Alice to Zhou: female directors in Hollywood

Kelsey Phillip '25

Sports Editor

     Women have always had a hard time in Hollywood, whether that be as an actress, director or producer. However, the industry became more inclusive to women after trailblazer Alice Guy-Blanché was the first woman to direct a film in 1896 with “La Fée aux Choux.” 

Since then, many women have taken on the directing role in Hollywood with only three ever winning an Oscar in the category for best director: Kathren Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2008, Chloé Zhou with “Nomadland” in 2021 and Jane Champion’s “The Power of Dog” in 2022. Here is a list of my favorite female directors and films from them:

Kathren Bigelow became the first woman to win the Oscar for best director with her 2008 film, “The Hurt Locker”. It stars Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, who play soldiers that are a part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq and the film dives into the mental toll of being in such dangerous conditions every single day. 

Sofia Coppola may come from a long line of Hollywood royalty with her father, Francis Ford Coppola, being the director of  “The Godfather” trilogy and her cousin being Nicolas Kim Coppola - AKA Nicolas Cage - she has proven she is more than able to fill the shoes of the Coppala name. Coppola started her career working with her father, acting in his films such as “The Godfather” and “The Outsiders”, but made her directorial debut with the film “The Virgin Suicides,” starring Kirsten Dunst, in 1999. 

My favorite movie directed by Coppola is the 2006 film “Marie Antoinette,” also starring Kirsten Dunst as the title character and former queen of France. Though it may not be the most historically accurate, the cinematography and the soundtrack, in addition to a phenomenal performance from Kirsten Dunst, make this film everything that it needs to be to qualify as astonishing. 

Greta Gerwig has been on the rise in recent years, with her films “Lady Bird,” “Little Women” and most recently, “Barbie.” She made her directorial debut in 2008 with her film “Nights and Weekends,” in which she also starred, along with her co-director Joe Swanberg. 

Though “Barbie” may seem like anyone's obvious choice for their favorite Gerwig film, mine is still “Little Women.” “Little Women” is a roller coaster of love, life and sisterhood. It was the movie that opened my eyes to some of my favorite actors and actresses such as Florence Pugh and Saoise Ronan, and the movie is perfect to make you laugh, cry or quote randomly to your friends. 

Chloé Zhou is a Chinese-born filmmaker who grew in popularity in recent years after becoming the second woman to ever win an Oscar for best director with her 2020 film “Nomadland,” starring four-time Oscar winner, Frances McDormand. 

My favorite film by Zhou is “Eternals” from 2021. It was the second film for Phase Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it made her the second woman to direct a marvel film on her own. The film features a stunning depiction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which Zhou brought to life. 

As Hollywood begins to evolve, women need to be more heavily featured  in its various levels. Women have such an important point of view and it adds to the different types of films that are made. These women especially have made great strides in the film industry, and you should look into watching some of their upcoming movies, like Chloe Zhou’s “Hamlet” adaptation and Greta Gerwig’s “Chronicles of Narnia” adaptation for Netflix.