In honor of Women’s History Month, the Streamable would like to share some of the best movie magic that women have made over the years. Female directors have put their mark on every decade, genre, and kind of film, and will continue to do so.
Below is a list of some of the best movies and films made by female directors available to stream right now. From Greta Gerwig to Ava DuVernay, Chloé Zhao to Sofia Coppola the breadth and scope of this collection is exciting and inspiring. However, this selection doesn’t even begin to capture the full range and diversity of work that women can and will create on screen in the future.
-
The Hitch-Hiker
March 30, 1953Roy and Gilbert’s fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He’s killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they’re no longer useful, he’ll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker’s peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.
Directed by Ida Lupino
Loading… -
Cléo from 5 to 7
April 11, 1962Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina.
Directed by Agnès Varda
Loading… -
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
January 21, 1976A lonely widowed housewife does her daily chores, takes care of her apartment where she lives with her teenage son, and turns the occasional trick to make ends meet. Slowly, her ritualized daily routines begin to fall apart.
The film does require patience. It’s just under three and a half hours and the camera never moves.
This movie was named the best of all time in the British Film Insitute's 2022 “Sight and Sound” poll.
Directed by Chantal Akerman
Loading… -
Seven Beauties
December 20, 1975Pasqualino Frafuso, known in Naples as “Pasqualino Seven Beauties” is a petty thief who lives off of the profits of his seven sisters while claiming to protect their honor at any cost, Pasqualino is arrested for murder and later sent to fight in the army after committing sexual assault. The Germans capture him and he gets sent to a concentration camp where he plots to make his escape by seducing a German officer.
Directed by Lina Wertmüller
Loading… -
Yentl
November 18, 1983Rebbe Mendel is a single father who teaches the Talmud, a sacred text of Judaism, to the boys of his small Polish town. Behind closed doors, he also instructs his daughter, Yentl, despite the fact that girls are forbidden to study religious scripture. When Yentl’s father dies, she still has a strong desire to learn about her faith — so she disguises herself as a male, enrolls in a religious school, and unexpectedly finds love along the way.
Directed by Barbara Streisand
Loading… -
Desperately Seeking Susan
March 29, 1985Roberta is a bored suburban housewife who is fascinated with a woman, Susan, she only knows about by reading messages to and from her in the personals section of the newspaper. This fascination reaches a peak when an ad with the headline “Desperately Seeking Susan” proposes a rendezvous. Roberta goes too, and in a series of events involving amnesia and mistaken identity, steps into Susan’s life.
Directed by Susan Seidelman
Loading… -
Point Break
January 31, 1991In Los Angeles, a gang of bank robbers who call themselves The Ex-Presidents commit their crimes while wearing masks of Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Johnson. Believing that the members of the gang could be surfers, the F.B.I. sends young agent Johnny Utah to the beach undercover to mix with the surfers and gather information.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Loading… -
A League of Their Own
July 1, 1992As America’s stock of athletic young men is depleted during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker Walter Harvey. Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan on their way to fame.
Directed by Penny Marshall
Loading… -
Daughters of the Dust
January 24, 1991In 1902, an African-American family living on a sea island off the coast of South Carolina prepares to move to the North.
Directed by Julie Dash
Loading… -
The Piano
May 19, 1993A mute Scottish woman arrives in colonial New Zealand for an arranged marriage. Her husband refuses to move her beloved piano, giving it to neighbor George Baines, who agrees to return the piano in exchange for lessons. As desire swirls around the duo, the wilderness consumes the European enclave.
Directed by Jane Campion
Loading… -
Little Women
December 21, 1994With their father away as a chaplain in the Civil War, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy grow up with their mother in somewhat reduced circumstances. They are a close family who inevitably have their squabbles and tragedies. But the bond holds even when, later, male friends start to become a part of the household.
Directed by Gillian Armstrong
Loading… -
Clueless
July 19, 1995Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. Emboldened by her success, she decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai a makeover. When Tai becomes more popular than she is, Cher realizes that her disapproving ex-stepbrother was right about how misguided she was — and falls for him.
Directed by Amy Heckerling
Loading… -
Now and Then
October 20, 1995Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty, four childhood girlfriends — Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta — recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more.
Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter
Loading… -
Beau Travail
May 3, 2000Foreign Legion officer Galoup recalls his once glorious life, training troops in the Gulf of Djibouti. His existence there was happy, strict and regimented, until the arrival of a promising young recruit, Sentain, plants the seeds of jealousy in Galoup’s mind.
Directed by Claire Denis
Loading… -
The Matrix
March 31, 1999Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski
Loading… -
What Women Want
December 15, 2000Advertising executive Nick Marshall is as cocky as they come, but what happens to a chauvinistic guy when he can suddenly hear what women are thinking? Nick gets passed over for a promotion, but after an accident enables him to hear women’s thoughts, he puts his newfound talent to work against Darcy, his new boss, who seems to be infatuated with him.
Directed by Nancy Meyers
Loading… -
Girlfight
May 1, 2000Diana Guzman begins to train as a boxer and achieves impressive success, blazing new trails for female boxers, all while keeping it a secret from her father.
Directed by Karyn Kiyoko Kusama
Loading… -
American Psycho
April 13, 2000A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.
Directed by Mary Harron
Loading… -
Lost in Translation
September 18, 2003Two lost souls visiting Tokyo — the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial — find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other’s company, away from their lives in America.
Directed by Sofia Coppola
Loading… -
Something's Gotta Give
December 12, 2003Harry Sanborn is an aged music industry exec with a fondness for younger women like Marin, his latest trophy girlfriend. Things get a little awkward when Harry suffers a heart attack at the home of Marin’s mother, Erica. Left in the care of Erica and his doctor, a love triangle starts to take shape.
Directed by Nancy Meyers
Loading… -
Across the Universe
September 14, 2007When young dockworker Jude leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in the United States, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy, who joins the growing anti-war movement. As the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad.
Directed by Julie Taymor
Loading… -
The Hurt Locker
October 10, 2008During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Loading… -
Twilight
November 20, 2008When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. Despite Edward’s repeated cautions, Bella can’t stay away from him, a fatal move that endangers her own life.
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Loading… -
Wendy and Lucy
April 8, 2009A near-penniless drifter’s journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Loading… -
Winter's Bone
June 11, 2010After discovering her father put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared, 17-year-old Ree Dolly must confront the local criminal underworld and the harsh Ozark wilderness in order to to track down her father and save her family.
Directed by Debra Granik
Loading… -
We Need to Talk About Kevin
September 28, 2011After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.
Directed by Lynne Ramsay
Loading… -
Pariah
December 27, 2011A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
Directed by Dee Rees
Loading… -
Zero Dark Thirty
December 19, 2012A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May, 2011.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Loading… -
Stories We Tell
October 12, 2012Canadian actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley investigates certain secrets related to her mother, interviewing a group of family members and friends whose reliability varies depending of their implication in the events, which are remembered in different ways; so a trail of questions remains to be answered, because memory is always changing and the discovery of truth often depends on who is telling the tale.
Directed by Sarah Polley
Loading… -
Selma
December 25, 2014“Selma,” as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
Directed by Ava DuVernay
Loading… -
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
August 7, 2015Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she’s sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend.
Directed by Marielle Heller
Loading… -
Tallulah
June 2, 2016Desperate to be rid of her toddler, a dissatisfied Beverly Hills housewife hires a stranger to babysit and ends up getting much more than she bargained for.
Directed by Sian Heder
Loading… -
Wonder Woman
May 30, 2017An Amazon princess comes to the world of Man in the grips of the First World War to confront the forces of evil and bring an end to human conflict.
Directed by Patty Jenkins
Loading… -
Lady Bird
September 1, 2017Lady Bird McPherson, a strong willed, deeply opinionated, artistic 17 year old comes of age in Sacramento. Her relationship with her mother and her upbringing are questioned and tested as she plans to head off to college.
Directed by Greta Gerwig
Loading… -
Atlantics
October 2, 2019Arranged to marry a rich man, young Ada is crushed when her true love goes missing at sea during a migration attempt — until a miracle reunites them.
Directed by Mati Diop
Loading… -
Captain Marvel
March 6, 2019The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Co-directed and co-written by Anna Boden
Loading… -
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
September 18, 2019At the end of the 18th century, a female painter is hired to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman. But there are a couple of problems: the woman doesn’t want to get married and she doesn’t want to pose for a painting. What follows is a masterpiece of cinema. The painter studies her subject and her subject studies back.
The film draws the two women closer and closer before the inevitable separation. And through the prism of art (paintings, music, and even mythological stories), we see the relationship change, even after it’s finished.
The movie will churn up your old lost loves and force you to reexamine them. “Do all lovers feel they’re inventing something?” one character asks. If there’s a better way to describe falling in love, we haven’t heard it.
Trust the critics and take the leap. This is one film you shouldn’t miss.
Written and directed by Céline Sciamma
Loading… -
smovies/blow-the-man-down-2019
Written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy
-
Clemency
December 27, 2019Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.
Directed by Chinonye Chukwu
Loading… -
The Farewell
July 12, 2019A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family’s decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.
Directed by Lulu Wang
Loading… -
Hustlers
September 12, 2019A crew of savvy former strip club employees band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.
Directed by Lorene Scafaria
Loading… -
Miss Juneteenth
September 25, 2020Turquoise, a former beauty queen turned hardworking single mother, prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the “Miss Juneteenth” pageant, hoping to keep her from repeating the same mistakes in life that she did.
Written, directed, and produced by Channing Godfrey Peoples
Loading… -
Black Widow
July 7, 2021Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Directed by Cate Shortland
Loading… -
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
February 5, 2020Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.
Written and directed by Cathy Yan
Loading… -
Mulan
September 4, 2020When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the name of Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her innermost strength and embrace her true potential.
Directed by Niki Caro
Loading… -
Promising Young Woman
December 13, 2020A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path.
Written and Directed by Emerald Fennell
Loading… -
Nomadland
January 29, 2021A woman in her sixties (Frances McDormand) embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
The film won three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director (Chloé Zhao), and Best Actress (McDormand).
Directed by Chloé Zhao
Loading… -
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
March 13, 2020A pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy.
Written, directed, and produced by Eliza Hittman
Loading… -
One Night in Miami…
December 25, 2020In the aftermath of Cassius Clay’s defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964, the boxer meets with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown to change the course of history in the segregated South.
Directed by Regina King
Loading… -
First Cow
August 30, 2019In the 1820s, a taciturn loner and skilled cook travels west to Oregon Territory, where he meets a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two team up on a dangerous scheme to steal milk from the wealthy landowner’s prized Jersey cow – the first, and only, in the territory.
Written and directed by Kelly Reichert
Loading… -
Shirley
September 11, 2020A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.
Written and directed by Josephine Decker
Loading… -
Candyman
October 16, 2020Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini-Green. After a chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.
Directed by Nia DaCosta
Loading… -
Bruised
September 12, 2020Jackie Justice is a mixed martial arts fighter who leaves the sport in disgrace. Down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after the fight, she’s coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend Desi and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter who promises Jackie a life back in the Octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when Manny - the son she gave up as an infant - shows up at her doorstep. A triumphant story of a fighter who reclaims her power, in and out of the ring, when everyone has counted her out
Directed by Halle Berry
Loading… -
The Lost Daughter
December 16, 2021A woman’s seaside vacation takes a dark turn when her obsession with a young mother forces her to confront secrets from her past.
Written and Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Loading… -
The Power of the Dog
October 25, 2021A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother’s new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.
Written and Directed by Jane Campion
Loading… -
Eternals
November 3, 2021The Eternals are a team of ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. When an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows, they are forced to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants. The film will be released on Disney+ January 12, 2022.
Written and directed by Chloé Zhao
Loading… -
Passing
October 27, 2021In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who’s passing as white.
Written and Directed by Rebecca Hall
Loading… -
Cinderella
September 3, 2021Cinderella, an orphaned girl with an evil stepmother, has big dreams and with the help of her Fabulous Godmother, she perseveres to make them come true.
Written and Directed by Kay Cannon
Loading… -
Respect
August 12, 2021The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
Directed by Liesl Tommy
Loading… -
CODA
August 13, 2021As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
The film won three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Written and Directed by Siân Heder
Loading…