Female Directors
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Desiree Akhavan was born on 27 December 1984 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and actress, known for Appropriate Behavior (2014), The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) and The Bisexual (2018).- Director
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- Writer
Rima Das (born May 13, 1981) is Indian filmmaker from the North Eastern state of Assam. Her films Village Rockstars and Bulbul Can Sing premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, and were screened at over 120 prestigious film festivals around the world winning over 70 Awards including the National Film Awards in India, Village Rockstars was also India's Official Entry to the Academy Awards 2019. She has donned multiple hats of writer, director, producer, cinematographer, editor for her projects.
Be it an elderly man who discovers a new world (Man with the Binoculars), the little girl from an impoverished background who dream of having a guitar (Village Rockstars) or three teenagers exploring their identities and sexuality in the face of patriarchy (Bulbul Can Sing) or a family man struggling to keep his business and personal life together amidst the Covid-19 pandemic - Rima Das is known for making indigenous and realistic stories that explore complicated relationships, finding purpose, coming of age and life amidst nature.
"As a little girl, I would stroll through the village on my way back from school, playing in the rivers, climbing trees, plucking fruits from bushes, and return home with my dress soiled and buttons broken. The fear of the scolding at home didn't stop the curiosity of that innocent mind. Growing up in a small town, I always thought films were to be watched, not made. Becoming a film-maker was never remotely on my radar", Rima Das says.
While struggling in Mumbai for several years to become an actor, she discovered world cinema and fell in love with it. She believed she could also make her own films, even with her limited means. On returning to her home town in Assam, she realized what she was missing living in a city. Unfazed by the fears and struggles, she picked her DSLR and make Village Rockstars single-handedly, which went on to establish Rima Das' credentials as an avante-garde filmmaker.
GQ India named Rima Das as one of the Most Influential Young Indians of 2018. She is also one of the Brand Ambassadors of Toronto International Film Festivals 'Share Her Journey' campaign that champions the cause of gender equality in cinema. She has been on the jury of Berlin International Film Festival Generation 14plus, Mumbai International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and Zlin Film Festival for Children & Youth.- Director
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Megan Griffiths is a writer/director working in film and television. She has directed shows for HBO (Room 104), EPIX (Graves), TNT (Animal Kingdom), Hulu (Looking for Alaska), USA (Dare Me), Fox (Prodigal Son), Netflix (The Society, Trinkets), and Amazon (Panic). Prior to this, she wrote and directed Sadie, which stars Melanie Lynskey, John Gallagher Jr, Danielle Brooks, and Tony Hale, and features breakout performances from its young stars Sophia Mitri Schloss and Keith L. Williams, and premiered at the 2018 South by Southwest Film Festival. She also created the thriller The Night Stalker, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as serial killer Richard Ramirez, which premiered on Lifetime Television. Her film Lucky Them starring Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church and Johnny Depp premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was distributed by IFC Films. Griffiths's film Eden, based on the true story of a young woman captured into the world of human trafficking, was a breakout at SXSW 2012, winning the Emergent Narrative Director Award, the Audience Award for Narrative Feature as well as a Special Jury Prize for lead actress Jamie Chung. Griffiths's feature The Off Hours, distributed by Film Movement, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Additionally, Griffiths has produced several other projects including the Sundance absurdist buddy comedy The Catechism Cataclysm, as well as Your Sister's Sister, directed by the late Lynn Shelton, Griffiths's close friend and frequent collaborator. Griffiths and Shelton also co-wrote a feature for This American Life, and together with producer Gregg Fienberg sold an original pitch to HBO.
Griffiths is a member of the director's branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. In her adopted hometown of Seattle, Griffiths was the recipient of the 2012 Stranger Genius Award for Film, was named the 2013 City Arts Film Artist of the Year, and received the 2015 Seattle Mayor's Award for Film. She serves on the board of Northwest Film Forum and is an active advocate for sustainable production.
Griffiths also writes about her experiences in the entertainment industry for her blog Thoughts on Film, and discusses recent releases for the film commentary site The Talkhouse.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Daisy von Scherler Mayer is an American film and television director. She has directed the feature films Party Girl, Madeline, The Guru and Some Girl(s). Her TV directing credits include: Yellowjackets, The Last Thing He Told Me, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Shining Vale, Inventing Anna, Made for Love, The Walking Dead, Bosch, Get Shorty, Ray Donovan, House of Lies, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Halt and Catch Fire, Mozart in the Jungle, Orange is the New Black, Nurse Jackie, Shameless and Mad Men. Her first film, critically acclaimed Party Girl, debuted at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, launching the career of "indie queen" Parker Posey and leading to a Fox TV series. In 2023, Fun City Editions issued a 4K Restoration Blu-Ray of Party Girl. The reissue sold out, ran on the Criterion Channel and led to a theatrical re-release of this "cult classic" in art houses across the US, and in Canada and the UK. Party Girl screened at the Museum of Modern Art and BAM in NY and is in a permanent exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. After Party Girl, von Scherler Mayer directed a film adaptation of the classic children's book Madeline, which starred Oscar winner Frances McDormand. She followed this with the Bollywood-influenced comedy The Guru, starring Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei, for Working Title Films. She returned to her indie roots with a low budget adaptation of Neil LaBute's play Some Girl(s), which starred Adam Brody, Emily Watson, Zoe Kazan and Kristen Bell. As a television director, von Scherler Mayer has directed hour-long dramas and half-hour comedies for network, cable and streaming, including ABC, NBC, CBS, AMC, Showtime, Starz, Amazon, Netflix, AppleTV, Epix and Hulu. In 2019, she received a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media for her work on The Walking Dead. A native New Yorker, von Scherler Mayer worked backstage at the Delacorte Theater as a teen and in her early 20s was a production assistant for Sidney Lumet and Mira Nair. She trained at the Williamstown Theater Festival, Circle in the Square and the Atlantic Theater Company. A graduate of Wesleyan University, von Scherler Mayer received High Honors in Theater and studied film with Jeanine Basinger. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, film and television composer David Carbonara, and their two daughters.- Actress
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Marielle Heller is a writer, director and actor. She was selected as a 2012 Sundance Screenwriting Fellow and 2012 Sundance Directing Fellow, and was honored with the Lynn Auerbach Screenwriting Fellowship, and The Maryland Film Festival Fellowship. Her writing credits include pilots for ABC and 20th Century Fox, and multiple screenplays and theatrical plays. She has performed at theaters all over the world, from New York to the West End.- Camera and Electrical Department
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- Producer
Vanessa Gould was born on 30 January 1974 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Between the Folds (2008), Obit. (2016) and Independent Lens (1999).- Director
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- Writer
Gabriela was born in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in May of 1988. She immigrated to the states at the age of 16, and a few years later joined the U.S. Navy. After her days in the service, she earned her associates, bachelors and masters degrees in directing/filmmaking. In 2015 she met her soon-to-be wife, Callie Schuttera and the pair created their production company, Poison Pictures. Gabriela's first feature film 'Blue', received critical acclaim with over 30 festival wins on the circuit including multiple for Best Director and Best Picture. 'Blue' was recently purchased for distribution by Gravitas Ventures and premieres on worldwide VOD on Oct. 22nd 2019. Gabriela's other directorial work includes commercial campaigns, corporate videos, comedy specials and live shows. Her second feature film 'The Last Conception' is currently in post-production and is expected to premiere in 2020.- Director
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Lauren Greenfield was born on 28 June 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She is a director and producer, known for The Queen of Versailles (2012), The Kingmaker (2019) and Thin (2006).- Director
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- Producer
Jessica Hausner was born on 6 October 1972 in Vienna, Austria. She is a director and writer, known for Little Joe (2019), Lourdes (2009) and Amour Fou (2014).- Actress
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Jennifer Kent was born on 5 March 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and director, known for The Nightingale (2018), The Babadook (2014) and Monster (2005).- Actress
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Andrea Arnold was born on 5 April 1961 in Dartford, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for American Honey (2016), Fish Tank (2009) and Red Road (2006).- Producer
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- Writer
Madeleine Olnek is a writer, director and producer, best known for "Wild Nights With Emily" (2018), the first ever on-screen portrayal of a queer Emily Dickinson, starring Molly Shannon. It premiered opening weekend at SXSW at The Paramount Theater, was distributed by Universal, and is streaming on Hulu. She has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, and has had several movies at Sundance, including the comedies "Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same" (2011), "The Foxy Merkins" (2014), and the short films "Countertransference" (2009) and "Hold Up" (2006).