12 Must-Watch Films Directed by Women Shaping Modern Cinema

From gripping horror to sharp coming-of-age tales, we've selected twelve powerful films crafted by female directors in the 21st century.

Greta Gerwig

American actress and screenwriter Greta Gerwig first gained recognition through her comedic roles in Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love" and Noah Baumbach's films like "Greenberg" and "Frances Ha." Her career transformed in 2017 when she wrote and directed her debut feature film, "Lady Bird." The film's sharp and authentic coming-of-age narrative earned Gerwig widespread acclaim and two Academy Award nominations, including Best Director.

Lady Bird

• Drama, Comedy.
• USA, 2017.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.6.

Christine (Saoirse Ronan) lives in a small California town but faces a challenging life: an unemployed father, a stressed mother, no boyfriend, and bleak prospects after graduating from a Catholic high school. Seeking escape from her provincial life, Christine dyes her hair, adopts the nickname "Lady Bird," and plans to move to New York City.

Lynne Ramsay

Graduate of the National Film and Television School in England, Ramsay has spent nearly two decades captivating global film festivals with her intense films. Her work often explores themes of death and survival. Her latest film, "You Were Never Really Here," is a visually stunning and bleak elegy about a lonely hitman, featuring what many consider Joaquin Phoenix's finest performance.

You Were Never Really Here

• Thriller, Drama, Crime.
• UK, France, USA, 2017.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.5.

Joe, a war veteran and former federal agent with a troubled past, lives with his elderly mother and works for a small fee finding missing underage girls. When a new case spirals out of control, he is haunted by nightmares and a violent retribution threatens everyone close to him.

Kathryn Bigelow

An American cinema veteran, Bigelow rose to fame in the early 1990s with the hit "Point Break" starring a young Keanu Reeves. Known for her gritty military action and police thrillers, she remains the only woman to have won an Oscar for Best Director.

Zero Dark Thirty

• Thriller, Drama, History, War.
• USA, 2012.
• Duration: 157 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.4.

This gripping chronicle follows a decade-long hunt by U.S. special forces for "terrorist number one" Osama bin Laden, told from the perspective of agent Maya (Jessica Chastain), obsessed with capturing him.

Sofia Coppola

Daughter of American film legend Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia has earned her own acclaim with six refined dramas about relationships. Her most beloved and recognizable work remains the 15-year-old classic "Lost in Translation," frequently listed among the best modern films.

Lost in Translation

• Drama, Romance, Comedy.
• USA, Japan, 2003.
• Duration: 102 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.8.

An aging movie star (Bill Murray) and a lonely young woman (Scarlett Johansson) meet by chance in a luxury Tokyo hotel, leading to a life-changing connection.

Lone Scherfig

Before gaining fame with her drama "An Education," Danish director Scherfig was known as a devoted follower of Lars von Trier and the "Dogma 95" movement, exemplified in her early work "Italian for Beginners." Today, she is best known for heartfelt British romances like "One Day" and "The Riot Club," capturing youthful emotional journeys.

An Education

• Drama.
• UK, USA, 2008.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.3.

Sixteen-year-old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) from a London suburb experiences a life-changing encounter with a charming playboy (Peter Sarsgaard) twice her age.

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Céline Sciamma

For over a decade, French filmmaker Céline Sciamma has crafted slow, detailed portraits of adolescent girls, exploring their unique perspectives. Beyond coming-of-age, Sciamma delves into themes of gender fluidity and sexual identity, with critics and audiences increasingly moved by her poignant stories of transitional age dramas.

Water Lilies

• Drama, Romance.
• France, 2007.
• Duration: 85 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

During summer vacation, three 15-year-old girls from a Paris suburb meet at a local swimming pool and begin a passionate struggle for each other's attention.

Lisa Cholodenko

Daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, Cholodenko worked extensively in television before directing several art-house melodramas about adult women's sexual awakening. In 2010, she released "The Kids Are All Right," a timely tragicomedy about same-sex parenting, earning multiple Hollywood awards and an Oscar nomination for her screenplay.

The Kids Are All Right

• Drama, Romance, Comedy.
• USA, 2010.
• Duration: 106 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

Brother and sister (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson), born to a same-sex American family via artificial insemination, seek out their biological father (Mark Ruffalo) to introduce him to their mothers (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening).

Andrea Arnold

One of the most acclaimed British directors today, Arnold won her first and only Oscar for the short film "Wasp." Each of her subsequent films has competed at prestigious festivals worldwide, earning multiple awards. Her landmark feature "American Honey" was filmed guerrilla-style with non-professional actors, resulting in a unique three-hour ode to youth.

American Honey

• Drama, Romance, Adventure.
• UK, USA, 2016.
• Duration: 163 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

After meeting a charming magazine subscription salesman (Shia LaBeouf) in a supermarket parking lot, underage Star (debut actress Sasha Lane) embarks on a journey across small-town America in search of happiness, wild fun, and herself.

Ava DuVernay

Once a promising indie filmmaker, DuVernay secured her place as Hollywood's leading African American director with the Oscar-winning "Selma," chronicling Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. She is also an accomplished documentarian ("13th") and showcased her visual talents in the otherwise flawed "A Wrinkle in Time."

Selma

• Drama, Biography, History.
• UK, USA, 2014.
• Duration: 128 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.5.

This biographical drama highlights key moments in the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo), culminating in the historic Selma to Montgomery march that reshaped America's socio-political landscape.

Lucrecia Martel

A standout of new Argentine cinema, Martel gained international fame with her debut "La Ciénaga." However, she entered the 21st-century critical canon with the psychological drama "The Headless Woman," which coldly dissects the self-absorbed bourgeoisie.

The Headless Woman

• Drama, Biography, History.
• Argentina, France, Italy, Spain, 2008.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.5.

After Veronica hits something on the highway (possibly a dog or a child), her life slowly unravels into a paranoid nightmare.

Debra Granik

A key figure in American independent cinema, Granik gained widespread attention with "Winter's Bone," a harsh drama about a girl from the underclass searching for her missing father. The film made Jennifer Lawrence a national star and earned her first Oscar nomination.

Winter's Bone

• Drama.
• USA, 2010.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.2.

Seventeen-year-old Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) embarks on a dangerous journey through rural America to find her missing drug-dealer father (John Hawkes).

Julia Ducournau

For French film student Julia Ducournau, her debut "Raw" was a shocking, provocative, and mature allegory about sexual awakening that stunned critics worldwide and caused fainting among sensitive viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Raw

• Horror, Drama.
• France, Belgium, Italy, 2016.
• Duration: 99 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

After a veterinary school initiation ritual forces a vegetarian freshman to consume raw meat, she develops an uncontrollable craving for it.

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