ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

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female directors

SPOTLIGHT 

SPOTLIGHT July 2026: MARJANE SATRAPI (1969-2026), Iconic Filmmaker, Novelist, Activist

Leslie Combemale , , , , , ,

The world lost a great storyteller and a woman with a strong sense of justice when Marjane Satrapi passed away on June 4th of this year. The Iranian and French artist was an award winning graphic novelist, film director, and political activist best known for her autobiographical graphic memoir Persepolis. She directed live action films like Chicken with Plums, 2019’s Radioactive, and 2024’s Dear Paris. Her last published work was Woman, Life, Freedom, a collection of graphic storytelling about the present Iranian revolution. Marjane stood for freedom and individual artistic expression. Her work will live on, continuing to make a difference in how everyday Iranians, especially Iranian women, are seen by the rest of the world.

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Festivals News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: 50+ Femme-helmed movies at TIFF 2025 – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , ,

Directorial debuts from Scarlett Johansson, Shu Qi, Maude Apatow and Alice Winocour, the latest films from Academy Award winners Chloé Zhao and Laura Poitras, and new movies from Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland, Nia DaCosta, Isabel Coixet, Claire Denis and more are on the high-profile slate for the 50th anniversary Toronto International Film Festival in September.

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News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: Nisha Ganatra’s FREAKIER FRIDAY opens in August – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , , , ,

Nisha Ganatra’s eagerly awaited sequel to Disney’s beloved 2003 Freaky Friday opens exclusively in theaters nationwide on Aug. 8. The long-awaited follow-up, announced in July 2024, reunites the original’s stars, 2023 Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, who are reprising their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman.

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Festivals News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: Female Directors at Tribeca 2025 – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , ,

The annual Tribeca Film Festival is scheduled for June 4-15 in New York City. This year, the final roster of programed films were chosen from a record-breaking 13,541 submissions. This year’s program includes 118 feature films representing 94 world premieres, 135 filmmakers and 36 countries. Of the features, 48, or 40%, are directed by women, and 42, or 36%, are directed by filmmakers of color. This year’s lineup includes 44 filmmakers making their feature debut at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, while 32 directors are returning with their latest projects.

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SPOTLIGHT 

SPOTLIGHT March 2025: Mona Fastvold, Filmmaker, Oscar Contender, THE BRUTALIST

Christina Jeurling Birro , , , , , , , , , , ,

2025 not only elevates Fastvold into Hollywood’s Oscar pantheon, this year will see the release of a new feature, a femme-centric truth-based musical biopic about Ann Lee, the leading founder of the Shaker movement, who was proclaimed the female Christ by her followers. Again, Fastvold and Brady Corbet collaborated on the script, but this time she is directing and he is credited as a producer. Amanda Seyfried stars in the titular role, and the ensemble includes Christopher Abbott and Tim Blake Nelson. Working in an equal and ongoing filmmaking partnership with Brady Corbet, Mona Fastwold is utilizing the full repertoire of her talents and skills to take full command of her career. The AWFJ March 2025 SPOTLIGHT is on Mona, and we look forward to experiencing more of the Fastvold cinematic universe!

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Interviews 

Mika Gustafson chats PARADISE IS BURNING, casting non-actors and Swedish film school – Jennifer Merin interviews

Jennifer Merin , , ,

Paradise is Burning, selected as AWFJ’s Movie of the Week, is Swedish director Mika Gustafson’s debut narrative feature. In this exclusive interview, Gustafson speaks about striving to find the truth in the story of three adolescent sisters who’ve been left to fend for themselves in a social system that does not provide for them, why she cast first time actors to play the three girls and how she worked with them, her commitment to presenting truly complex female characters who are in gender neutral situations. the process of scriptwriting with a male collaborator, how her experience in film school has informed her style, and the current situation for women filmmakers in Sweden, a country that has lead the way in advocating for equal opportunity for women in film.

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News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: New Proof of Concept Accelerator Program is accepting applications – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , , , , ,

Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett and Emmy Award nominee Coco Francini, along with Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, have launched the Proof of Concept Accelerator Program, which is now taking applications for 2024. Supported by Netflix, the program’s goal is to identify the next generation of filmmaking talent whose stories promote the perspectives of women, transgender and nonbinary people. Proof of Concept is designed to challenge the three most significant barriers these directors face as they navigate the industry: funding, mentorship and exposure. As many as eight filmmakers will be selected for the program’s inaugural cohort. Each of these filmmakers will receive $50,000 in funding to create a short film that can serve as “proof of concept” for a feature film or television series.

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Interviews 

SOPHIE HYDE on Moviemaking, Sex and Representation

Nadine Whitney , , , , , , ,

Australian director Sophie Hyde has utilised the notion of sex as a means to gain self-knowledge in her three feature films, 52 Tuesdays, Animals, and Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Hyde works not only as director in film and television but also as a producer with her company Closer Productions bringing a variety of stories to life. Nadine Whitney had the opportunity to speak to Sophie about equity and representation on screen in Australia and the international film and television industry..

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Festivals 

Berlin Film Festival 2023: Female Filmmaker Wrap – Serena Seghedoni reports

Serena Seghedoni (Archived contributor) , , , ,

The Berlinale has been publishing a gender evaluation since 2004, and though the festival hasn’t reached gender parity yet, their inclusivity has significantly improved since 2019. If from 2002 to 2018 their percentage of female-directed films in competition amounted to 5-22%, in 2019 they almost reached gender parity with 41%, and the percentage has exceeded 30% every year since then. Their internal organization also reflects their desire to be inclusive, as they have achieved gender parity in almost all of their committees, juries, and even festival directors.

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Festivals 

Sundance Film Festival: Feminist Overview – Leslie Combemale reports

Leslie Combemale ,

This year over 50% of films in nearly all categories of the festival are directed by folks who identify as women: 61% in the US Dramatic Competition, 63% in the US Documentary, 58% in the World Dramatic Competition, and 46% in the World Documentary, to be precise. Of all the feature films announced, 53% are directed or co-directed by female-identifying creatives. That’s a lot to sift through, but we at the Alliance of Women Film Journalists are here to help.

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