Heres a handy list of women filmmakers to keep on your radar this year.
Since Kathryn Bigelows Best Director win for The Hurt Locker in 2008, women directors have continued to widen the spotlight and make room for unique narratives that speak to audiences in new, important ways.
Writer/director Francesca Gregorini first came on the independent scene with Tanner Hall (2009), a drama starring Brie Larson and Rooney Mara, about four girls coming-of-age tales at boarding school. Gregorini is back with her hybrid mother-daughter psychological thriller, The Truth About Emanuel, starring Kaya Scodelario and Jessica Biel.
The Truth About Emanuel is now on VOD and digital platforms and is also in select theaters beginning January 10th. In honor of Gregorinis new film, here is a list of other breakthrough women filmmakers to put on your watchlist.
Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Breakthrough film: Blackfish (2013)
With her documentary about animal cruelty at SeaWorld, Cowperthwaite has everyone from filmmakers and politicians to famous musicians speaking out about the theme parks inhumane policies. We might have heard horror stories in the past, but none quite as maddening and heartbreaking as that of orca Tilikum, who is responsible for multiple deaths since his capture. Making waves in the documentary world and beyond, Blackfish is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Martha Shane and Lana Wilson
Breakthrough film: After Tiller (2013)
This documentary duo has changed the discourse surrounding late-term abortions through their poignant and compassionate filmmaking close-ups of nervous hands clenching tissues, as their camera acted as a fly on the wall during group therapy sessions and doctors visits. Shane and Wilson's documentary style is far from essayist, as the two sit back, stay silent, and let the story unfold from all sides.
Gia Coppola
Breakthrough film: Palo Alto (2014)
Queen Sofia has a filmmaking niece and we should all be rejoicing. Put to work early on, Gia assisted on sets for Somewhere and Twixt before taking on her own projects. Adapting the short story collection of the same name by James Franco (and having him star opposite Emma Roberts), Gia gives a feminine touch to the tale like only a Coppola woman can. Tribeca Film has acquired Palo Alto, due out this spring.
Rebecca Thomas
Breakthrough film: Electrick Children (2009)
After the success of her short, Nobody Knows You, Nobody Gives a Damn, at Sundance nearly five years ago, Thomas is back, this time with her Mormon dramedy feature, Electrick Children about a young woman from a devoutly religious family, who believes she's conceived rock n' roll music literally and flees to where else but Las Vegas to find the father. Witty and bold, Thomas' originality is undoubtedly refreshing. Check out Electrick Children on Netflix.
Jessie McCormack
Breakthrough film: Expecting (2013)
This first-time director could have fooled us. Acknowledged for capturing female friendship in its purest form, McCormack blended a perfect cast in her indie breakthrough, featuring Michelle Monaghan and Radha Mitchell as very best friends dealing with issues surrounding motherhood. Expecting is available on VOD and digital platforms.
Penny Lane
Breakthrough film: We Are the Littletons: A True Story (2004)
No, she does not work under a pseudonym this documentarian is the real deal and so are her films. Lane takes history, picks it up by its feet, turns it upside down, and shakes out new elements to the stories we think we know, like little coins of clarity. Not playing it safe either, Lane has made films about everything from NASA romances to abortion to crooked politicians. Her acclaimed latest, Our Nixon, about the president's right-hand men amidst the Watergate scandal, is now available to stream on Netflix.
Lake Bell
Breakthrough film: In a World (2013)
You might recognize her from various rom-coms such as No Strings Attached and What Happens in Vegas. She's also starred in shows, including Children's Hospital on Adult Swim and HBO's, How to Make it in America. This year, Bell got a little more comfortable behind the camera with her independent comedy hit, In a World a film about sexism within the voiceover industry. Bell has worked on shorts before, but this was her first feature and she has truly made her mark as both a screenwriter and director.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Heres a handy list of women filmmakers to keep on your radar this year. 
