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
The Iron Lady
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The Iron Lady

2011
Meryl Streep provides a subtle and nuanced portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, whose political career and determination changed the rules that had limited women's opportunities for leadership.

Directed by:

  • Phyllida Lloyd
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Total Eclipse
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    Total Eclipse

    1995
    Leonardo DiCaprio plays the prodigious 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud in this captivating historical drama. Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis), an older and more traditional writer, finds himself infatuated with the young Rimbaud. That make him unable to keep the peace with his wife (Romane Bohringer). A love/hate relationship develops between the two men as they forge the rough waters of creative expression.

    Directed by:

  • Agnieszka Holland
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Black Butterflies
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    Black Butterflies

    2011
    This passionate biopic profiles South African poet Ingrid Jonker, whose exuberant nature is destroyed by her repeated betrayals of her supportive lover and her complex relationship with her disapproving father, the minister of censorship.

    Directed by:

  • Paula van der Oest
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    In a Better World
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    In a Better World

    2010
    Danish director Susanne Bier delves into the realm of fathers, sons and their perceived burden of male responsibility with this Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning drama about the interplay between two dysfunctional families. With his father working abroad, bullied Elias (Markus Rygaard) finds solace in a budding friendship with a volatile new student (William Jøhnk Nielsen). But the boys' shared revenge only seems to invite more violence.

    Directed by:

  • Susanne Bier
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Horror
    Near Dark
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    Near Dark

    1987
    In the dusty heart of the American southwest, innocent country boy Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) is handily seduced by a beautiful girl (Jenny Wright) into joining a pack of vicious drifters, which turns out to be no ordinary band of outlaws. Soon, Caleb is trapped in a nightmarish world of soulless evil and hellish mayhem that thrives on blood and absolute horror. This original vampire tale, co-starring Lance Henriksen, shocks with a ferocious bite.

    Directed by:

  • Kathryn Bigelow
    • rating:3.3.png 3.3 Average Rating


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    The Mummy's Hand / The Mummy's Tomb
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    The Mummy's Hand / The Mummy's Tomb

    1940
    In The Mummy's Hand, an expedition of archaeologists travels to Egypt in search of the undiscovered tomb of the princess Ananka -- a trip that turns to horror when they find the tomb guarded by a living mummy. In The Mummy's Tomb, a high priest travels with the living mummy Kharis to murder those who had desecrated the tomb of the Egyptian princess Ananka.

    Directed by:

  • Christy Cabanne
    • rating:3.2.png 3.2 Average Rating


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    Red Riding Hood
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    Red Riding Hood

    2011
    In this horror-fantasy reimagining of the classic tale, young Valerie juggles a difficult romantic decision with feelings of fear and grief as her town is terrorized by a legendary werewolf, which has killed her sister and hungers to feast again.

    Directed by:

  • Catherine Hardwicke
    • rating:3.3.png 3.3 Average Rating


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    American Psycho
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    American Psycho

    2000
    With a chiseled chin and an iron physique, Patrick Bateman's looks make him the ideal yuppie -- and the ideal serial killer. That's the joke behind American Psycho, which follows a killer at large during the 1980s junk-bond boom. Bateman (Christian Bale) takes pathological pride in everything from his business card to his Huey Lewis CD collection, all the while plotting his next victim's vivisection.

    Directed by:

  • Mary Harron
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Foreign
    The Olympiad
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    The Olympiad

    1938
    Widely considered one of the greatest sports documentaries ever made, German director Leni Riefenstahl's chronicle of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin was also the first film to incorporate the use of cameras on rails. Riefenstahl, who was herself an athlete as well as a prized member of the Nazi propaganda machine, actually qualified to represent Germany in cross-country skiing but declined, electing to film the event instead.

    Directed by:

  • Leni Riefenstahl
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    María la del Barrio
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    María la del Barrio

    1995
    Mexican-American singing and acting sensation Thalía stars in this popular telenovela as the titular María, a 15-year-old orphan whose luck is forever changed when she's taken in by the wealthy Don Fernando de la Vega (Ricardo Blume). But her journey from rags to riches is hardly an easy ride given the icy reception she receives from Don Fernando's wife (Irán Eory) and jealous niece (Itatí Cantoral).

    Directed by:

  • Beatriz Sheridan
    • rating:3.3.png 3.3 Average Rating


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    Richard Serra: Thinking on Your Feet
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    Richard Serra: Thinking on Your Feet

    2005
    Maria Anna Tappeiner's documentary reveals the creative process and philosophies of American artist Richard Serra, who, in interviews, discusses his major influences, his approach to sculpture, the controversies surrounding his works and more. His signature large-scale minimalist sculptures can be found in New York City's Federal Building, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain and London's Liverpool Street Station.

    Directed by:

  • Maria Anna Tappeiner
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Sugar Cane Alley
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    Sugar Cane Alley

    1983
    Jose is a bright young boy who lives among the poor black families of a sugar cane plantation community. His grandmother, believing her grandson is capable of great things, sacrifices to save him from the hard life of working the fields. Euzhan Palcy's award-winning film is an honest, deeply moving human drama of a young boy who fights against the odds for his future.

    Directed by:

  • Euzhan Palcy
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Independent
    Rain
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    Rain

    2008
    Following the death of her beloved grandmother, Rain is (Renel Brown) forced to leave her idyllic life on Ragged Island to live with her drug-addicted mother in a poverty-stricken Nassau neighborhood. Shell-shocked by the bleak surroundings of her new life, Rain finds solace in a burgeoning friendship with a school coach (CCH Pounder) who encourages the teenager to make use of her athleticism by joining the track team.

    Directed by:

  • Maria Govan
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    My First Mister
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    My First Mister

    2001
    Against all odds, a 49-year-old store owner and his teenage clerk become close friends. He's neurotic, and she's from a dysfunctional family, but together, they heal emotional wounds and form an unbreakable bond.

    Directed by:

  • Christine Lahti
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    The Poker House
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    The Poker House

    2008
    Jennifer Lawrence stars in this gritty, coming-of-age drama as Agnes, the resilient eldest sister of a trio of young siblings forced to grow up in a broken home frequented by drug dealers, criminals, pimps and gamblers. Featuring a host of standout supporting performances, this effort from actress-turned-director Lori Petty also stars Selma Blair, Clarke Peters, David Alan Grier and Bokeem Woodbine.

    Directed by:

  • Lori Petty
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    The Namesake
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    The Namesake

    2006
    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.png 3.7 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   
    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