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Female directors – Zero Dark Thirty

In the history of the Academy Awards, 84 Oscars have been awarded for Best Director. In that time four women have been nominated for this honour… and only one has won ā€“ Kathryn Bigelow. A true pioneer and with a flair for action that had previously been the domain of male directors, Bigelow is undoubtedly leading the way for female filmmakers everywhere.

Though a distinct minority, female directors have been working away in Hollywood for a long time, and have made a major impact on the film industry, especially in recent years ā€“ and Bigelow’s achievement is a boost for all of them.

In honour of Kathryn Bigelowā€™s most recent filmĀ Zero Dark ThirtyĀ ā€“ the highly anticipated film about the greatest manhunt of all time ā€“ we take a look at some of the most celebrated female directors in Hollywood today.

Sofia Coppola

The daughter of the esteemed director Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola surprised many with her dark, dreamlike 2000 debutĀ The Virgin Suicides, followed by an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay forĀ Lost in Translationin 2003. She once again displayed her singular flair with her highly unorthodox biopicĀ Marie AntoinetteĀ (2006), and in 2010 she did it again with her filmĀ Somewhere, which won the Golden Lion for Best Picture at the 67th Venice International Film Festival — making her the first female director to receive the honour.

Lone Sherfig

The Danish director Lone Sherfig is most known for her films An Education (2009) andĀ One DayĀ (2011), although she made her international directing debut with the 2000 romantic comedyĀ Italian for Beginners, which earned her the Silver Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Sherfig is one of the most acclaimed female directors in Europe and she considers her first English film, the critically acclaimedĀ Wilbur Wants to Kill HimselfĀ (2002,) to be her most complete work.

Amy Heckerling

Amy Heckerling was just one of a handful of American female directors known for their consistent production of top budget box office hits in the 1980ā€™s. Her teen-basedĀ Fast Times At Ridgemont HighĀ (1982) — with its breakout performances from Sean Penn and Jennifer Jason Leigh — and her Jane Austen remakeĀ CluelessĀ (1995), along with a few other witty films, earned her recognition and a huge fan base even to this day.

Nancy Meyers

As a writer and director, Nancy Meyers is responsible for some of the most recognized hits of the 1980ā€™s and 90ā€™s. A traditional rom-com specialist, her films are continuously successful at the box office, appealing to an adult female audience. Meyers began by writing the hitsĀ Private BenjaminĀ andĀ Father of the Bride, before delving into writing and directingĀ The Parent Trap,Ā What Women Want,Ā Something’s Gotta Give,Ā The Holiday, and most recentlyĀ It’s Complicated, the first Hollywood romantic comedy starring a 60-year-old (Meryl Streep) — something that would never have flown a generation ago.

Jane Campion

The critically acclaimed New Zealand screenwriter, producer and director, Jane Campion is the second of only four women ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. She was also the first female filmmaker in history to receive the Palme dā€™Or for her 1993 filmĀ The Piano. Campion’s known for her distinctive portrayals of non-mainstream women of all eras, including her stylized 1996 adaptation of Henry James’sĀ Portrait of a Lady, starring Nicole Kidman; the darkly satiricalĀ Holy SmokeĀ (1999) with Kate Winslet; and most recently, the John Keats biopicBright Star, starring Abbie Cornish as the muse of famous poet.

Mira Nair

Originally a documentary filmmaker, Mira Nair is one of Indiaā€™s greatest directors. Her big break came with the filmSalaam Bombay!, winning her international awards from the Cannes Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival and many others. More recently her worksĀ Monsoon WeddingĀ andĀ Vanity FairĀ further proved her role as a talented filmmaker. Nairā€™s recentĀ The Reluctant FundamentalistĀ opened the 69th Venice Film Festival in 2012 and also featured in the 56th London Film Festival.

Kathryn Bigelow

It was the biggest news to come from the 82nd Academy Awards when Kathryn Bigelow secured the Oscar for Best Director for her filmĀ The Hurt Locker. The film was nominated in nine categories and went on to win six including Best Picture and Best Director. But Bigelow earns her top position among Hollywoodā€™s female directors not only for her Oscar recognition, but also because of her respectable big-budget career, with a filmmaking career since the early 80ā€™s thatā€™s been breaking the mould with action-driven plots such asĀ Point BreakĀ andĀ Blue Steel. Most recently she has the world biting their nails for the much anticipatedĀ Zero Dark Thirty, the story of the decade long hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

Zero Dark Thirty will be in UK cinemas from 25th January 2013.

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.

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