Mira Nair
Nancy Meyers
Entertainment Weekly has a package on its site listing the “25 Greatest Active Film Directors.” Not surprisingly, they were not able to come up with a single female director to put on the list.
The word is they used is greatest not highest box office grossing director and so that leaves things open a bit more. I don’t understand how they couldn’t find a single woman (or two) to include on the list. You can’t tell me that John Favreau or Zack Snyder or even Danny Boyle are greater directors than Mira Nair or Jane Campion or Nora Ephron or Nancy Meyers or Julie Taymor?
And, what does greatest mean? That’s such a subjective term. If it doesn’t mean box office gross why the hell can’t they put some women on the list? People need to think outside of the box. This is 2009 and girls everywhere are thinking they can direct films. When will the industry catch up to our realities? Who would you add to your list of 25 greatest female directors?
Update: Looks like they also have a list of 26-50 and have include three women on that list:
29- Sophia Coppola
46- Mira Nair
49- Mary Harron
I still think a woman shold be in the top 25.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
That is really pathetic. No Jane Campion, Mira Nair, Kimberly Pierce, or Agnieska Holland?
Big bloody goddamned joke.
Su Friedrich, Ulrike Ottinger, Deepa Meehta, Claire Denis, Monika Treut etc. are maybe love ‘em or hate ‘em, but all working hard. Dörris Dörrie of Germany is churning out stuff over here that’s not unsuccessful at all.
But really even if one sticks to Anglophone filmmakers: no Jane Campion, no Nora Ephron? Kathryn Bigelow, Sally Potter?
Had I not canceled my subscription years ago, this woulda done it. Asshats.
I am an EW subscriber and often visit the EW website and noticed yesterday their list of the best directors. Right away I noticed there were no women directors AT ALL! This sends a subliminal message that directing is a MAN’S job. That is pathetic!!
hmmmmmmm, Catherine Hardwicke isn’t keeping busy enough for them?!? There are plenty of guys on the list who are A. hacks and B. haven’t had a film open in YEARS!!!!
Thanks for propping up that old myth that there aren’t any female directors, ASSHOLES! Really helps our cause…
This is the list that included J.J. Abrams in the Top 25, though he’s only directed one feature film (Mission Impossible III). Yes, one explosion-heavy, plot-light action summer popcorn flick can vault you over the top of Oscar/DGA/Golden Globe nominees. It’s a joke.