In honor of Women’s History Month, the Offscreen Central team wanted to highlight their favorite films by female filmmakers. Not just the films about powerful female characters but stories told on screen by female directors. From one of The Matrix installments to classic Sofia Coppola to films exploring complicated motherhood, the list has it all.

Twilight (Dir. Catherine Hardwicke) – streaming on Peacock

Twilight has become a rite of passage for teenage girls. I first saw Twilight on ABC Family when I was 13 years old, and it inspired me to read the book, which I’ve done many times. Although there have been many female lead characters, especially in the trend of young adult fiction in the 2000s, Twilight’s story is primarily a romance written in the first person. It was pertinent for the director of Twilight to be a woman so they could accurately adapt how book author Stephanie Meyer wrote about the overwhelming feelings and obsession of first love. Catherine Hardwicke was an indie director, and she was able to make the film in her vision. Twilight blew up the box office in a way nobody expected; its final total ended at 400 million worldwide on a budget of 37 million. Unfortunately, once it became clear the Twilight Saga would be a big profit maker for Summit, they took the sequels off her hands. She is the only female director of the series. Twilight was also the gift that put brilliant actors Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson on the map, and it’s been amazing watching them make career choices that show dedication to their craft. The recent reclamation of Twilight by its fans after years of being clowned on has been so vindicating. The film has some goofy parts, but it’s also a strange book, which became extremely clear after my recent reread. Hardwicke and writer Melissa Rosenberg were able to make adjustments to the source material to best fit the cinematic landscape while keeping the tone in line with what was on the page. Twilight is the perfect film to throw on when I want a dose of nostalgia.  – Eva

Set It Up (Dir. Claire Scalon) – streaming on Netflix

Set It Up is a rom-com that, at the time, I wasn’t expecting. Written and directed by Claire Scalon, it stars Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch as two assistants trying to set up their high demanding bosses so they can each have a social life. Rom-coms have struggled since their golden age in the 00s but Set It Up stands apart as one of the greats in recent years. Much of it is sold by the chemistry between Powell and Deutch (The pizza scene alone is worth the watch!) but it’s more than that. Scanlon absolutely nails modern dating and the fears that come with achieving your dreams. Harper (Deutch) finds every excuse not to finish her geriatric Olympics story because she’s afraid it will be terrible. But it’s exactly when she does that she’s able to move forward beyond the safety of being an assistant. Her passion for sports, her dream of becoming a great sports writer, and her adorkable nature don’t make her hard to get– Harper is hard to earn. Set It Up, among the other rom-coms of 2018, has given me hope that there’s still a place for the rom-com genre. – Meredith

Barbie (Dir. Greta Gerwig) – streaming on Netflix

I have been a Barbie girl for as long as I can remember.  It was the go-to birthday and Christmas present for my friends and family to get me.  When it was announced that Greta Gerwig would be bringing Barbie to life, I knew the legacy of her character would be well protected.  What Gerwig is able to bring to this famous toy elevates what she means to people who have grown up playing with her throughout their childhood.  Barbie is an inspiration that encourages anyone that picks her up that they can be anything they put their mind to.  There are so many different types of Barbies in the world, how could you not feel inspired by what she means to people?  However, Gerwig is able to take this “perfect” persona that has been given to stereotypical Barbie and turn it on its head by showing Barbie what it truly means to be a human woman.  Barbie is thrown into the real world, experiencing new emotions and situations that she never came across in Barbie World.  This is what it truly means to be human, and Gerwig is able to show us that in a humorous yet impactful way.  It may not always be fun and perfect being a woman, but man is it worth it.  That type of emotional impact can only come from someone as inspiring as Greta Gerwig.  She knows how to tell a woman’s story that can be accessible for anyone. – Jessa

Desperately Seeking Susan (Dir. Susan Seidelman) – streaming on Max

What isn’t there to enjoy about this film? After director Susan Seidelman found success with her DIY debut Smithereens, she recruited a pre-fame Madonna star in the title role — only to find her popularity explode during filming. The case of mistaken identity captured a colorful version of New York, one that seemingly no longer exists. It also found women taking center stage and being unapologetic about doing so.  “I wanted to make movies about things that were personal, things that were important to me, that were on my mind at the time: how women’s lives were changing, how women were getting out into the workplace, how they were starting to question the values and the lifestyle they’d thought they were going to have,” Seidelman shared in a Metrograph interview tied to her memoir. “Because so few women were making movies, those topics weren’t being dealt with frequently.” – Lexi

The Matrix Resurrections (Dir. Lana Wachowski) – streaming on Max

Perhaps the most romantic movie of the 21st century, Lana Wachowski’s first entry as a solo director is an absolute triumph of what blockbuster filmmaking should be. While The Matrix Resurrections is the fourth entry in the franchise, the film proves its worthiness and that it’s not just a legacy sequel made for cash. The fourth film feels and looks different creating its own identity through a warmer color palette from cinematographers Daniele Massaccesi and John Toll alongside more chaotic fight choreography this time compared to more fluid and graceful style from the previous installments. While the film builds on its greatest aspect, its queerness, the heart of the film belongs to the chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss as this romance survives in the midst of a resistance. Wachowski explores how choosing love is still a revolutionary, radical decision in any world.  – Kenzie

Wasp (Dir. Andrea Arnold)

Andrea Arnold’s Wasp is one of my all-time favorite short films. Her work always feels grounded in a real sense of life, even when using actors — managing to do what Sean Baker has become known for, just British and several years earlier. In this case, she focuses on a single mother who is struggling to juggle four children while attempting to go on a date. With a small budget in Arnold’s hometown, the masterful film manages to hit the viewer’s emotional core in just under 30 minutes. – Lexi

Women Talking (Dir. Sarah Polley) – streaming on Tubi

Adapted from Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name, Women Talking follows a group of American Mennonite women who, upon discovering the men in the community have been drugging them in order to commit numerous sexual assaults in secret, debate whether or not to stay or leave their isolated colony. Director and writer Sarah Polley beautifully handles this difficult subject matter with sensitivity while also adding senses of reflection and optimism. She skillfully balances the multiple perspectives on the situation while giving each actor of this incredible ensemble a moment to shine. Perhaps most notable is how Polley doesn’t show any of the assaults on camera, nor are any of the male assaulters shown on screen. There is no need to as the aftermath of these women dealing with their trauma more than suffices. Polley’s direction is sharp and focused, resulting in a truly engaging viewing experience showcasing the importance of women coming together. – Sarah

Marie Antoinette (Dir. Sofia Coppola) – streaming on Paramount+

Sofia Coppola understands ‘girlhood’ almost better than any filmmaker and while many may note any of her other explorations of girls becoming women, for me, the most effective in her filmography would be Marie Antoinette as it takes an often villainized historical figure and portrays her with empathy. As she’s thrust into a position of ‘power,’ Coppola displays Marie Antoinette as she’s forced to grow from Austrian teen to the Dauphin’s wife to produce an heir for France. She loses all sense of identity, both her girlhood and her Austrian ties. Watching this as a teenager is honestly a rite of passage. While none of us are part of an arranged, royal marriage, Coppola frames it as a tale as old as time. – Kenzie

Anatomy of a Fall (Dir. Justine Triet) – streaming on Hulu

Anatomy of a Fall proved itself as a highlight of the stacked slate of 2023 films, making it no surprise that director and co-writer Justine Triet earned an Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay. After Sandra (played by Sandra Hüller) finds herself being the prime suspect of her husband’s death, one that was initially ruled as suicide, her life gets placed under an intense microscope. And while her son’s testimony saves Sandra from a murder charge, Triet masterfully leaves the truth of what happened as a mystery. Does an explosive recorded downfall of a marriage instantly equate to guilt? Well, that’s for viewers to take their own interpretation away from it all. – Lexi

The Lost Daughter (Dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal) – streaming on Netflix

Perhaps, one of the greatest meditations on motherhood and the most brilliant Elena Ferrante adaptation. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s film explores the lost agency many parents feel when they have children, but particularly women, as they most frequently give up their careers and passions to focus on being the primary caretaker. This isn’t a new story to be explored but the manner in which Gyllenhaal dives is a different approach; what if women didn’t feel pressured by society to love being a mother or feeling it come natural to them? What if women saw one another struggling and said it was ok? What if society allowed motherhood to be a part of your life and not your full identity? As the film adaptation tackles many of these ideas, it also confronts the children at the center picking up on these complicated feelings. Gyllenhaal was the perfect filmmaker for this material as it never judges nor declares anything but just presents. – Kenzie

Clueless (Dir. Amy Heckerlin)

Clueless has stood the test of time as one of the great teen movies of the 1990s. A modern remake of Jane Austen’s Emma (and I’d argue the best one), Alicia Silverstone stars as Cher Horowitz, the popular affluent teen at her high school. Underneath her Fred Seger wardrobe is actually a heart of gold. Although she first sets up two lonely teachers for her own personal benefit, Cher attempts to use her skills for good. Amy Heckerling made a movie that’s equally a time capsule of 1995 Beverly Hills and a timeless rom-com teen movie. The way this movie is endlessly quotable (As if!) and still funny is a testament to Heckerling’s writing. We may not be as rich and privileged as Cher and her friends, but Heckerling makes Cher’s world accessible, not exclusionary. – Meredith

The Farewell (Dir. Lulu Wang) – streaming on Hulu

I have been fortunate in my life where I have not lost a lot of family members at this moment in time.  But as I approach 30, I know that is not going to be true for much longer.  One movie that I always come back to when this thought crosses my mind is The Farewell, a story by Lulu Wang inspired by her own grandmother and her family’s attempt to hide her fatal diagnosis.  What is so inspirational about the film, as the family fakes a wedding to get the whole family together one last time – is how much the grandmother Nai Nai just loves her life and still inspires her family to chase their dreams, especially Awkwafina’s character Billi.  Sometimes we take our older relatives for granted because we grew up with them, but after we start our own lives, we need them in our lives more than we ever thought we would as children.  It reminds me to call my parents and grandparents more often than I do because they have experienced so much life, it is inspirational to learn from them.  Wang is able to capture so much heart in this comedic drama that it can find its home with anyone.  Life is an amazing thing and we shouldn’t take any of it for granted. – Jessa

Raw (Dir. Julia Ducournau) – streaming on Amazon Prime

No coming of age film list has hit me the way Julia Ducournau’s Raw did. Body horror has always been a genre I’ve adored but seeing it as a metaphor for the absolute uncertainty that comes with growing up and the ‘hungers’ that come with becoming a different version of yourself. Seeing body horror through a female protagonist but also written and directed by a woman is something I yearned for growing up and Raw is a defining coming-of-age film. We finally see a woman in control of her carnal desires, not just afraid. – Kenzie

Somewhere (Dir. Sofia Coppola)

I always find it difficult to choose a favorite Sofia Coppola film. I adored Priscilla and also admire the chaos of The Bling Ring. Yet, it’s Somewhere that has maintained a sleeper place in my brain. While it’s not as dreamy or direct as Coppola’s other movies, it relies on the quiet nature of relationships and family. A washed-up actor’s daughter comes to visit him at the Chateau Marmont. Despite his best attempts to keep her shielded from his chaotic antics, she soon starts to see the cracks in it all. There goes my hero, indeed. However, he also takes her arrival and their time together as a wake-up call of sorts to get his life together. – Lexi

Real Women Have Curves (Dir. Patricia Cardoso) – streaming on Max

Real Women Have Curves is perhaps one of the more underrated coming of age films of the early 2000s. Based on the play of the same name by Josefina López, the film is set in Los Angeles and follows young Ana (America Ferrera in her feature film debut!) struggling between her desires to go to college and her traditional Mexican family’s expectations of her. Director Patricia Cardoso perfectly captures the Latin culture at a time where marginalized communities were very rarely given a spotlight in film and television. In the hands of a different filmmaker, the multiple themes handled in this film such as cultural expectations, body images, and family dynamics would not have been as beautifully nor as sensitively balanced as they are here. Her decision on where to focus the camera during some of the film’s more vulnerable moments help perfectly execute the themes of appreciating beauty in all shapes and sizes. In 2019, Real Women Have Curves was selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry by the Library of Congress, making it the first film directed by a Latin woman to be included into the Registry, an honor Cardoso richly deserved. – Sarah

She Said (Dir. Maria Schrader)

Directed by Maria Schrader, She Said follows the two journalists at the New York Times that shook the entire world through their investigation of Harvey Weinstein. Carrie Mulligan and Zoe Kazan give such stellar performances as the women that helped expose Weinstein for his years of abuse and crimes against women in the film industry. Years later, I still think about Samantha Morton and her scene in the cafe (Where is her supporting actress nomination?!) More than that, She Said is one of the better movies about journalism that we’ve seen in the last decade. The film is deliberately paced to highlight the effort, research, and investigation required to reveal the truth. Why She Said never took off at the box office or during that awards cycle, I’ll never understand, but I’m forever Schrader and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz actually went for it to make a stellar movie about these game changing women and the pursuit of the truth through journalism, something that’s currently under attack. – Meredith

Bridget Jones’s Diary (Dir. Sharon Maguire) – streaming on Max

“I like you, just the way you are” are words that have stayed in the minds of every girl who has ever seen Bridget Jones’s Diary. Bridget Jones is awkward and goofy and makes many mistakes. She smokes, she drinks, and according to the standards of the 2000s, she isn’t in shape (which is absolutely insane). She is the worst of our tendencies, making her the perfect every-girl. Bridget Jones’s Diary is a great modern adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. It keeps many similar plot points while feeling totally of the time. Bridget feels pressure from her family, friends, and herself to find love as if it is the only thing that matters. Between her relationships with Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy, she stood up to Daniel at work and found a job that she was passionate about. She is a chaotic whirlwind who makes mistakes, but she pushes forward and finds a way through. Director Sharon Maguire does an excellent job putting the audience in Bridget Jones’s shoes. Also, the Academy was cool as hell to nominate Renée Zellweger for her performance. She’s one of the few Americans who can pull off a British accent, and nobody thinks twice about it. Bridget Jones is an icon who shows women they need to only be themselves, and the right person will come along and love them completely.  – Eva

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Dir. Susan Johnson) – streaming on Netflix

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before rejuvenated the rom-com genre at a time when it desperately needed it. It perfectly captures having a crush in the modern age and the absolute anxiety of anyone finding out you have a crush. The fake dating trope is one of the most popular ones, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is one of the best to do it. Lara Jean & Peter fall in love naturally, and Lana Condor and Noah Centineo have great chemistry. Not only is it sweet and the perfect teenage rom-com, it’s so aesthetically appealing. Director Susan Johnson uses center framing, and the film also feels like it has a cotton candy filter over it. Every shot feels like it has a feminine touch. As much fun as it is to watch a steamy romance, the innocence of young love is a beautiful change of pace. Whenever I want to be cheered up, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a shot of endorphins. – Eva