5 Female Directors Who Should be Better Known

These five women directors have amassed 64 directing credits between them. Some are foreign and/or women of color. All are talented and should have names as easily recognized as those of male directors.

I picked these 5 women almost randomly from the many sources listing talented and available women with directing experience who seem to be invisible to Hollywood studio heads. This is another nudge to those same studio heads (because they seem need nudging) that women are out here and can do the job.

Julie Dash

Julie Dash has 14 directing credits, including Daughters of the Dust, The Rosa Parks Story and SUBWAY Stories: Tales from the Underground. She’s been directing since 1973.

Angela Robinson

Angela Robinson has been directing and writing for movies and numerous television shows since 1995. She has 10 directing credits, including D.E.B.S., which she also wrote. She’s directed episodes of The L Word and True Blood. That’s not all, she also works as a producer.

Haifaa al-Mansour

Haifaa al-Mansour is just getting started. She’s directed 3 films, including Wadjda, which she also wrote. She’s the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia.

Cheryl Dunye

Cheryl Dunye is a Nigerian filmmaker with 15 directing credits including The Watermelon Woman (which she also wrote) and Mommy is Coming. In addition to writing and directing, she also produces. She’s been directing since 1989.

Sanaa Hamri

Sanaa Hamri is Moroccan. She has 22 directing credits including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and Just Wright. Lately she’s been directing episodes of Shameless and Empire.