10 Most Influential Women in Film History

As far as we all know, women were discouraged from active roles in different aspects of their lives. The Film Industry was not the exception, until 1960s with the creation of new avenues of film distribution, the diminishing effects of the Hays Code and the civil rights and women’s rights movements. Prior to that, there just weren’t any women directing anything past the 1920s.

This week we have created a list of the 10 Most Influential Female Filmmakers of all times.

You will find how these 10 women influenced and made an impact in the industry, opening the doors to many women chasing after the same goals and dreams.

Even though now are better times for women to be part of the industry, there are still important issues impacting their present as film directors.

“It’s a matter of volume,” says producer Deborah Calla, Chair of the Diversity Committee of the Producers Guild of America. “There are fewer films directed by women, and so there are fewer films directed by women winning awards or being picked by festivals. Women directors end up having a smaller footprint.”

There's plenty of data to back the scarcity of roles for women in filmmaking. In 2017, a report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film showed that 23 main festivals in the 2016-2017 period screened an average of six feature films directed by women, compared to an average of 18 films directed by men.

For more women in leading roles!