Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) is only the fourth woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for directing. She is also the second American female director to be nominated since Sofia Coppola received a nomination in 2003 for Lost in Translation. The other two women who have received a Best Director nomination are Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993 and Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties in 1976.
When I read about the lack of nominations for female directors I started to think of other women who have directed movies I have seen. I compiled a list of notable female directors and their work, mostly focusing on movies available at Dundee, which you can check out through the library (or request from another library if we don't have it here).
◊ Gillian Armstrong (1950-)
Oscar and Lucinda, Little Women (1994)
◊ Susanne Bier (1960-)
After the Wedding, Things We Lost in the Fire
◊ Kathryn Bigelow (1951-)
The Hurt Locker, Near Dark, The Weight of Water, Point Break
◊ Jame Campion (1954-)
Bright Star, The Piano
◊ Gurinder Chadha (1960-)
Bend it Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice
◊ Sofia Coppola (1971-)
Marie Antoinette, Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides
◊ Nora Ephron (1941-)
Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Julie & Julia
◊ Catherine Hardwicke (1955-)
Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, The Nativity Story, Twilight
◊ Mary Harron (1953-)
American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page
◊ Amy Heckerling (1954-)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless
◊ Patty Jenkins (1971-)
Monster
◊ Mimi Leder (1952-)
Deep Impact
◊ Sharon Maguire (1960-)
Bridget Jones's Diary
◊ Penny Marshall (1942-)
Big, A League of Their Own, Awakenings
◊ Nancy Meyers (1949-)
Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday
◊ Rebecca Miller (1962-)
The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
◊ Mira Nair (1957-)
Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair, The Namesake, Amelia
◊ Kimberly Peirce (1967-)
Boys Don't Cry, Stop-Loss
◊ Sarah Polley (1979-)
Away From Her
◊ Kelly Reichardt
Wendy and Lucy
◊ Adrienne Shelly (1966-2006)
Waitress
◊ Kirsten Sheridan (1976-)
August Rush
◊ Penelope Spheeris (1945-)
Wayne's World, The Little Rascals
◊ Julie Taymor (1952-)
Titus, Frida, Across the Universe