Female Directors and Their Greatest Films
Female Directors and Their Greatest Films
When Reese Witherspoon was chosen for the cover of Glamour in October 2017, she raised a very important issue in her message: it is much easier for male directors and filmmakers, in general, to win their way in the industry. While male representatives of the industry can have good ideas to be hired and heard, female directors, producers, writers, and even actors require considerable talent, effort, and the right moment to be hired for their next project. Reese Witherspoon presented the statistics that only one in four people working in TV filmmaking is a woman while for the general filmmaking the case is even worse: 17%.
When Reese Witherspoon was chosen for the cover of Glamour in October 2017, she raised a very important issue in her message: it is much easier for male directors and filmmakers, in general, to win their way in the industry. While male representatives of the industry can have good ideas to be hired and heard, female directors, producers, writers, and even actors require considerable talent, effort, and the right moment to be hired for their next project. Reese Witherspoon presented the statistics that only one in four people working in TV filmmaking is a woman while for the general filmmaking the case is even worse: 17%.
It is 2019 today, yet the tendency does not seem to change. Red Rock Entertainment reviews a wide range of filmmaking projects yearly, and this year’s selection for Oscars has proven the point – there is still extreme underrepresentation of female filmmakers in the industry. And this does not mean that women do not create amazing projects but rather that the patriarchal society still closes the doors for their development and recognition. To demonstrate that female directors do create masterpieces, we reviewed the past five years of filmmaking world and selected five great names and five great films that are worth your attention.
2014: Olive Kitteridge by Lisa Cholodenko
Olive Kitteridge is not a film, it is a mini-series about the simple life of Olive whose being is, in fact, anything but simple. This TV series was impeccably made by Lisa Cholodenko in cooperation with HBO to transform a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Elizabeth Strout into a marvellous and breathtaking TV show. Cholodenko divided the story into four one-hour long parts that cover 25 years of the life of a married couple – Olive and Henry. The witness and a little depressive attitude as well as inability to express her inner feelings, make Olive almost unlikable for the viewers but the amazing play of Frances McDormand turn this vigilance into a distinctive affection. The film won 32 awards and prizes and was nominated for 30 more. If you believe the numbers, then they prove as well that Olive Kitteridge is a worthy work to watch!
2015: What Happened, Miss Simone? By Liz Garbus
This is no ordinary feature, it is a documentary that found its way to this list. Liz Garbus took the life of the famous jazz singer Nina Simone and showed it from behind. This is a story of segregation and lack of opportunities which at the same time proves that talents will always find their way to the stars. Yet besides focusing on the amazing scene life of Nina Simone, Garbus also touches very private and intimate topics of her personal and family life. While the singer’s life was raising, the family struggle of the discontented husband takes its turn. If you want to know what the great human-rights activist and one-of-a-kind jazz singer has been suffering from behind the scenes, then watch the Oscar-nominated documentary by Liz Garbus.
2016: Raw by Julia Ducournau
Julia Ducournau has already been famous for her first work in 2016. Yet, she has taken the life into her own hands back and created an amazing script for Raw. This is an adult drama talking about sex and conformity, lust and flesh-eating practices. This is a horror feature which was the first experience for the director in such a genre. The film uncovers the current problems of shaming the community members for anything that is different via such a brutal juxtaposition of eating human flesh and hamburgers. The film won 20 awards in total, including the Palm d’Or, and was nominated for 40 more. It made a furore a couple of years ago and yet remains a vibrant example of great filmmaking.
2017: Mudbound by Dee Rees
Dee Rees has put the pain, the blood, the violence, and the mud of Hillary Jordan’s novel on the screen. The tragedy of life that changes the perception of reality unfolds after men of all ages, races, and classes return from the fields of WWII. Instead of fame and acknowledgement, they find nothing and so continue living their filed life here, on the outskirts of peace. While the race concept must have been erased after they all together protected the country, it comes back into the daily routine even at a greater scope. Mudbound is the story of secret love and mud on the farm, of eternal friendship and dirty plots. Acting, scenery, directing, and script – they all are perfect here.
2018: Happy as Lazzaro by Alice Rohrwacher
This is a single film in a foreign language on a list. Yet, even if you do not speak Italian, Happy as Lazzaro is a must-see for any film lover. The rustic style with no exact dating, the purity of Lazzaro, and the dirt of the class system in Italy come together for a stunning story depicted by the Oscar-winning director Alice Rohrwacher. It is hard to define this film, tell what it is about, or give any behind-the-scenes details without giving away the story. So without any further words, rent a disc with this masterpiece and watch on a quiet spring weekend.
And what about 2019? Well, this year there is a list of 98 films directed by women which all deserve your attention. Of course, you might not find time to watch them all so Gary Collins from Red Rock Entertainment production company advises focussing on the works of Jenni Ivers, Catherine Hardwicke, Cristina Gallego, Roxann Dawson, Wanuri Kahiu, Andrea Berloff, and Ry Russo-Young.