Women Directors

[dkelly26666]

I'm very interested in this new wave of collections and sets on BD that have been collecting the works of classic women directors' films in one place.

I must admit it's often been a blindspot for me over the years, in general, but I'm being able to suddenly discover a lot of films that I hadn't seen before.

Someone just gifted me 'Cinematic Sorceress: The Films of Nina Menkes", whom I've never seen any films of.

I have been working my way through more and more of Agnes Varda's Criterion boxed set. (Obviously, I have always been aware of her, and have seen a number of her best known films over the years, but I have been revisiting some, and seeing others I've never seen).

I have always been a big fan of Jeanne Moreau as an actress, but I've never seen any of her directorial works, and I've pre-ordered the upcoming set of her films, as well.

Chantal Akerman I've always known, and of course have owned and seen "Jeanne Dielmann" before, but I've ordered the new Criterion set of her works, as well, to become more acquainted with her films, too.

I have always been a fan of Jane Campion, as well. Liliana Cavani, too.

Love Kathryn Bigelow, too, as far as big Hollywood goes.

Please feel free to add more to the thread, and let's get going spotlighting some of these wonderful women filmmakers on BD.

[Jmillbran]

Ida Lupino, Alice Guy-Blanche, Joan Micklin Sliver (not a lot of output, but all of it is good), Lizzie Borden (same)...

[Egbert Souse]

Elaine May's A New Leaf, as well as Mickey and Nicky are both excellent films.

[Locus-Solus]

Check out Roberta Findlay if you're into exploitation, adult or seedy stuff. Stumbled across her due to Tenement - a nasty exploitation film about an apartment complex that gets terrorized by some local thugs. Quite frankly I was surprised this film was directed by a woman as it just wasn't expected due to its nastiness..

[dylrichard02]

Doris Wishman has many of her films collected in three volumes from AGFA and OCN! These have been on my wishlist for awhile, but I haven't pulled the trigger on them yet.

[emmet otter]

Kimberly Peirce - Boys Don't Cry - Carrie (2013)

[emmet otter]

Katherine Bigelow - Near Dark - Blue Steel - Strange Days

[Rayjaymay]

There are a few Lina Wertmuller films on blu-ray. Her best known is probably “Seven Beauties”

[ravenus]

There's Mira Nair, who has a bunch of films out on blu:

[bonehica]

Dorothy Arzner worked during the Golden Age of Hollywood and has a few releases out there. She is definitely worth checking out:

[Nitroes]

Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema

Women Make Film - Official Trailer - YouTube

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084DG1BN2/

https://www.criterionchannel.com/women-make-film

[James Luckard]

I really like the films I've seen from Spanish director Isabel Coixet, I follow her on Instagram too.

https://www.blu-ray.com/Isabel-Coixet/76399/

I first discovered her with the indie film MY LIFE WITHOUT ME, starring the brilliant Sarah Polley:


I also liked their follow-up, THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS:

It's kind of a spiritual cousin to Breaking the Waves, in a strange way, because it's also about a woman tending to a man who was injured on a North Sea oil rig.

Very few of Coixet's films are on BD, sadly.

[filmbuffTX]

Ava DuVernay directed the Oscar Best Picture nominee 'Selma'. She also created, wrote, and directed the critically acclaimed OWN original series 'Queen Sugar'. Not only did she direct several episodes, but the entire series, all 89 episodes, were directed by women. Apparently it's the first series to have all women directors. The first season is available on DVD only, but the entire series can be streamed on Max/Discovery+. Her newest film 'Origin' is in theaters now and will get a wide release next month in the U.S. It competed at the Venice Film Festival for the Golden Lion and is already getting good reviews.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by Rayjaymay

There are a few Lina Wertmuller films on blu-ray. Her best known is probably “Seven Beauties”

Oh yes! How on Earth did I forget to mention Lina???? I have many of her films. A boxed set and several stand alone releases.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by Jmillbran

Ida Lupino, Alice Guy-Blanche, Joan Micklin Sliver (not a lot of output, but all of it is good), Lizzie Borden (same)...

Yes, I've just seen two Joan Micklin Silver films just recently. Oh and I bought "Working Girls" on Criterion (from Borden).

[Locus-Solus]

Originally Posted by emmet otter

Katherine Bigelow - Near Dark - Blue Steel - Strange Days

I'd add this one too..



Coming from a civilian, I thought it was one of most realistic sniper scenes put on celluloid, or what I could imagine it to be like. Overall, Bigelow did a fantastic job on this film.

Would love to see a U.S. release of Strange Days. Anyone know why the holdup on that one?

[latehong]

Allison Anders, Muriel Box, Maya Deren, Julia Ducournau, Marleen Gorris, Debra Granik, Jennifer Kent, Kelly Reichardt, Céline Sciamma, Lois Weber...

Here are some of my favorite releases. I tried to avoid popular Hollywood productions (Martha Coolidge, Nora Ephron, Amy Heckerling, Nancy Meyers, etc) or films directed by the filmmakers already mentioned above (Dorothy Arzner! Ida Lupino! Doris Wishman!). And for some, I purposely chose editions from outside the US.



And I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for The Complete Directorial Works of Kinuyo Tanaka box set from Criterion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZi35t4v8fU

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Locus-Solus

Would love to see a U.S. release of Strange Days. Anyone know why the holdup on that one?

First James Cameron. Now Mickey Mouse.

It's a Lightstorm film and he has to approve any new home video masters, as with True Lies. That's what kept it off BD for ages.

Now that Fox is owned by the Mouse, it's locked in the Disney Vault.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by emmet otter

Kimberly Peirce - Boys Don't Cry - Carrie (2013)

Peirce gave an interview a few years ago about being a genderqueer dyke, a “female-bodied person, but I didn’t think of myself as a fully female identifying person”.

https://www.indiewire.com/features/g...er-1202196536/

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by latehong

Allison Anders, Muriel Box, Maya Deren, Julia Ducournau, Marleen Gorris, Debra Granik, Jennifer Kent, Kelly Reichardt, Céline Sciamma, Lois Weber...

[Show spoiler]
Here are some of my favorite releases. I tried to avoid popular Hollywood productions (Martha Coolidge, Nora Ephron, Amy Heckerling, Nancy Meyers, etc) or films directed by the filmmakers already mentioned above (Dorothy Arzner! Ida Lupino! Doris Wishman!). And for some, I purposely chose editions from outside the US.



And I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for The Complete Directorial Works of Kinuyo Tanaka box set from Criterion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZi35t4v8fU

Humanoids from the Deep might not be the best choice to include here, since Barbara Peeters disowned the cut that was released after Roger Corman insisted on additional sequences with more graphic (creature) rape to be shot by an AD and inserted into the film.