Historically, the film industry has predominantly been male-dominated, with renowned directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, and others occupying the spotlight. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the exceptional contributions of female directors who have persistently carved their place in the industry with their remarkable filmmaking. While numerous movies directed by women exist, they rarely receive the same global acclaim as those directed by their male counterparts. Here, we present a selection of outstanding films directed by women that are deserving of recognition and praise, making a valuable addition to any film library.
Movies directed by women provide a platform for diverse perspectives, enabling female filmmakers to present their unique visions to a broad audience. This curated film collection from EPF Media not only offers a glimpse into the female gaze but also celebrates the portrayal of women's struggles and dreams on screen. We encourage you to explore these films and other works by talented female directors, as they deserve commendation and recognition for their valuable contributions to the cinematic world.
EPF Media is a distributor that strives to educate audiences and promote awareness of various social issues. They have consistently provided a platform for talented female filmmakers as part of their mission to foster meaningful dialogue and positive cultural impact through the medium of film. By championing women's stories and experiences, EPF Media continues to redefine the narrative landscape, fostering a more inclusive and representative film culture.
Take a look below at just a few of the films they offer!
Stolen Spirits: America’s Stolen Generation
Directed by Anne Worthington
In 2021, in the small rural town of Genoa Nebraska, a harrowing search commenced to locate the graves of Native American children who were taken from their tribes and sent to the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School, one of America’s largest and longest running boarding schools for indigenous children. Stolen Spirits is a powerful and haunting story of one community’s attempts to uncover the truth about a painful past.
View Study Guide | Subjects: Indigenous Peoples, Native American
Room Without A View
Directed by Roser Corella
Room Without A View reveals the dire reality of foreign domestic workers in Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon. The documentary offers an intimate insight into the private lives of employers, agents and maids. Laws create a legal structure of inequality and power imbalance that encourages corruption and abuse. Sexism and the patriarchal system discriminate against Lebanese women in turn perpetuates abuse against foreign domestic workers. Exposing a modern form of slavery, the film reflects on the role of women and domestic worker in capitalist societies.
View Study Guide | Subject: Social Issues
Glory to the Queen
Directed by Tatia (Tamar) Skhirtladze
Glory to the Queen reveals the intertwined lives of international chess heroes: Nona Gaprindashvili, Nana Alexandria, Maia Chiburdanidze and Nana Ioseliani. These four legendary female players from Georgia revolutionized women’s chess and became Soviet icons of women’s empowerment. The women leave a lasting legacy. They played together on the Soviet Union’s Olympic team, but they were also competitive with each other. Glory to the Queen brings them together again after a 25-year break, to remember their competitions and friendship. Now older, they are still important icons of the sport and the country.
View Study Guide | Subjects: Biography, History, Sports
Canela
Directed by Cecilia Del Valle
Áyax Grandi, an architect from the city of Rosario, decided at the age of 48 to become Canela. This film takes us through Canela's journey as she struggles between being true to herself and conforming to societal norms. Fueled by this inner conflict, Canela embarks on a profound quest for self-discovery, seeking guidance from healthcare professionals, confiding in her children, and reconnecting with old friends. Along this path, Canela stumbles upon a surprising revelation about her desires.
View Study Guide | Subject: LGBTQ
Four Paths to Dignity: The Struggle of Guatemalan Midwives
Directed by Gabriela Chaim Tumax
Four Paths to Dignity profiles the pursuit of dignity for Guatemalan midwives. The midwives confront challenges, as they battle racism and a health establishment that strives to prevent them from providing care that is culturally appropriate. Although the midwives provide important services to their communities, they are opposed by a government that seeks to eliminate their practice. This film reveals their activism and their struggle to gain recognition by the medical establishment.
View Study Guide | Subject: Reproductive Rights
Judged Bodies
Directed by Mariana Carbajal
Journalist Mariana Carbajal reveals the reality for women in El Salvador, a country that has one of the strictest abortion prohibition laws in the world. Many poor women have been sentenced to long prison terms after facing obstetric emergencies. Morena Herrera, and other activists fight for reproductive rights.
View Study Guide | Subject: Reproductive Rights
To See You Again
Directed by Carolina Corral Paredes
Over a decade ago, the Mexican government declared a war against organized crime, which ended up targeting civilians. An estimated 360,000 people have died since 2006. While searching for their disappeared family members, a group of mothers discovered mass graves in the small towns of Jojutla and Tetelcingo, in the state of Morelos. It became evident that the Mexican authorities were complicit in many of these disappearances. Lina, Angy and Edith and other family members of disappeared loved ones participated in the exhumation of more than 200 bodies. The documentary accompanies the women as they train in forensic science and dig up the bodies of the disappeared. Their investigation reveals a chilling reality, Mexican authorities were involved in the disappearances and surreptitiously buried the bodies in mass graves. This powerful documentary profiles the solidarity, courage and tenacity of these women.
View Study Guide | Subjects: Social Issues
Igor Levit: No Fear
Directed by Regina Schilling
At 34, Igor Levit is one of the world’s greatest living classical pianists. Over the course of 2 years, Igor Levit: No Fear presents an intimate portrait of his all-consuming passion for his collaborations with conductors, orchestras and recording artists, and the embrace of his audiences. When Covid hit, Levit adapted and began an online home concert series that inspired and became a sensation. Igor Levit: No Fear reveals his philosophies, passion and commitment to his art.
Study Guide Coming Soon! | Subject: Biography, Music
Where There Once Was Water
Directed by Brittany App
This is a story about water. A song for the sacred in all of us. A documentary centered on solutions. This is a look at the driest of places - California and the Southwest - and the deepest of spaces - our inner worlds and the stories we choose to tell. We are invited to change our perspective, to rewrite our stories, and ultimately, to heal our broken relationships with the natural world. The choice point has arrived. The old story will bring scarcity. But a new story, one that we can write together, may indeed lead us to abundance and water for all. Only through personal relationship with the sacred can we truly begin to heal. Water is life. Water is love. What can you do, in your life, to be a voice for the water?
View Study Guide | Subject: Environment
Children of the Exodus
Directed by Wilma Gómez Luengo
Hundreds of communities in the Tierra Caliente de Guerrero, Mexico have been displaced by organized crime that wants to control territory to traffic drugs and exploit the natural resources. Refugees in a strange city, children reveal the humanitarian crisis of forced displacement and the consequences of relocation and violence in their lives.
View Study Guide | Subject: Social Issues
The Sower
Directed by Melissa Elizondo Moreno
Bartolomé, a teacher in a multigrade school on the mountains of Chiapas in Mexico, knows education is not based on textbooks and cannot fit inside the four walls of a classroom. A true sower of knowledge, his approach to education, based on curiosity and the love of nature, makes him a beacon of hope to his community.
View Study Guide | Subject: Biography, Social Issues, Education