The Best 67 Female Film Directors Working Today

best directors

Alice Winocour

Winocour wrote the 2015 smash, Mustang, and immediately parlayed that into a directing career. She also made her name directing Augustine, Disorder, and Proxima. 

While working primarily in France, Winocour has recently made the shift to American film, and seems to be next in line for bigger budgets, considering Proxima takes place in outer space.

best female directors

Amma Asante

A female director and writer known for Belle and A United Kingdom. Asante used to be an actress but has achieved more success behind the camera. She recently directed episodes of Mrs. America. 

best women directors

Ana Lily Amirpour

Amirpour made waves when she released A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. It was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and catapulted her into the spotlight. Amirpour followed that up with The Bad Batch and episodes of Legion, Castle Rock and The Twilight Zone. She’s tackling a new and diverse take on tired genres and that’s exciting. 

great female directors

Andrea Arnold

Long before she was set to direct the entirety of Season Two of Big Little Lies, Arnold commanded attention with 2009’s Fish Tank. That movie caught the world by storm and won Best British Movie at the BAFTAS. Before that, Arnold won an Academy Award for Best Short Film in 2003. She’s remained very active in Hollywood, making her mark with her epic opus, American Honey. It’ll be cool to watch this female director take the reins on future projects.

famous female directors

Angelina Jolie

Jolie’s career as an actress defined the late 1990s and early 2000s, but her emerging work as a director has been both powerful and impactful. Jolie began directing with the crushing, In the Land of Blood and Honey. She’s been prolific over the past few years. Releasing Unbroken, By The Sea, and First They Killed My Father. She’s tackled multiple genres and frequently gets involved in the writing as well. A true Jill-of-all-trades. Female directors get it done. 

famous directors list

Anna Boden

Along with her writing and directing and life partner, Ryan Fleck, Bolden has made a name for herself with strong, character-centric, work. The duo met in film school but Hollywood took notice when they released Half Nelson starring Ryan Gosling. 

top movie directors

Anne Fletcher

Fletcher was a renowned choreographer who stepped into the director’s chair for the breakout hit, Step Up, in 2006. Since then she’s worked consistently, often with top stars like Sandra Bullock, Dolly Parton, Ryan Reynolds, and Barbra Streisand. Her latest film, Dumplin', was released to great acclaim and belongs on any top female directors list. 

popular directors

Ava Duvernay

It’s hard to imagine a time when Ava DuVernay wasn’t a household name. Selma helped DuVernay break out and A Wrinkle In Time certified her as a visionary. She’s expected to tackle the DC Universe next with The New Gods while we await word on Wrinkle sequels. 

She’s made it a point to work with other women and focus on equality for all. DuVernay has become more than a female director, or director of any kind. She's become a major cultural influencer. 

famous female directors

Barbra Streisand

Certainly the most famous person on this list. Though less prolific than others, Streisand forged a path that helped many female directors. She was already an acclaimed actress and singer when she directed Yentl, but she received a Best Picture nomination for The Prince of Tides and won the Cecile B. Demille Award in 2000 at the Golden Globes. 

top Hollywood directors

Catherine Hardwicke

Hardwicke scared a lot of parents with Thirteen, but became a hero to their daughters when she directed the initial installment of Twilight. She works a lot, bouncing from indies like Lords of Dogtown to big-budget studio fare like Red Riding Hood.  

Her versatility makes her an interesting pick for any film and can handle the pressure of adapting beloved titles like Twilight.

best women directors

Debra Granik

women directors

Dee Rees

Rees broke onto the scene with Mudbound, making history as the first black woman to earn an Academy Award nomination for Writing. Rees was also nominated for an Emmy for her work on the HBO film, Bessie. Rees started as an indie force with Pariah and is ready for the big time. 

female directors

Deniz Gamze Erguven

The director of the acclaimed film, Mustang, created an interesting character drama that brought a ton of heart and comedy to what essentially was a tragedy. It’ll be exciting to see how Erguven handles her next project. 

great female directors

Elizabeth Banks

This female director started as an actress that dominated on the screen and has now also moved behind the camera. Banks took over the Pitch Perfect franchise and rebooted Charlie’s Angels. Banks has articulated the desire to make bigger movies and tackle huge-budget films. She also pushes for more women directors in general.

female comedy directors

Gail Mancuso

A stalwart in television. Mancuso is shifting to the theatrical world with A Dog’s Journey and Besties. She’s previously directed episodes of Modern Family, Man with a Plan, and Black-ish. As Mancuso makes the jump into features it’ll be interesting to see where she lands. Especially with so many high-profile comedies on her resume. 

women film directors

Gia Coppola

Coppola has pedigree coming from the Godfather himself. In 2013, she directed the anthology film, Palo Alto, based on James Franco’s book of the same title. She’s worked in television as well. Palo Alto’s vignette style proved Coppola could handle different tones and genres.

female film directors

Gillian Robespierre

The subversive comedy Obvious Child helped Robespierre wade into Hollywood’s waters. Since then she’s refined her character work with the painfully funny, Landline. She’s also dominated TV work, with several episodes of Casual. She’s a rising star who subverts the typical tones and surprises the audience with laughter.

female movie directors

Gina Prince-Bythewood

It seems like yesterday when Love and Basketball debuted, but it was all the way back in 2000. Since then, Prince-Bythewood has worked in television, independent cinema, and is about to drop an action film with Charlize Theron on Netflix called The Old Guard. Hopefully she can add her emotional depth to the blockbuster. 

women film directors

Jamie Babbit

top female directors

Jane Campion

In 1993, The Piano seemed like it came from nowhere but was instantly showered with accolades. Women directors looked at Campion like an idol. Campion took home the award for Best Screenplay but lost her Best Director Oscar. Since then she’s continue to direct. 

female film directors

Jennifer Getzinger

Primarily a television director, Getzinger has been involved with some of the greatest television shows of all time. Mad Men, Jessica Jones, Outlander, Orange is the New Black, Westworld, among others. She’s frequently at the forefront of popular drama and character-centric shows. TV is all about the writing, but these huge shows have put trust in Getzinger to make their stories come to life. 

women directors

Jennifer Kent

If you saw The Babadook, chances are you still haven’t gotten a good night's sleep. Kent is another director whose career started as an actress and shifted over time. She released her follow-up to The Babadook, The Nightingale, to rave reviews and heated controversy.  

The Babadook character transcended the movie and became part of the cultural lexicon and the film is one of the most audacious debuts in recent memory.

top female directors

Jennifer Lee

Lee cut her teeth in the animated world as a writer on projects like Wreck-It Ralph. Then she had everyone in your family singing “Let It Go” with her debut feature, Frozen. This marked the first time a female had directed a Disney animated feature — and then became the first female to direct a movie that made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Frozen II did similar numbers and she currently is the Chief Creative Officer at Disney. Killing it much?

female directors

Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Yuh Nelson had previously only worked in animation as a story artist until she put her stamp on the Kung-Fu Panda franchise by directing the 2nd and 3rd films. Then she transitioned seamlessly into live action with The Darkest Minds.

women film directors

Jill Soloway

Soloway was busy writing for television and building indie cred until she put Amazon TV on the map with her hit dramedy Transparent. Soloway has directed many episodes of the series and for her other Amazon show, I Love Dick. She’s become a force in television, highlighting unique and inclusive stories.  

top female directors

Jodie Foster

Foster was already an American icon when she stepped behind the camera. Since then, she’s dedicated her work to tackling emotional issues like family, the financial crisis, and parenting. Foster was nominated for an Emmy for her work on Orange Is the New Black and is fearless when it comes to choosing her directing assignments. After doing a Black Mirror episode about the loss of child, it’ll be fun to track where Foster goes next.  

female movie directors

Julia Leigh

Leigh got off to a stunning start — her directorial debut, Sleeping Beauty, was included in the main competition of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. While she has only directed one film, she’s also an accomplished novelist and continues to tell stories.

great female directors

Julie Delpy

Perhaps best known to Americans for her role in the Before trilogy, Delpy is also active behind the camera. She blends both French and American language films with her movie 2 Days in Paris and the follow-up, 2 Days in New York. While mostly working in comedy, her latest, My Zoe, is a drama. Delpy is adept at capturing the humanity of a situation and making us laugh or cry with the characters. 

women movie directors

Julie Taymor

One of the most visually striking directors working in Hollywood, Taymor came onto the scene in 1999 with Titus, after working in theater and directing operas. Her film, Frida, received six Oscar nominations. She’s recently debuted her Gloria Steinem biopic, The Glorias. Taymor is widely known for her styling, set design, and production values.

women film directors

Karyn Kusama

Kusama felt like she came from nowhere in 2000 with the movie Girlfight. Since then she’s handled both large studio ventures like Aeon Flux, as well as cult films like The Invitation. Kusama has also worked extensively in television in both comedy and drama. Kusama works with outside-the-box ideas and can handle even the most difficult tones.  

american directors

Kathryn Bigelow

Bigelow began her directing career in 1981 with The Loveless but she became a household name with Point Break in 1991. Since then, Bigelow has worked in film and television. In 2008, she was thrust back into the spotlight with The Hurt Locker and became the first woman to win the Best Directing Academy Award. She’s proven over and over again that she’s one of the best female directors in the business.

best women directors

Kay Cannon

Cannon is a producer and writer who made a name for herself in TV before transitioning into film. She was behind the camera for 2018’s massive hit comedy, Blockers, and hopefully will be at the top of every comedy directing list. Her work on 30 Rock and New Girl was stellar and it’s exciting to see her as part of the new theatrical comedy wave.

top directors today

Kelly Reichardt

One of the most important indie filmmakers working in Hollywood, Reichardt has put out consistent work since 1994. Certain Women was nominated for a Spirit Award and she achieved cult status with dramas Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy. 

Reichardt asks hard questions with her work. She brings you into characters lives and leaves you there, allowing you to make your own decisions about them.

female directors

Kimberly Peirce

Peirce hoisted the Spirit Award for Best First Feature in 2000 for Boys Don’t Cry. Since then, the director has worked in film and television with some popular titles like Dear White People, American Crime, and the remake of Carrie. Peirce has a specific talent of bringing out the humanity in even the most horrific situations and it echoes in her work. 

female directors in hollywood

Lana & Lilly Wachowski

best female directors

Lena Dunham

Before her meteoric rise, Dunham toured the country with her indie film Tiny Furniture. Then Girls premiered on HBO and everyone instantly knew who she was and what she was all about. She directed 19 episodes of that show and we’re all waiting to see what she’s going to do next.  She stays busy writing books and promoting her magazine, Lenny Letter. 

female film directors

Lesli Linka Glatter

For the better part of the past thirty years, Linka Glatter has been a go-to director in television. She has been nominated for Emmys for her work in Mad Men and Homeland and even was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film. She continues to push the boundaries in TV and help series achieve their look and feel. 

women film directors

Leslye Headland

Headland was a playwright who transitioned to TV writing for the cult classic, Terriers. She made the leap to directing with Bachelorette and Sleeping With Other People. She also became a force in television with SMILF and directing the pilot of Heathers. Headland has crushed in recent years and as SMILF takes off she’ll be someone to watch. 

top female directors

Lexi Alexander

Now a stalwart in television, Alexander got her start as a World Karate Champion. She grappled her way to the screen with Green Street Hooligans and followed it up with the exciting Punisher: War Zone. 

female movie directors

Lisa Cholodenko

Cholodenko bounced around between TV and smaller films but really became a part of the conversation with her project, The Kids Are All Right. Since then she’s worked with HBO on Olive Kitteridge. Her work in character-centered dramedy creates a delicate balance between comedy and tragedy. 

female film directors

Lisa Joy

best female directors

Lorene Scafaria

Scafaria wrote Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist but was able to parlay that into directing her next feature, Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World. Since then she’s directed three episodes of New Girl and The Meddler. In 2019, she directed one of the year's best films, Hustlers. Scafaria has shown the delicate ability to understand deep emotion while still being able to make people laugh.

best film directors

Lynn Shelton

As far as subversive debut comedy goes, Lynn Shelton held nothing back with 2009’s Humpday. She released numerous independent features like Laggies, Your Sister’s Sister, and Outside In. She also dominated the television landscape directing episodes of The Mindy Project, New Girl, Casual, Shameless, G.L.O.W., Love, and AP Bio.

Shelton crushed character work and often displayed people who are stuck in various stages of their life, trying to break out of their shells. We unfortunately lost her much too soon.

women directors

Lynne Ramsay

female directors in hollywood

Marielle Heller

Heller started in Hollywood as an actress but made noise in a big way with Diary of a Teenage Girl. Since then she’s done a stint on Casual, directed some Transparent, and the critical darling, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Like a few others on this list, she does well turning tragedy into comedy and always brings a humanity to her character’s less than perfect decisions.

women film directors

Marjane Satrapi

A graphic novelist, Satrapi broke into directing after adapting her own graphic novel, Persepolis, to the big screen. She’s continued to work in film, with the 2014 Ryan Reynolds vehicle, The Voices. Satrapi most recently debuted a biopic of Marie Curie called Radioactive. Satrapi has conquered several mediums and her unique visual gifts will be a must-see as she tackles a historical drama. 

top Hollywood directors

Mary Harron

female movie directors

Mia Hansen-Love

Hansen-Løve was discovered as an actress at 18 but has risen to prominence as a director since. She works primarily in independent cinema in France, and recently dropped a crime-reporter drama called Maya. She’s making the leap to American films after, with Bergman Island. It’ll be interesting to see how she rises in Hollywood.

women directors

Michelle Maclaren

female directors

Mimi Leder

Leder has been directing consistently for the past 30 years. She started with an episode of L.A. Law and did a series of TV movies. Then flipped those into The Peacemaker, Deep Impact, and Pay It Forward. 

She transitioned back into television in the 2000s with runs on West Wing and The Leftovers. Leder can handle big science fiction but always grounds it in personal struggles.  

great female directors

Mira Nair

Nair started in documentary film, but quickly shifted into creating personal stories like Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake. 

Recently she’s focused on creating interesting characters, as seen in her Amelia Earhart biopic, Amelia, and her chess movie, Queen of Katwe. She’s visually gifted and always finds the nuance of every scene. Truly focused on “show, don’t tell.”

female directors in hollywood

Miranda July

A multi-hyphenate and artist, July has spread her wings in the indie scene. Her movie, Me, You, And Everyone We Know, won the Golden Camera Award at Cannes. She’s since focused on her own work and creating personal stories. Her characters and situations are always left of center and unique. 

women film directors

Nancy Meyers

In 1980, a little movie called Private Benjamin put Goldie Hawn into the spotlight and helped Meyers break into Hollywood. After that successful writing assignment, Meyers continued to be a reliable writer, finally getting the chance to direct with 1998’s Parent Trap remake. 

top female directors

Nicole Holofcener

Holofcener is a versatile director whose scope ranges from TV comedy and drama to personal, independent, films. She’s directed episodes of Gilmore Girls, Parks and Rec, and One Mississippi. 

female movie directors

Niki Caro

This New Zealand director achieved universal acclaim for her work on Whale Rider. Since then, she’s worked on several dramatic films, North Country, The Zookeeper’s Wife, Disney’s live-action Mulan. Caro’s visual style is unique and refreshing. She knows how to convert big action and big heart.

top female directors

Patty Jenkins

female movie directors

Penelope Spheeris

Spheeris rose to prominence in the '80s and was the mind behind household comedies like Wayne’s World, The Little Rascals, and Black Sheep. Since then she’s fluctuated between TV movies, episodes, and even some documentaries. Still, she made an indelible mark on comedy and is poised for a noisy comeback.

female movie directors

Phyllida Lloyd

This determined British director can do it all, helming the musical Mamma Mia! And then chasing it with the prestige picture, The Iron Lady two years later. She’s currently in development on a few ideas. With her range she’s proven she can tackle anything.   

female film directors

Reed Morano

Morano made waves while directing The Handmaid’s Tale. She started out as a cinematographer before stepping into the director's chair. Her debut film, I Think We’re Alone Now, is fantastic and her most recent film, The Rhythm Section, is a knockout. 

best female directors

Sam Taylor-Johnson

Another Brit, Taylor-Johnson worked on the rise of the Beatles in Nowhere Boy but came to fame when she landed the job of directing the smash-hit novel adaptation of Fifty Shades Of Grey. 

women directors

Sarah Polley

Polley stepped away from acting in 2010 to pursue directing full time. Her first three films have been a tour-de-force of emotion. Away From Her, Stories We Tell, and Take This Waltz have all garned awards consideration and thrust Polly into the limelight as an important filmmaker to keep track of as she moves forward. She excels at emotionally crushing tales and tearjerkers.

female directors

So Yong Kim

Kim was born in Korea but has been working consistently in Hollywood since 2006. She started with low-budget indies but has since moved to television where she’s directed episodes of Queen Sugar, The Good Fight, The Exorcist, and Get Shorty. Her flexibility to move between tone and genre keeps her highly sought after.

top female directors

Sofia Coppola

female movie directors

Susanne Bier

Born in Copenhagen, Bier flourished in the European markets, helping break Mads Mikkelsen as an actor in After The Wedding. She’s since directed all six episodes of the Golden Globe Nominated The Night Manager and the sci-fi thriller, Bird Box. She keeps audiences on the edge of their seats and can create tension out of any moment. 

female film directors

Tamara Jenkins

best female directors

Tamra Davis

When Davis emerged from the music video landscape of the late '80s and early 90’s, she directed comedies like CB4, Billy Madison and Half Baked. She's spent a lot of time since in TV, working on some of the biggest comedies like You’re the Worst and Alone Together. Her ability to extract comedic performances out of actors is uncanny. 

women directors

Valerie Faris

Along with her directing and writing partner, Jonathan Dayton, Faris has made a name for herself with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, and REM music videos.

They made the switch to movies with the massive success, Little Miss Sunshine, and have continued their success with Ruby Sparks and Battle of the Sexes. Faris is driven by subverting tropes and bringing interesting stories to the screen.