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.
Drama
Chocolat
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Chocolat

1988
Based on director Claire Denis's childhood memories, Chocolat examines the devastating effect of French colonialism through the eyes of a young girl coming of age in 1950s West Africa. When a plane makes an emergency landing in the isolated colonial post where 8-year-old France (Cécile Ducasse) lives, a diverse group of whites and Africans is stranded and must stay with France's family, forcing sexual, social and class tensions to arise.

Directed by:

  • Claire Denis
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    The Miracle Worker
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    The Miracle Worker

    2000
    Unable to see, hear or speak since early childhood, young Helen Keller (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) lives in an isolated world of shadowy silence. That is, until determined teacher Anne Sullivan (Alison Elliott) enters her life, determined to draw the girl out of her lonely darkness. David Strathairn co-stars in this moving television adaptation of the timeless -- and true -- tale of courage and spirit, based on the play by William Gibson.

    Directed by:

  • Nadia Tass
    • rating:4.0.png 4.0 Average Rating


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    The Wedding Song
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    The Wedding Song

    2008
    Muslim Nour (Olympe Borval) and Jewish Myriam (Lizzie Brochere) grew up in the same Tunisian neighborhood and remain best friends as young women in 1942. But when the Nazi occupation affects their lives in drastic ways, their friendship becomes deeply strained. Myriam, forced to pay huge fines for being Jewish, faces an arranged marriage to a wealthy man to save her family, while Nour's wedding is put on hold in this French drama.

    Directed by:

  • Karin Albou
    • rating:3.3.png 3.3 Average Rating


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    Italian for Beginners
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    Italian for Beginners

    2000
    Director Lone Scherfig's playful and endearing story follows seven strangers from a small, rainy suburb who come together once a week to learn Italian. Andres (Anders W. Berthelsen), Jorgen (Peter Gantzler) and the others are all looking to fill a void in their lives. And as they embark on a journey of discovery, friendship and the limitless possibilities of love, they soon find that the class offers them much more than just a new language.

    Directed by:

  • Lone Scherfig
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Thrillers
    Lies in Plain Sight
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    Lies in Plain Sight

    2010
    This made-for-television drama follows the unsettling journey of Sofia, a blind woman who quests to uncover the reason for her beloved cousin Eva's suicide. As her search deepens, Sofia discovers that Eva had long been hiding troubling secrets.

    Directed by:

  • Patricia Cardoso
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    The Betrayed
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    The Betrayed

    2008
    After surviving a terrible car crash, a young wife and mother regains consciousness only to discover that her real nightmare has just begun: She is now the prisoner of a deranged masked man who accuses her husband of stealing money from the mob. Can she get away from her captor -- and is there any truth to his story? Melissa George, Donald Adams and Christian Campbell co-star in this psychological thriller from director Amanda Gusack.

    Directed by:

  • Amanda Gusack
    • rating:3.3.png 3.3 Average Rating


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    Sherlock Holmes
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    Sherlock Holmes

    2009
    Not to be confused with the Robert Downey Jr. blockbuster, as a mob of monsters invades London, Dr. Watson believes that the creatures exist but Holmes suspects that Spring-Heeled Jack is responsible in this low-budget take on the classic character.

    Directed by:

  • Rachel Goldenberg
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Point Break
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    Point Break

    1991
    To nab the culprits behind a string of bank heists, brash young G-man Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) poses as a wave rider to infiltrate a group of surfers who may have pulled off the robberies in this high-speed cult favorite. But after gaining the trust of the gang's charismatic leader (Patrick Swayze), Utah gets swept up in their heady lifestyle -- and is soon forced to decide where his loyalties lie. Gary Busey plays Utah's testy partner.

    Directed by:

  • Kathryn Bigelow
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Television
    Ned and Stacey: Season 1
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    Ned and Stacey: Season 1

    1995
    Denied a promotion because he's not a "family man," arrogant advertising executive Ned Dorsey (Thomas Haden Church) marries freelance writer Stacey Colbert (Debra Messing) in this witty sitcom. Stacey can't stand Ned, but marries him to get away from her parents. Watch the mayhem as Ned and Stacey scramble to keep their marriage of convenience under wraps, attempt to date other people and try to live together without killing each other.

    Directed by:

  • Alan D. Weyman
  • Lee Shallat-Chemel
  • Rick Beren
  • Rob Schiller
    • rating:3.2.png 3.2 Average Rating


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    Mysteries of the Deep: Legendary Shipwrecks: Lost Ships of the Mediterranean
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    Mysteries of the Deep: Legendary Shipwrecks: Lost Ships of the Mediterranean

    1999
    Martin Sheen hosts this fascinating documentary series produced by the award-winning &NFi;National Geographic&NFi_; team. Plunge deep into the ocean and discover an eerie world of shipwrecks, steeped in secrets that hold the key to some of the most tragic maritime disasters in history. Also includes "Lost Ships of the Mediterranean."

    Directed by:

  • Gail Willumsen
    • rating:3.2.png 3.2 Average Rating


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    What I Want My Words to Do to You
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    What I Want My Words to Do to You

    2003
    Inmates at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women try to determine if redemption is really possible after committing a crime. Proctored by playwright Eve Ensler, the convicts (including two former members of the Weather Underground) perform a series of writing exercises and discussions that could lead to healing. The film culminates in a prison performance of the women's writings by Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei and Rosie Perez.

    Directed by:

  • Madeleine Gavin
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


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    Through Deaf Eyes
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    Through Deaf Eyes

    2007
    Emmy-winning actress Stockard Channing narrates this documentary that chronicles the history of deaf culture in America from the 19th century to the present day. Interviews with actress Marlee Matlin, community leaders and other deaf Americans provide an up-front and diverse perspective of this segment of society. Short films created by deaf artists are interspersed throughout the in-depth program.

    Directed by:

  • Diane Garey
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Action & Adventure
    The Sensei
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    The Sensei

    2008
    After punks at school hand him a savage beating, gay teen McClain Evans (Michael O'Laskey II) secretly begins martial arts training with Karen O'Neil (director Diana Lee Inosanto), a woman who has her own axe to grind with the narrow-minded rural community. But as Evans learns to stand up to prejudice and hate, the boy and his sensei unleash a firestorm of controversy in their small Colorado town. Louis Mandylor co-stars in this drama.

    Directed by:

  • Diana Lee Inosanto
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    The Peacemaker
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    The Peacemaker

    1997
    Terrorists be damned! After some baddies trigger a nuclear explosion in Russia, U.S. Special Forces intelligence agent Thomas Devoe (George Clooney) and White House nuclear weapons expert Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman) come to the rescue. Trouble is, the web of conspiracy stretches from Europe to New York, and the terrorists have no demands. Clooney, hip and hard as nails, riffs wonderfully off a more circumspect Kidman.

    Directed by:

  • Mimi Leder
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    One for the Money
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    One for the Money

    2012
    Janet Evanovich's spunky heroine, Stephanie Plum, is adrift after getting a divorce and losing her job. To make ends meet, she becomes a bounty hunter, with her first big case revolving around a high school boyfriend who may be falsely accused.

    Directed by:

  • Julie Anne Robinson
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Shaolin Ulysses: Kung Fu Monks in America
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    Shaolin Ulysses: Kung Fu Monks in America

    2004
    If you get a kick out of kung fu, you'll love this exhilarating film that traces the journey of five kung fu monks in search of the American dream. Hailing from China's legendary Shaolin Temple, these Zen masters and kung fu stars have left their homeland to forge a new life and bring their special brand of martial arts to the west. Hear their personal stories (narrated by Beau Bridges) and watch in awe as they display some of their best moves.

    Directed by:

  • Martha Burr
    • rating:3.3.png 3.3 Average Rating


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    Now and Then
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    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


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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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    frances 'at' femaledirectors.com