Slums of Beverly Hills1998Writer-director Tamara Jenkins's semiautobiographical dramedy follows a gawky, fed-up teen as she tries to survive her dysfunctional family -- including her washed-up dad and fresh-from-rehab cousin -- while coming of age in 1970s California. Directed by:Tamara Jenkins
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3.3 Average Rating |
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| Grace of My Heart1996The daughter of a Philadelphia steel tycoon, Edna Buxton (Illeana Douglas) wants nothing more than to be a singer. She's thrilled when she wins a contract at a talent show and moves to New York City to record an album. But Edna soon finds her career -- and her relationships -- hitting one dead end after another. Matt Dillon and Eric Stoltz co-star in this poignant and intimate portrayal of the 1960s music scene. Directed by:Allison Anders
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3.3 Average Rating |
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| Stranger Inside2001Treasure 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
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3.3 Average Rating |
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| Me Without You2001In 1970s London, two young girls grow up next door to each other, share secrets and survive mutual traumas. Their lives are totally intertwined, and they make a pact of eternal friendship -- which is tested as they progress through young adulthood. Directed by:Sandra Goldbacher
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3.3 Average Rating |
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The Luzhin Defence2001In 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
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3.3 Average Rating |
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| Unstrung Heroes1995Steven Lidz (Nathan Watt) is 12 years old, confused and angry. Overwhelmed by life with an ailing mother (Andie MacDowell) and an emotionally distant father (John Turturro), Steven runs off to live with his two eccentric uncles (Michael Richards and Maury Chaykin). There, he finds a measure of solace in his uncles' strange and endearing idiosyncrasies -- and makes the transition from boyhood innocence to a young man's understanding of life. Directed by:Diane Keaton
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| Home Before Dark1997With a severely depressed mother and a father struggling to keep the family afloat and intact, 12-year-old Nora James (Stephanie Castellarin) has a heavy load to bear. And her lot only worsens when her mother is institutionalized and Nora is sent to live with a controlling aunt (Katharine Ross). There, she's thrust into the adult world, suddenly forced to put aside childhood ways. Maureen Foley directs this sensitive drama of a youth denied. Directed by:Maureen Foley
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| I Hate Valentine's Day2009After falling in love onscreen in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Nia Vardalos and John Corbett reteam for a romantic comedy about a florist (Vardalos) who persuades a restaurateur (Corbett) to take a gamble on a no-strings-attached relationship. Vardalos, who also penned the screenplay, makes her directorial debut with this Valentine's Day-themed love story that crams the action into a single day: February 14. Directed by:Nia Vardalos
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3.2 Average Rating |
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Monday2006While faithfully following all of the advice his inner voice recommends, an awkward loser (Joe Kraemer) encounters friction with his girlfriend (Ele Keats), experiences one horrendous setback after another and struggles to stay upbeat. Written and directed by Heidi Van Lier, this charming experimental comedy features a soundtrack full of catchy pop tunes and relies on voice-over narration instead of dialogue. Directed by:Heidi Van Lier
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| Japanese Story2003During a field trip, geologist Sandy (Toni Collette) has the unfortunate luck of being marooned in the Pilbara desert with a man she can't stand. Finding him completely irritating and rather egotistical, Sandy soon learns that his feelings for her are just as contemptuous. The saying that things can only get better doesn't apply to these two, as their increasingly remote location only adds to the already challenging situation. Directed by:Sue Brooks
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| The Safety of Objects2001Four intersecting tales shed light on the difficult lives of suburbanites. Esther (Glenn Close) nurses her comatose son (Joshua Jackson) while ignoring the rest of the family, and workaholic attorney Jim (Dermot Mulroney) overlooks his wife (Moira Kelly), losing control when he doesn't get an expected promotion. Meanwhile, Annette (Patricia Clarkson) and her family struggle to survive her divorce, and Helen (Mary Kay Place) seeks excitement. Directed by:Rose Troche
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| Toe to Toe2009Out on the lacrosse pitch, wealthy but troubled Jesse (Louisa Krause) and poor but driven Tosha (Sonequa Martin) form an easy and deep bond, but their relationship is threatened once they enter the hallways of an elite prep school they attend in Washington, D.C. There, they must work to overcome racial and other tensions in their classmates, and in themselves, if they hope to keep their friendship alive. Emily Abt directs. Directed by:Emily Abt
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3.2 Average Rating |
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3:522005A young woman tries to overcome her addiction to alcohol by looking inward and facing her darkest issues in Shawna Baca's 35mm short film. Haunted by her demons, alcoholic Kate (America Ferrara) embarks on a spiritual journey, a difficult but necessary personal odyssey that she hopes will lead to her recovery. Holly Karrol Clark, Billy Daydodge, Robert Greygrass, Leah Stanko Mangum and Tripp Pickell co-star. Directed by:Shawna Baca
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| She Gets What She Wants2002Melanie Mayron ("Thirtysomething") directs this irreverent teen movie in which a new girl arrives in a small-town Texas high school and throws off everybody's understanding of who's who in the popular crowd. Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) stars as Genevieve, the French foreign-exchange student who threatens to usurp the position of the school's most popular girl, cheerleader Starla Grady (Jane McGregor). Directed by:Melanie Mayron
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| The Whole Truth2009Angela (Elisabeth Röhm), a morally bankrupt acting coach, helps slimy criminals avoid prison by training them how to appear innocent in court. But when a former client pegs her as his next murder victim, Angela starts running scared and realizes her past mistakes. Written and directed by Colleen Patrick, this screwball comedy also stars Eric Roberts, Sean Patrick Flanery, Jim Holmes and Rick Overton. Directed by:Colleen Patrick
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3.2 Average Rating |
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| Never Forever2007Vera Farmiga stars in this heartbreaking drama (a 2006 Sundance Film Festival entry) as Sophie, a woman who's utterly devoted to her husband but finds she's unable to get pregnant. When Sophie makes an odd but decisive choice to bring a Korean immigrant (Jung-woo Ha) into their marriage, her fateful decision soon threatens to tear the couple apart -- and drive Sophie to the brink of total despair. Directed by:Gina Kim
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3.2 Average Rating |
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Now and Then1995Waxing 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
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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 |
We periodically update our movie database by adding new female directors and their movies. If you would like to receive notice of these new additions when they happen, please email us at:
frances 'at' femaledirectors.com
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