, I didn't like Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women but there was an interesting line about how the lives of women are considered unimportant (as in portrayals of the lives of women), even though most people in real life live mundane domestic lives.



It's partly the age-old problem that female directors are assumed to be solely making films that are of interest to women, whereas male directors are assumed to be making universal films...

I think it's quite notable that the only female director to have won an Oscar wins for directing a 'masculine' film...
It's interesting that the one woman director that most guys talk about is: Kathryn Bigelow, as she mainly makes graphic, action, horror type films that most guys seem to like. And women directors who make films who's subject matter and style seem to appeal to women like: (Sofie Coppola, Kelly Reichardt), often don't do as well with male movie goers as would someone like Bigelow.



"Honor is not in the Weapon. It is in the Man"
Here are some female actresses who recently delved into directing:



Allie Loukas - Chicago-based actor and filmmaker who made her directorial debut in 2019 with Kathryn Upside Down. She found her inspiration from John Hughes and the film is seen as a modern day John Hughes-esque film. She also stars in the film as the titular Kathryn, who discovers the plumber she hired to help fix her mom's toilet is the biological father she never met.




Reine Swart - South African-born actor who is known for her many roles, mainly in the horror genre. She made her directorial debut in 2020 with The Hex (Heks), the story of a UK-based woman who returns to her mom's homeland of South Africa to investigate her murder and learns it may involve a witch doctor's curse. Listening to a recent podcast, she really enjoyed directing and she is planning to direct her second film later this year.




Meghan Good and Tamara Bass - more known for their acting, real-life besties Good and Bass made their co-directorial debut earlier this year with the drama If Not Now...When? in which they also play two of four former high school friends who reunite and must rely on each other to help with their individual problems, from drug addiction to unstable relationships.
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Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Just watched two acclaimed films directed by a female and both were disappointing.

Then I watched a Godzilla film and it was triumphant.

Conclusion? Godzilla is superior to women.
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.



Just watched two acclaimed films directed by a female and both were disappointing.

Then I watched a Godzilla film and it was triumphant.

Conclusion? Godzilla is superior to women.
What were the two films you watched?



Some of my favourites:

Jane Campion
Nora Ephron
Greta Gerwig
Patty Jenkins
Penny Marshall
Nancy Meyers
Lynne Ramsay
Céline Sciamma
Doris Wishman
Chloé Zhao



Some of my favourites:

Jane Campion
Nora Ephron
Greta Gerwig
Patty Jenkins
Penny Marshall
Nancy Meyers
Lynne Ramsay
Céline Sciamma
Doris Wishman
Chloé Zhao
All of those, plus Nia DaCosta



"Honor is not in the Weapon. It is in the Man"
Liesl Ahlers, a South African actress who appeared in two horror films (2016's "Friend Request" and 2020's "Triggered") directed a short film in 2018 called "Daylight" and also played a mom who suffers from HIV & AIDS.



Ingrid Veninger is another director that I really like and her films don't seem to be very well known. Her best films are I am a Good Person/I Am a Bad Person (2011) and Porcupine Lake (2017). Anyone here seen any of Ingrid Veninger's films?



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
What were the two films you watched?
One was Jane Campion's In the Cut, which felt like a female take on a giallo film, but filtered through trashy early 2000s American aesthetics. It was slow but hardly awarding. Dregs of interesting atmosphere, but it never stayed for longer than a shot. Some people claim it's an interesting take on female sexuality, but I can't see it. Felt like any other cheap erotic thriller but with more focus on cunnilingus and fingering. Felt bland & uninspired.

Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break was better, but nothing special either. A few nice shots and the skydiving & surfing & chase scenes were well-made, but that's about it. Cool "Heat-before-Heat" film, but I don't really like Heat either, so I wasn't taken by it. Still better than the only other Bigelow film I've seen - The Hurt Locker.

Also, shout out to Lois Weber, who directed Shoes (1916) and The Dumb Girl of Portici (1916), two very good silent films.
Now that's a female director! They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Anyway, the best female director ever is Kinuyo Tanaka. I'm flabbergasted it took me so long to realize that. No coincidence she's also one of the best actresses ever.



I loved her take on Candyman, but was underwhelmed by The Marvels. I haven't seen Little Woods.
I think The Marvels is her best (and most underappreciated) film, but have also enjoyed her other work and look forward to her next film.