Top 300 Films (Directed by Women)
by minalex | created - 18 Aug 2011 | updated - 4 weeks ago | PublicMost films are directed by Bigelow (8), Huillet (8), Denis (6) and Akerman (5).
Page 1 (1915-1989), Page 2 (1989-2005), Page 3 (2005-2017).
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1. Assunta Spina (1915)
72 min | Drama
Napoli, gli inizi del secolo. Assunta Spina è una bella stiratrice ed ha per amante Michele, ma Raffaele continua a girarle attorno. Un giorno, durante il pranzo di onomastico a Marechiaro,... See full summary »
Directors: Francesca Bertini, Gustavo Serena | Stars: Francesca Bertini, Gustavo Serena, Carlo Benetti, Luciano Albertini
Votes: 334
2. La fête espagnole (1920)
67 min
Director: Germaine Dulac | Stars: Ève Francis, Gabriel Gabrio, Jean Toulout, Gaston Modot
Votes: 15
3. Blood and Sand (1922)
PG | 80 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
A toreador's familial and social life is threatened when he has an affair.
Directors: Fred Niblo, Dorothy Arzner | Stars: Rosa Rosanova, Rudolph Valentino, Nita Naldi, Leo White
Votes: 1,138
Dorothy Arzner was an uncredited editor and claims she has also directed small segments of the film
4. La souriante Madame Beudet (1923)
26 min | Drama
An unhappily married woman devises a scheme to get rid of her husband.
Director: Germaine Dulac | Stars: Germaine Dermoz, Alexandre Arquillière, Jean d'Yd, Yvette Grisier
Votes: 1,700
5. Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (1926)
Not Rated | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
A handsome prince rides a flying horse to far-away lands and embarks on magical adventures, which include befriending a witch, meeting Aladdin, battling demons and falling in love with a princess.
Directors: Lotte Reiniger, Carl Koch
Votes: 4,541
6. La coquille et le clergyman (1928)
28 min | Short
Obsessed with a general's woman, a clergyman has strange visions of death and lust, struggling against his own eroticism.
Director: Germaine Dulac | Stars: Alex Allin, Genica Athanasiou, Lucien Bataille
Votes: 1,512
7. Mädchen in Uniform (1931)
Passed | 87 min | Drama, Romance
At an all-girls boarding school, Manuela falls in love with a teacher, to terrific consequences.
Directors: Leontine Sagan, Carl Froelich | Stars: Dorothea Wieck, Hertha Thiele, Emilia Unda, Hedwig Schlichter
Votes: 2,024
8. The Blue Light (1932)
85 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
When the moon is full, young men die attempting to reach the mysterious blue light in the mountains.
Directors: Leni Riefenstahl, Béla Balázs | Stars: Leni Riefenstahl, Mathias Wieman, Beni Führer, Max Holzboer
Votes: 996
9. Triumph of the Will (1935)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History, War
The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Max Amann, Martin Bormann
Votes: 13,418
10. Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: David Albritton, Arvo Askola, Jack Beresford, Erwin Blask
Votes: 3,850
11. Olympia 2. Teil - Fest der Schönheit (1938)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, orchestrated as Nazi propaganda.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Sheigo Arai, Jack Beresford, Ralf Berzsenyi, Ferenc Csík
Votes: 3,220
12. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Not Rated | 14 min | Short
A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.
Directors: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid | Stars: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid
Votes: 9,052
13. Red Meadows (1945)
85 min | War, Drama
A 1945 Danish war drama based on resistance fighter Ole Vlademar Juul's 1945 novel of the same name, is a suspense tale revolving around the memories of a Danish saboteur as he await s his execution in a German war-time prison.
Directors: Bodil Ipsen, Lau Lauritzen | Stars: Poul Reichhardt, Lisbeth Movin, Per Buckhøj, Gyrd Løfquist
Votes: 210
14. At Land (1944)
15 min | Short
Silently, a woman wakes on a beach as the tides go in reverse. Her dreamscape unfolds as she tries to locate a chess piece traveling from the beach to a party to a country road and then back.
Director: Maya Deren | Stars: John Cage, Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid, Hella Heyman
Votes: 2,272
15. The Last Stage (1948)
110 min | Drama
Female prisoners of various ethnic background struggle to survive the hardships of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
Director: Wanda Jakubowska | Stars: Tatjana Gorecka, Antonina Gordon-Górecka, Barbara Drapinska, Aleksandra Slaska
Votes: 190
16. Begone Dull Care (1949)
Not Rated | 8 min | Animation, Short, Music
Abstract images drawn directly onto the film are accompanied by three pieces of jazz performed by the Oscar Peterson trio.
Directors: Evelyn Lambart, Norman McLaren
Votes: 1,267
17. On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Approved | 82 min | Drama, Film-Noir
Rough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.
Directors: Nicholas Ray, Ida Lupino | Stars: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper
Votes: 5,151
18. I lykaina (1951)
81 min | Drama, Romance
Loukia is a proud young woman, a descendant of a family which, thanks to a lingering vendetta, has almost died out. Although she is in love with Alexis, the last offspring of the rival ... See full summary »
Director: Maria Plyta | Stars: Aleka Katselli, Andreas Zisimatos, Anthi Miliadi, Giannis Argyris
Votes: 11
19. A Portrait of Ga (1952)
4 min | Documentary, Short, Biography
A short film from Margaret Tait capturing the daily life of her mother, Ga.
Director: Margaret Tait
Votes: 334
20. To nisi tis siopis (1958)
65 min | Drama
Director: Lila Kourkoulakou | Stars: Orestis Makris, Giorgos Kabanellis, Nina Sgouridou, Tzortzis Kourkoulakos
Votes: 28
21. Poem of the Sea (1958)
95 min | Drama
Interconnected stories of Soviet citizens trying to build a new future after World War II. Memories of the old, dreams of the young, and the residues of class mingle and clash.
Director: Yuliya Solntseva | Stars: Boris Livanov, Boris Andreyev, Mikhail Tsaryov, Mikhail Romanov
Votes: 84
22. Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Cleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, Dorothée Blanck
Votes: 10,940
23. The House Is Black (1963)
20 min | Documentary, Short
Set in a leper colony in the north of Iran, The House is Black juxtaposes "ugliness", of which there is much in the world as stated in the opening scenes, with religion and gratitude.
Director: Forugh Farrokhzad | Stars: Forugh Farrokhzad, Ebrahim Golestan, Hossein Mansouri
Votes: 3,377
24. The Cool World (1963)
105 min | Crime, Drama
Filmmaker Shirley Clarke ("The Connection") directs this powerful, stark semi-documentary look at the horrors of Harlem ghetto slum life filled with drugs, violence, human misery, and a ... See full summary »
Director: Shirley Clarke | Stars: Rony Clanton, Carl Lee, Yolanda Rodríguez, Clarence Williams III
Votes: 371
25. Loving Couples (1964)
118 min | Drama, Romance
Three expectant mothers think back over their sex lives.
Director: Mai Zetterling | Stars: Harriet Andersson, Gunnel Lindblom, Gio Petré, Anita Björk
Votes: 362
26. Le Bonheur (1965)
Not Rated | 79 min | Drama, Romance
François, a young carpenter, lives a happy, uncomplicated life with his wife Thérèse and their two small children. One day he meets Emilie, a clerk in the local post office.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Jean-Claude Drouot, Marie-France Boyer, Marcelle Faure-Bertin, Manon Lanclos
Votes: 3,374
27. Daisies (1966)
74 min | Comedy
Two girls try to understand the meaning of the world and their life.
Director: Vera Chytilová | Stars: Ivana Karbanová, Jitka Cerhová, Marie Cesková, Jirina Myskova
Votes: 7,842
28. Night Games (1966)
105 min | Drama
The story about a man who's trying to get rid of his memories from his past. He grew up in an upperclass-family in a castle and now revisits the castle with his fioncee.
Director: Mai Zetterling | Stars: Ingrid Thulin, Keve Hjelm, Jörgen Lindström, Lena Brundin
Votes: 316
29. Krylya (1966)
85 min | Drama
A fascinating and human portrayal of a once-famous fighter pilot and loyal Stalinist named Nadezhda Petrovna. Now a 41-year-old provincial schoolmistress, she has so internalized the ... See full summary »
Director: Larisa Shepitko | Stars: Mayya Bulgakova, Sergey Nikonenko, Zhanna Bolotova, Panteleymon Krymov
Votes: 1,343
30. Portrait of Jason (1967)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, Biography
Black gay prostitute Jason Holliday is rigorously interviewed on his story and character, revealing nuanced truths about life and art.
Director: Shirley Clarke | Stars: Jason Holliday, Shirley Clarke, Carl Lee
Votes: 712
31. The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1968)
94 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life and music of Johann Sebastian Bach as presented by his wife, Anna.
Directors: Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub | Stars: Gustav Leonhardt, Christiane Lang, Paolo Carlini, Ernst Castelli
Votes: 985 | Gross: $0.02M
32. Salesman (1969)
G | 85 min | Documentary, Drama
Four relentless door-to-door salesmen deal with constant rejection, homesickness and inevitable burnout as they go across the country selling very expensive bibles to low-income Catholic families.
Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin | Stars: Paul Brennan, Charles McDevitt, James Baker, Raymond Martos
Votes: 4,076
33. Wanda (1970)
GP | 102 min | Crime, Drama
Wanda, a lonely housewife, drifts through mining country until she meets a petty thief who takes her in.
Director: Barbara Loden | Stars: Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins, Dorothy Shupenes, Peter Shupenes
Votes: 1,987 | Gross: $0.05M
34. Gimme Shelter (1970)
GP | 91 min | Documentary, Music, Thriller
A harrowing documentary of the Stones' 1969 tour, with much of the focus on the tragic concert at Altamont.
Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin | Stars: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts
Votes: 9,532 | Gross: $0.25M
35. Les yeux ne veulent pas en tout temps se fermer, ou Peut-être qu'un jour Rome se permettra de choisir à son tour (1970)
88 min | Drama
Directors: Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub | Stars: Adriano Aprà, Anne Brumagne, Ennio Lauricella, Olimpia Carlisi
Votes: 142
36. Out 1, noli me tangere (1971)
Not Rated | 729 min | Drama, Mystery
Following the May 1968 civil unrest in France, a deaf-mute and a con artist simultaneously stumble upon the remnants of a secret society.
Directors: Jacques Rivette, Suzanne Schiffman | Stars: Michèle Moretti, Hermine Karagheuz, Karen Puig, Pierre Baillot
Votes: 930 | Gross: $0.03M
37. The Long Farewell (1971)
97 min | Drama
A single woman has put all her efforts into raising her only son, Sasha. When Sasha grew up to become a teenager, he got tired of the nagging of her mother. One summer, he goes to visit his... See full summary »
Director: Kira Muratova | Stars: Zinaida Sharko, Oleg Vladimirsky, Tatyana Mychko, Yuriy Kayurov
Votes: 455
38. The Seduction of Mimi (1972)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
In Sicily, the mine worker Carmelo "Mimí" Mardocheo votes in the Communist Party candidate instead of in the Mafia's one believing that the suffrage is secret. After the elections, he loses... See full summary »
Director: Lina Wertmüller | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Turi Ferro, Agostina Belli
Votes: 1,481
39. Geschichtsunterricht (1972)
85 min | Drama, History
Directors: Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub | Stars: Gottfried Bold, Johann Unterpertinger, Henri Ludwigg, Carl Vaillant
Votes: 109
40. F for Fake (1973)
PG | 89 min | Documentary
A documentary about fraud and fakery.
Directors: Orson Welles, Gary Graver, Oja Kodar, François Reichenbach | Stars: Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, François Reichenbach, Elmyr de Hory
Votes: 12,807
The film includes material Oja Kodar had directed for a different project.
41. Ioannis o viaios (1973)
180 min | Crime, Drama
This film tells the story of Ioannis Zachos, a young psychopath who commits a murder in the town of Athens.
Director: Tonia Marketaki | Stars: Manolis Logiadis, Mika Flora, Vangelis Kazan, Malaina Anousaki
Votes: 82
42. Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero 'stamattina alle 10 in via dei Fiori nella nota casa di tolleranza...' (1973)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When a friend is murdered by the Facists, a melancholy farmer takes up residence in a Roman brothel as he and an anarchist prostitute plot to assassinate Mussolini.
Director: Lina Wertmüller | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Eros Pagni, Pina Cei
Votes: 1,956
43. Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto (1974)
R | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A trip into the Mediterranean sea becomes a trip into the discovery of how society's frameworks of the rich and poor are delicate and temporary.
Director: Lina Wertmüller | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Riccardo Salvino, Isa Danieli
Votes: 4,597
44. The Night Porter (1974)
R | 118 min | Drama
After a chance meeting at a hotel in 1957, a Holocaust survivor and the Nazi officer who tortured her resume their sadomasochistic relationship.
Director: Liliana Cavani | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti
Votes: 9,677
45. Je, tu, il, elle (1974)
86 min | Drama
'Je' is a girl voluntarily lock up in a room. 'Tu' is the script. 'Il' is a lorry driver. 'Elle' is the girlfriend.
Director: Chantal Akerman | Stars: Chantal Akerman, Niels Arestrup, Claire Wauthion
Votes: 1,374
46. Seven Beauties (1975)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The defense of honor, a strong value in Neapolitan society, and his effects on the life of everyman Pasquale Frafuso.
Director: Lina Wertmüller | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, Shirley Stoler, Elena Fiore
Votes: 4,201 | Gross: $0.01M
47. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama
A young woman's life is scrutinized by police and tabloid press after she spends the night with a suspected terrorist.
Directors: Volker Schlöndorff, Margarethe von Trotta | Stars: Angela Winkler, Mario Adorf, Dieter Laser, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 3,417
48. India Song (1975)
120 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance