FemaleDirectors.com is a website for female-directed movies: you can find, play, and add them to your Netflix queue, and buy them on Amazon.com. Browse within our genres to find movies from the female perspective.
Independent
Please Give
rating:3.1

Please Give

2010Runtime:0 minutes
Life gets knotty when successful Manhattan couple Alex (Oliver Platt) and Kate (Catherine Keener) develop a relationship with the granddaughters of Andra (Ann Morgan Guilbert), the cantankerous elderly woman who owns the apartment next to theirs -- and who must die so they can expand their home. The all-star cast includes Amanda Peet, Rebecca Hall and Lois Smith in this indie feature from writer-director Nicole Holofcener (Friends with Money).

Directed by:

  • Nicole Holofcener
    • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    The Namesake
    rating:3.7

    The Namesake

    2006Runtime:0 minutes
    Gogol Ganguli (Kal Penn) is torn between his parents' (Irrfan Khan and Tabu) Indian traditions and his decidedly modern lifestyle, and frankly prefers for his friends to call him "Nick." But the true meaning of his name is a story that spans two continents -- and two generations. Based on Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling novel, Mira Nair's coming-of-age drama explores first-generation Americans' delicate dance between culture and identity.

    Directed by:

  • Mira Nair
    • rating:3.7 3.7 Average Rating

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    The Luzhin Defence
    rating:3.3

    The Luzhin Defence

    2001Runtime:0 minutes
    In Europe's heady days following World War I, grandmaster Alexander Luzhin (John Turturro) teeters on the brink of madness, consumed with the World Chess Championship -- and is also drawn to the radiant Natalia (Emily Watson) in this adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel. As the relationship between the tortured chess player and society beauty deepens, Luzhin's opponents set out to rattle his psyche and sabotage his ability to compete.

    Directed by:

  • Marleen Gorris
    • rating:3.3 3.3 Average Rating

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    Strangers in Good Company
    rating:3.4

    Strangers in Good Company

    1990Runtime:0 minutes
    When a bus filled with eight elderly women breaks down in the wilderness, the group of strangers is stranded at a deserted farmhouse with only their wits, their memories and eventually some roasted frogs' legs to sustain them. For several days, the women share their life stories and intimate thoughts. Director Cynthia Scott directs these nonprofessional actors delivering largely improvised dialogue to heartwarming effect.

    Directed by:

  • Cynthia Scott
    • rating:3.4 3.4 Average Rating

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    Comedy
    Bedrooms and Hallways
    rating:3.1

    Bedrooms and Hallways

    1998Runtime:0 minutes
    At the suggestion of a friend, gay Leo (Kevin McKidd) enters therapy after many failed relationships make him fear for his social life. In a group session (led by Simon Callow), Leo comes clean about his feelings for a straight member of the group (James Purefoy), which leads to an affair between the two. The situation becomes further complicated by the appearance of Leo's high school sweetheart (Jennifer Ehle), who still has feelings for him.

    Directed by:

  • Rose Troche
    • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    Home for the Holidays
    rating:3.6

    Home for the Holidays

    1995Runtime:0 minutes
    Every year, Claudia (Holly Hunter) dreads her trip home for Thanksgiving. Between her parents (Charles Durning and Anne Bancroft), her sardonic brother (Robert Downey Jr.) and her overdramatic sister (Cynthia Stevenson), things are bad enough. But this year, Claudia has more reason for angst. She's lost her job and is dealing with her daughter's (Claire Danes) revelation about her sexual activities. Jodie Foster directs this ode to dysfunction.

    Directed by:

  • Jodie Foster
    • rating:3.6 3.6 Average Rating

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    Love & Sex
    rating:3.1

    Love & Sex

    2000Runtime:0 minutes
    Love is war, and sex is the battleground in this wry, funny look at contemporary mating and relating. Kate (Famke Janssen) is a magazine writer who discards boyfriends the way some people change shoes. Adam (Jon Favreau) is a serious-minded serial monogamist. When they meet, it's love at first sight -- but staying together may take more than just love and a liberal dose of sex. Noah Emmerich and Cheri Oteri co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Valerie Breiman
    • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    All Over the Guy
    rating:3.5

    All Over the Guy

    2001Runtime:0 minutes
    Striking a healthy, loving balance in a relationship is no easy trick, no matter what your sexual orientation. For Eli and Tom, a set-up first date goes horribly awry. But when they meet again later, without any pressure, a connection is made.

    Directed by:

  • Julie Davis
    • rating:3.5 3.5 Average Rating

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    Music & Musicals
    Eric Clapton: Live in Hyde Park
    rating:3.6

    Eric Clapton: Live in Hyde Park

    1997Runtime:0 minutes
    Eric Clapton is on a tier of his own in the world of music. A guitar genius who elevates songs he sings to classics, he's even more impressive onstage, as seen here in this live June 1996 concert at London's Hyde Park. With his signature aplomb, Clapton runs through some of his most memorable and iconic hits, including "I Shot the Sheriff," "Old Love," "Every Day I Have the Blues," "Have You Ever Loved a Woman?" and "Wonderful Tonight."

    Directed by:

  • Julia Knowles
    • rating:3.6 3.6 Average Rating

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    Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks
    rating:3.4

    Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks

    2001Runtime:0 minutes
    The exuberant atmosphere of the Broadway blockbuster is captured in Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp With Mel Brooks, a new 85-minute film from the Emmy Award-winning director Susan Froemke and Maysles Films. The film candidly captures the excitement of translating the show into a complete experience for the recording's audience.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Froemke
    • rating:3.4 3.4 Average Rating

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    Gypsy Caravan
    rating:3.5

    Gypsy Caravan

    2006Runtime:0 minutes
    Join five international bands for a six-week tour of North America in an extravaganza of music and culture. The lyrical documentary features performances by Esma Redzepova, Maharaja, Fanfare Ciocarlia and other artists. Celebrate the diversity of the Romani people and their music, which includes flamenco, brass band, Indian folk, Romanian violin, jazz and raga. Johnny Depp, a fan of the Gypsy lifestyle, appears in this joyful musical portrait.

    Directed by:

  • Jasmine Dellal
    • rating:3.5 3.5 Average Rating

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    Yentl
    rating:3.5

    Yentl

    1983Runtime:0 minutes
    Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's story, this Oscar-winning musical stars Barbra Streisand as Yentl, the bookish daughter of a Talmud teacher who instructs her even though it's forbidden to teach the sacred text to girls. Determined to continue her schooling after her father dies, Yentl disguises herself as a boy to gain entry to a yeshiva. There, she meets the brilliant Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), who only has eyes for Hadass (Amy Irving).

    Directed by:

  • Barbra Streisand
    • rating:3.5 3.5 Average Rating

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    Gay & Lesbian
    Stranger Inside
    rating:3.3

    Stranger Inside

    2001Runtime:0 minutes
    Treasure Lee (Yolonda Ross) is a bad girl on the move ... out of "juvenile" and into the state penitentiary. There, she befriends Brownie (Davenia McFadden), a lifer who deals drugs, using an extended family of loyal girls who swear their undying allegiance to the cell-block mama. But Brownie's charisma shields a malevolence that just might put Treasure in harm's way.

    Directed by:

  • Cheryl Dunye
    • rating:3.3 3.3 Average Rating

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    Beautiful Thing
    rating:3.7

    Beautiful Thing

    1996Runtime:0 minutes
    The iconoclastic, underachieving denizens of a southeast London apartment building get an emotional wake-up call when two teenage boys -- next-door neighbors Jamie (Glen Berry) and Ste (Scott Neal) -- unexpectedly fall in love. This moving slice of affecting kitchen-sink realism from Britain's esteemed Channel Four Films is adapted from the hit West End play penned by Jonathan Harvey, who also directs.

    Directed by:

  • Hettie MacDonald
    • rating:3.7 3.7 Average Rating

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    The Man of My Life
    rating:3.2

    The Man of My Life

    2006Runtime:0 minutes
    When Frédéric (Bernard Campan) and his family meet a gay man named Hugo (Charles Berling) while vacationing in the Provençal countryside, their lives are irrevocably changed, as the two men develop a strong yet unconventional friendship. Although Frédéric is happily married to his wife, Frédérique (Léa Drucker), his bond with Hugo challenges the strength of his marriage and ultimately inspires him to reevaluate his life.

    Directed by:

  • Zabou Breitman
    • rating:3.2 3.2 Average Rating

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    But I'm a Cheerleader
    rating:3.4

    But I'm a Cheerleader

    1999Runtime:0 minutes
    In this hilarious satire, Megan Bloomfield (Natasha Lyonne) lives a "normal" teen life as a cheerleader dating the captain of the football team. But her parents and friends suspect Megan is gay because of "clues," such as her distaste for kissing her boyfriend. Shipped off to True Directions -- a camp designed to shove her back in the closet -- Bloomfield meets tomboy Graham Eaton (Clea DuVall), who helps her recognize her sexual orientation.

    Directed by:

  • Jamie Babbit
    • rating:3.4 3.4 Average Rating

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    Now and Then
    rating:3.8

    Now and Then

    1995Runtime:0 minutes
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
    • rating:3.8 3.8 Average Rating

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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
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