Drama
Mary Proud
rating:2.4.png

Mary Proud

2006
A single mom shakes off the divorce blues and turns her musical ambitions into reality, but life takes an adverse turn when she gets involved with a mercurial rapper -- and narcotics -- in this urban drama. After surviving a nasty split with her hubby, resolute Mary Proud (Kirsten Person-Ramey) gets her singing career on track when she connects with an Atlanta record producer, but her drug addiction and a medical disorder may end her dreams.

Directed by:

  • Kirsten Person-Ramey
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Last Homecoming
    rating:2.4.png

    The Last Homecoming

    2008
    Performance, passion and politics collide for Alexandra (Maria Kitsou) and Orestes (Hristodoulos Martas) as a family vacation on the Greek island of Cyprus turns deadly amid a battle for island control between normally civil Greek and Turkish neighbors. While the young couple helps Orestes' mother produce a local performance of a classic Euripides play, old romances resurface and former friends take up arms in a bloody coup attempt.

    Directed by:

  • Corinna Avraamidou
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Dark Streets
    rating:2.4.png

    Dark Streets

    2008
    Set to a rich bluesy soundtrack, this noir musical follows the story of playboy nightclub owner Chaz Davenport. While dating some of his stunning singers, Chaz also deals with overwhelming debt, his father's suicide and his own bad choices.

    Directed by:

  • Rachel Samuels
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Only
    rating:2.4.png

    Only

    2008
    Spending his time unenthusiastically helping out at his parents' Northern Ontario motel, 12-year-old Daniel (Jacob Switzer) finds every day as boring as the last -- until he meets quirky Vera (Elena Hudgins Lyle) and discovers a connection with her that changes his life. Though they only have a day together, they share their secrets and fears as they explore the landscape around the motel in this touching coming-of-age drama.

    Directed by:

  • Ingrid Veninger
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Sisters or the Balance of Happiness
    rating:2.4.png

    Sisters or the Balance of Happiness

    1979
    Director Margarethe von Trotta trains her lens on the story of two women -- a struggling student, Anna, and her business-executive sibling, upon whom Anna depends mightily (and constantly). The two sisters remain emotionally codependent but psychologically conflicted as the balance of power dramatically shifts between them. Jutta Lampe and Gudrun Gabriel star in this complex and layered character study from Germany's premier feminist filmmaker.

    Directed by:

  • Margarethe von Trotta
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    My Effortless Brilliance
    rating:2.4.png

    My Effortless Brilliance

    2008
    Eric (Sean Nelson) is an out-of-shape writer who's just found his first real success. But as his ego grows, it forces his friend Dylan (Basil Harris) out of his life. Hoping to repair some of the damage, Eric pays Dylan a surprise visit at his rural Washington home. There, the two iron out old differences in the great outdoors, where Eric is clearly out of his element. Director Lynn Shelton won an Independent Spirit Award for this moving film.

    Directed by:

  • Lynn Shelton
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    No Greater Sin / The Road to Ruin
    rating:2.4.png

    No Greater Sin / The Road to Ruin

    1934
    Explore life's seamier side with his double feature of exploitation classics. In The Road to Ruin (1934), straitlaced Ann (Helen Foster) gets mixed up with good-time girl Eve (Nell O'Day). Booze, parties and sleazy guys lead to indecency, debauchery and disgrace. In No Greater Sin (1941), factory worker Bill contracts syphilis after visiting a cathouse. His mistake returns to haunt him years later, when his wife is expecting a baby.

    Directed by:

  • William Nigh
  • Melville Shyer
  • Dorothy Reid
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Romeo & Lorenza
    rating:2.4.png

    Romeo & Lorenza

    2008
    The gorgeous but completely superficial Lorenza decides to marry the fat and ugly Romeo purely for his money. But when Romeo gets fed up with his wife's abusive behavior, he does not get mad -- he gets even. He leaves the house, and with the help of his trusty pal, Justi, gets an extreme makeover into a handsome hunk. This heartwarming romantic comedy stars Paco Ibáñez, Ricardo Martínez Benítez and Lourdes Munguía.

    Directed by:

  • Sofia Garrido
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Well
    rating:2.4.png

    The Well

    1997
    A probing psychological drama involving two lonely and sexually unfulfilled women in rural Australia. When an old maid takes on a unstable party-girl for househelp, the blinding monotony of life ceases, only to be replaced by mystery and suspicion. The pair forge an odd, co-dependent relationship plagued by questionable sanity, dark secrets and tragedy.

    Directed by:

  • Samantha Lang
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Cynara: Poetry in Motion
    rating:2.4.png

    Cynara: Poetry in Motion

    1996
    Directed by Nicole Conn (Claire of the Moon), this elegant romance set in the 1880s follows Byron and Cynara, two women whose chance meeting in an English seaside village turns into a passionate love affair. At a time when lesbian relationships are hardly the norm, Cynara (Johanna Nemeth) and Byron (Melissa Hellman) find an undeniable chemistry between them as their unassuming friendship evolves into an erotic courtship.

    Directed by:

  • Nicole Conn
    • rating:2.4.png 2.4 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    One Way to Valhalla
    rating:2.3.png

    One Way to Valhalla

    2009
    After blue-collar Bo Durant falls off his daughter's bicycle and suffers a head injury, his family becomes alarmed at his increasingly erratic behavior. Has Bo lost his mind or undergone a mystical spiritual awakening?

    Directed by:

  • Karen Goodman
    • rating:2.3.png 2.3 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Elsa Letterseed
    rating:2.3.png

    Elsa Letterseed

    2004
    Violin prodigy Elsa Letterseed (Garian Grewe) suffers an incapacitating illness during puberty, leaving her unable to perform and rendering her talent worthless. Sent to the hospital for a short stay, she awakens to find that five years have passed, and her parents are dead. Penniless, homeless and devoid of musical skills, Elsa struggles to survive as she searches for a new purpose and path in this emotional drama helmed by Sarah Kreutz.

    Directed by:

  • Sarah C. Kreutz
    • rating:2.3.png 2.3 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Immoral Story
    rating:2.3.png

    Immoral Story

    1990
    Renowned Polish director Barbara Sass presents the moving tale of Ewa (Dorota Stalinska), an aging and now overlooked starlet bent on dreams of a glorious comeback. Yet Ewa's heavy drinking and caustic personality continuously undermine her relationships with those she loves and her efforts to return to the stage. This tragic tale of lost glamour and dashed hopes also features Michal Bajor and Jacek Borkowski.

    Directed by:

  • Barbara Sass
    • rating:2.3.png 2.3 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    La Cucina
    rating:2.3.png

    La Cucina

    2007
    Food preparation on a summer evening reveals the intricacies of relationships in four related stories. Lily (Christina Hendricks) prepares a gourmet meal for her older lover (Joaquim de Almeida), while pregnant Shelly (Leisha Hailey) runs tearfully to friend Jude (Rachel Hunter) when her lasagna-making attempt fails. Meanwhile, Jude makes Italian food for her absent lover, Celia (Clare Carey), who's busy filming a kitchen scene in her movie.

    Directed by:

  • Allison R. Hebble
    • rating:2.3.png 2.3 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Scarlet Diva
    rating:2.3.png

    Scarlet Diva

    2000
    Asia Argento writes, directs and stars in this semiautobiographical film, a darkly dramatic, sexually charged and surreal descent into the shockingly intimate world of Anna Battista, an actress on the rise. Anna's harrowing and graphic journey plunges her into the dark heart of the film industry, where she experiences despair, loneliness and degradation while trying to recapture her innocence.

    Directed by:

  • Asia Argento
    • rating:2.3.png 2.3 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Two Friends
    rating:2.3.png

    Two Friends

    1986
    Australian director Jane Campion's feature-length debut tells the story of best friends Louise (Emma Coles) and Kelly (Kris Bidenko), who grow apart after Kelly's judgmental stepfather (Peter Hehir) refuses to allow her to attend the elite women's school that Louise is attending. Told in reverse chronological order, the drama explores Kelly's foray into drugs and punk rock, Louise's withdrawal into her studies and their childhood friendship.

    Directed by:

  • Jane Campion
    • rating:2.3.png 2.3 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Now and Then
    rating:3.8.png

    Now and Then

    1995
    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.png 3.8 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    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