Variety has named its 10 Directors to Watch in 2018. The emerging filmmakers will be recognized at a brunch at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 3. Four women made the cut: Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”), Chloé Zhao (“The Rider”), Augustine Frizzell (“Never Goin’ Back”), and Claire McCarthy (“Ophelia”).
Gerwig made her solo directorial debut with “Lady Bird,” a comedy about a high school senior (Saoirse Ronan) who is desperate to get out of Sacramento and has a contentious relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf). The Indie Spirit Award-nominated film recently unseated “Toy Story 2” as the best-reviewed film ever. Last week Gerwig was named Best Director by the National Board of Review and The New York Film Critics Circle awarded “Lady Bird” the title of Best Film. It’s currently playing in theaters.
Zhao directed “The Rider,” a drama about a cowboy trying to regain his sense of self after a serious head injury. Like “Lady Bird,” “The Rider” also picked up several Indie Spirit Awards nominations. Zhao won the Art Cinema Award for the film earlier this year at Cannes, where it debuted in the Directors’ Fortnight. “The Rider” opens in U.S. theaters April 13, 2018. Zhao previously helmed several shorts and the feature “Songs My Brothers Taught Me.”
Frizzell’s feature directorial effort, “Never Goin’ Back,” is about high school dropouts Jessie and Angela. They are determined to spend a week at the beach even though bad luck — including imminent unemployment and a robbery — keeps piling up. The film is set to debut at Sundance in January.
McCarthy is the director of “Ophelia,” which will also premiere at Sundance. The film reimagines the events of “Hamlet” through Ophelia’s perspective. “Ophelia’s” all-star cast includes Daisy Ridley in the titular role and Naomi Watts as Gertrude. Features “Cross Life” and “The Waiting City” are among McCarthy’s past directing credits.
Variety recently announced its 10 Screenwriters to Watch, which includes six women: Liz Hannah (“The Post”), Hallie Meyers-Shyer (“Home Again”), Maggie Betts (“Novitiate”), Tracy Oliver (“Girls Trip”), Dorothy Blyskal (“The 15:17 to Paris”), and Sarah Ruhl (“My Life on the Road”).
