Spotlight On: 10 Female Directors to Watch

by Audrey Callerstrom, Staff Writer

Note to the reader: With this list I wanted to highlight female directors that were more toward the beginning of their careers. Additionally, I’ve omitted certain directors already covered in Fiona Underhill’s wonderful list from last month, Spotlight On: 22 Black Directors to Watch. Please read Fiona’s list as well, as she highlights many upcoming female directors and obscure films.

1. Natalie Erika James

Relic (2020), available to rent across multiple platforms

I was floored by Natalie Erika James’ Relic. How is this her first film? She brings an intimate family story about Alzheimer’s into the horror genre in a heartbreaking way.

2. Romola Garai

Amulet (2020), Hulu

Romola Garai, a British actress best known for roles in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and Atonement, made her feature-length debut in 2020 with Amulet. In this original tale, a homeless man becomes the caretaker at an old rotting house where the mysterious Magda (Carla Bruni, Wetlands) hides a secret in the attic. The film features haunting, original visuals, and vivid practical effects, including a drowned, dying, mutant bat.

3. Amy Seimetz

Sun Don’t Shine (2012), Amazon Prime
She Dies Tomorrow (2020), Hulu
Amy Seimetz, another actor-turned-director, used her paycheck from 2019’s Pet Sematary to make She Dies Tomorrow, a dark comedy/horror film. The film spends a lot of time with its lead, Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil), a secluded recovering alcoholic, before we know what’s going on. Why is she blasting Chopin and shopping for urns? As it spreads, this psychological, contagious disease that makes you certain you will die tomorrow manifests in different ways among different people (including Jane Adams, Chris Messina, and Josh Lucas).

4. Zoe Wittock

Jumbo (2020), available to rent across multiple platforms

Not unlike Lars and the Real Girl, the premise of Jumbo is a woman falling in love with an object. But this isn’t any object. It’s a big, bright, dazzling amusement park ride that Jeanne (Noémie Merlant, Portrait of a Lady on Fire) names Jumbo. Have you ever stopped to look at an amusement park ride and noticed how beautiful it was? Well, you will now.

5. Garrett Bradley

Time (2020), Amazon Prime

Up for Best Documentary Film this year at the Oscars, Garrett Bradley’s Time is such a careful, intimate documentary, you can tell that Bradly’s subject, Fox Rich, trusts her thoroughly. Fox’s husband, in a desperate attempt to support their family business, robbed a bank. That mistake left him in prison and away from their children for over two decades. Bradley doesn’t bother with statistics or grand conclusions. She lets her subject dictate the narrative.

6. Lorene Scafaria

The Meddler (2015)
Husters (2019)

Hustlers is a sharp and funny film that shows the desperation surrounding the 2008 recession. It just happened to be about strippers. Given that a majority of moviegoers are old enough to not only remember the “Great Recession” but also have been impacted by it makes it even more meaningful. If you were on the fence about Jennifer Lopez, well, congratulations - after Hustlers you will be a fan.

7. Kris Rey

Empire Builder (2014)
Unexpected (2015)
I Used to Go Here (2020)

Many films about writers are all about the fallout that happens when you have one great success and haven’t been able to live up to it (and - surprise - they’re usually about men). I Used to Go Here is about author Kate (Gillian Jacobs), whose anticipated debut novel ends up being a giant flop. This is Jacobs’ best performance to-date.

8. Zeina Durra

The Imperialists Are Still Alive! (2010)
Luxor (2020)

With Luxor, Zeina Durra made a haunting portrayal of trauma, a romance, and a travel film about a woman’s trip to Luxor, the ancient city of Egypt. It doesn’t tell you what the trauma was, because it doesn’t want to go backward. It wants to stay in the moment as former aid worker Hana (Andrea Riseborough) reunites with old college flame Sultan (Karim Saleh).

9. Lulu Wang

The Farewell (2019), Amazon Prime

Lulu Wang took her personal experience with her grandmother’s cancer diagnosis - known to all but her grandmother  - and created a funny and personal film of universal truths about family. Awkwafina was praised for her first dramatic and starring role, but the film belongs to Nai Nai herself (Shuzhen Zhao). I’m interested in Wang’s next film, which is reportedly a collaboration with playwright Sarah Ruhl (Dead Man’s Cell Phone).

10. Eliza Hittman

It Felt Like Love (2014)
Beach Rats (2017)
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), HBO Max

Never Rarely Sometimes Always is about 17-year-old Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) who travels to New York City from small town Pennsylvania to get a late-term abortion. But it’s also a devastating coming of age film about finding your support network. Autumn’s mother ignores her in favor of her younger siblings, her stepdad is rude and hostile, and the kids at school mock and tease her. Her only friend is her younger cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), who is willing to put her own safety at risk and accompany her.