If you’re still (rightfully) pissed about the male-dominated Oscar nominations, the Alice Initiative has something that will make you feel better. The org has unveiled its annual list of rising women filmmakers, per The Hollywood Reporter. Lulu Wang and Céline Sciamma — whose films, “The Farewell” and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” respectively, were completely ignored by the Oscars for some inexplicable reason — are among those spotlighted.
The Alice Initiative’s list, voted on by over 50 studio execs and producers, honors women who have directed indie features, episodics, shorts, and more — and should be hired to helm studio pics. Other women who made the cut this year include “Honey Boy” director Alma Har’el, “The Party’s Just Beginning” writer-director Karen Gillan, “Selah & The Spades” filmmaker Tayarisha Poe, and Sharon Horgan, who directed an episode of “Modern Love.”
The Alice Initiative is named for Alice Guy-Blaché, who is widely considered the first woman director. A group of female film execs and producers formed the org in 2016. The Initiative also maintains a master list of all the women directors they would consider working with, and partners with screening series Women Wednesdays to support and boost female filmmakers.
Check out the Alice Initiative’s 2020 list below, courtesy of THR.
Women Who Have Directed a Feature
Lisa Brühlmann (Blue My Mind)
Laure de Clermont-Tonnere (The Mustang)
Karen Gillan (The Party’s Just Beginning)
Alma Har’el (Honey Boy)
Lena Khan (The Tiger Hunter)
Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid)
Mitsuyo Miyazaki (aka Hikari) (37 Seconds)
Olivia Newman (First Match)
Tayarisha Poe (Selah & the Spades)
Sasie Sealy (Lucky Grandma)
Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
Lulu Wang (The Farewell)
Women Who Have Directed Episodics, Shorts, or Music Videos
Thembi Banks – Shorts: “Baldwin Beauty” and “Suitable”
Karena Evans – Music Video: “Nice for What”
Rachel Goldberg – Episodic: “Raising Dion” “American Horror Story”
Sharon Horgan – Episodic: “Catastrophe” “Modern Love”
Anne Hu – Short: “Cake”
Alexis Ostrander – Episodic: “Servant”, Short: “The Haircut”
AV Rockwell – Short: “Feathers”
Anya Adams – Episodic: “Glow” “Black-ish”
Dime Davis – Episodic: “Black Lady Sketch Show”
Lucy Forbes – Episodic: “End of the Fucking World”
Nikyatu Jusu: Short: “Suicide by Sunlight”
Zelda Williams – Short: “Shrimp”
