Guest "Best Films" List — Noteworthy Films by WOmen: Gretchen Fowler

Thanks to Gretchen Fowler, of South Carolina, for sending in November 2008 her list of "100 Noteworthy Films by Women that moved me, made me laugh, or gave me historical perceptive," including additional Honorable Mentions, and a Guilty Pleasure too.

Gretchen is a graduate of the BFA Film Studies program at the University of South Carolina, where she hosts Gloria: The Feminist Show on WUSC 90.5 fm at wusc.sc.edu. You can contact Gretchen at hologirl2@aol.com.

You can find more information about each of these filmmakers and pictures at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

100 Noteworthy Films by Women

* Favorites.

Chantal Akerman (1950– ; Belgium / France)
• La Captive (2002)
Allison Anders (1954– ; US)
• Gas, Food, Lodging (1992)
Jane Anderson (ca. 1954– ; US)
• The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)
Gillian Armstrong (1954– ; Australia)
• Little Women (1994)
• My Brilliant Career (1979)
Dorothy Arzner (1897–1979; US)
• Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
Amy Berg (?– ; US)
• Deliver Us From Evil (Documentary — 2007)
Shari Springer Berman (1963–; US)
• American Splendor (2003)
Susanne Bier (1960– ; Denmark)
• Like It Never Was Before (1996)
• Open Hearts (2002)*
• After the Wedding (2006)*
• Things We Lost in The Fire (2007)
Jamie Bobbit (1970– ; US)
• But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
Lizzie Borden (1958– ; US)
• Born In Flames (1983)*
Catherine Breillat (1948– ; France)
• The Last Mistress (2007)
Zana Briski (?– ; UK)
• Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (Documentary — 2005)*
Jane Campion (1954– ; New Zealand)
• Sweetie (1989)
• An Angel at My Table (1990)*
• The Piano (1993)*
• The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
• Holy Smoke (1999)*
Niki Caro (1967– ; New Zealand)
• Whale Rider (2002)
• North Country (2005)
Joan Chen (1961– ; China)
• Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)
Vera Chytilová (1929– ; Czech Republic)
• Daisies (1966)*
Isabel Coixet (1960– ; Spain)
• The Secret Life of Words (2005)*
Sophia Coppola (1971– ; US)
• Lost in Translation (2003)
• Marie Antoinette (2006)*
Julie Dash (1952– ; US)
• Illusions (1983)
• Daughters of the Dust (1991)*
Dorothy Davenport (married name: Dorothy Davenport Reid) (1895–1977; US)
• The Red Kimona (1925)
Donna Deitch (1945– ; US)
• Desert Hearts (1985)
Claire Denis (1948– ; France)
• Chocolat (1988)
• Beau Travail (1999)
Maya Deren (1917–1961; US)
• "Meshes of the Afternoon" (1943) & other Experimental Films (1943–1958)*
Abby Epstein (?– ; US)
• The Business of Being Born (Documentary — 2008)
Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady (US)
• Jesus Camp (Documentary — 2006)
Sandra Goldbacher (1960– ; UK)
• The Governess (1998)
Alice Guy (1873–1968; France)
• A House Divided (1913)
Katja von Garnier (1966– ; Germany)
• Iron Jawed Angels (2004)*
Marleen Gorris (1948– ; Netherlands)
• A Question of Silence (1982)*
• Antonia's Line (1995)
Catherine Hardwicke (1955– ; US)
• Thirteen (2003)
Mary Harron (1953– ; Canada)
• I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)*
Amy Heckerling (1954– ; US)
• Clueless (1995)
Agnieszka Holland (1948– ; Poland)
• Europa Europa (1990)
• The Secret Garden (1993)
Nicole Holofcener (1960– ; US)
• Lovely & Amazing (2001)
Shuqin Huang (?– ; China)
• A Soul Haunted by Painting (1995)
Courtney Hunt (?– ; US)
• Frozen River (2008)
Patty Jenkins (1971– ; US)
• Monster (2003)*
Paula De Koenigsberg & Lucy Winer (US)
• Rate It X (Documentary — 1985)*
Ana Kokkinos (1960– ; Australia)
• Head On (1998)
Barbara Kopple (1946– ; US)
• Harlan County U.S.A. (Documentary — 1976)*
• A Century of Women (Documentary — 1994)*
• Shut Up & Sing (Co-directed with Cecilia Peck) (Documentary — 2006)
Kasi Lemmons (1961– ; US)
• Eve’s Bayou (1997)
Caroline Link (1964– ; Germany)
• Nowhere in Africa (2001)
Barbara Loden (1932– ; US)
• Wanda (1970)
Ida Lupino (1914–1995; US)
• Outrage (1950)*
• The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
• The Bigamist (1953)
Shola Lynch (1964– ; US)
• Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed (Documentary — 2004)
Alison Maclean (1958– ; Canada)
• Jesus' Son (1999)
Samira Makhmalbaf (1977– ; Iran)
• The Apple (1999)*
Marzieh Meshkini (married name: Marzieh Makhmalbaf) (1969– ; Iran)
• The Day I Became a Women (2000)*
Penny Marshall (1943– ; US)
• A League of Their Own (1992)
Lucrecia Martel (1966– ; Argentina)
• La Ciénaga (2001)
Elaine May (1932– ; US)
• Mikey and Nicky (1976)
Nancy Meckler (?– ; UK)
• Sister My Sister (1994)*
Deepa Mehta (1950– ; India / Canada)
• Fire (1996), Earth (1998), Water (2005) Trilogy*
Rebecca Miller (1962– ; US)
• The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
Euzhan Palcy (1958– ; Martinique, France)
• Sugar Cane Alley (1983)*
• A Dry White Season (1989)
Kimberly Peirce (?– ; US)
• Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Sally Potter (1949– ; UK)
• Orlando (1992)
• Yes (2004)
Mira Nair (1957– ; India)
• Salaam Bombay! (1988) *
• Mississippi Masala (1991)
Lynne Ramsay (1969– ; Scotland)
• Gasman (1997)
Patricia Rozema (1958– ; Canada)
• I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing (1987)
• Mansfield Park (1999)
Nancy Savoca (1959– ; US)
• Dogfight ( 1991)
Susan Seidelman (1952– ; US)
• Smithereens (1982)
• Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)*
Ingrid Sinclair (?– ; Zimbabwe / UK)
• Flame (1996)*
Julie Taymor (1952– ; US)
• Titus (1999)
• Frida (2002)
Daniela Thomas (1959– ; Brazil)
• Foreign Land (1996)
Margarethe von Trotta (1942– ; Germany)
• The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975)*
• The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (1978)
• Sisters, or The Balance of Happiness (1979)*
• Sheer Madness (1983)
• Rosenstrasse (2003)*
Agnès Varda (1928– ; Belgium / France)
• Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
• Vagabond (1985)*
Lois Weber (1881–1939; US)
• Hypocrites (1915)*
• The Blot (1921)
Lina Wertmüller (1926– ; Italy)
• Seven Beauties (1975)*
• Ferdinando and Carolina (1999)

Honorable Mentions

Away From Her (Sarah Polley 2006)
Big (Penny Marshall 1988)
Border Radio (Allison Anders 1987)
Children of a Lesser God (Randa Haines 1986)
High Art (Lisa Cholodenko 1998)
Home For the Holidays (Jodie Foster 1995)
If These Walls Could Talk (Nancy Savoca & Cher 1996)
Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay 2002)
Mrs. Dalloway (Marleen Gorris 1997)
Mrs. Soffel (Gillian Armstrong 1984)
Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (Rebecca Miller 2002)
Priest (Antonia Bird 1994)
Prince of Tides (Barbara Streisand 1991)
Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay 1999)
The Safety of Objects (Rose Troche 2001)
The Savages (Tamara Jenkins 2007)
Tully (Hilary Birmingham 2003)
Wayne’s World (Penelope Spheeris 1992... just because Spheeris rocks as a person)

...And a Guilty Pleasure!

Something’s Gotta Give (Nancy Meyers 2003)

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