Earlier this month I hosted Cherchez la Femme: Feminism and Film with the beautiful Cerise Howard, Claire Henry and Rohan Spong as my intrepid panelists. Before the event I talked to the CLF community about assembling an introductory viewing list of feminist films. I asked stuff like: are they made or written by a woman, are they expressly about women, do they have strong or believable female characters, did they politicise you into feminism, do they have a female gaze, or a feminist sensibility? and this is what I got. It far surpassed my expectations in terms of scope, length and content and I’ve watched lots of these since. Of course, you’ll feel there are ommissions or inclusions you don’t agree with and that’s what the comments section is for. Have at it!
Winter’s Bone Debra Granik
Dirty Dancing Emile Ardolino
Wayne’s World Penelope Spheeris
Dogville Lars Von Trier
Melancholia
Antichrist
Dancer in the Dark
Mandalay
Breaking the Waves
Fish Tank Andrea Arnold
Red Road
Anatomy of Hell Catherine Breillat
Romance
A Ma Soeur (For My Sister) aka Fat Girl
Love Serenade Shirley Barrett
Near Dark Kathryn Bigelow
Point Break
Hurt Locker
Blue Steel
The Women George Cukor
The Philadelphia Story
The Hours Stephen Daldry
Teeth Michael Lichtenstein
Sweetie Jane Campion
An Angel at My Table
The Piano
In The Cut
The Portrait of a Lady
Nine to Five Colin Higgins
She Devil Susan Seidelman
The First Wives Club Hugh Wilson
Little Women Gillian Armstrong
My Brilliant Career
Pride and Prejudice Joe Wright
Girlfight Karyn Kusama
Jackie Brown Quentin Tarantino
Kill Bill Volume 1
Beaches Garry Marshall
Hannah and Her Sisters Woody Allen
Thelma and Louise Ridley Scott
G.I. Jane
Alien
Aliens James Cameron
Terminator II
Erin Brockovich Steven Soderbergh
Bandit Queen Shekhar Kapur
Elizabeth
The Golden Age
Norma Rae Martin Ritt
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane Robert Aldrich
Bridesmaids Paul Feig
Baby Boom Charles Shyer
House of Flying Daggers Yimou Zhang
Raise the Red Lantern
The Handmaid’s Tale Volker Schlondorff
Working Girl Mike Nichols
Silkwood
Ginger Snaps John Fawcett
Cleo from 5 to 7 Agnes Varda
Vagabond
All About My Mother Pedro Almodovar
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Random Harvest Mervyn LeRoy
XXY Lucia Puenzo
Different for Girls Richard Spence
T is for Teacher Rohan Spong
All the Way Through Evening
We of the Never Never Igor Auzins
Morven Callar Lynne Ramsay
Jeanne Dielman Chantal Akerman
Office Killer Cindy Sherman
Safe Todd Haynes
Far From Heaven
Mildred Pierce
Thirteen Catherine Hardwicke
I Spit on Your Grave Steven R Monroe
Drag Me to Hell Sam Raimi
Wendy and Lucy Kelly Reichardt
Meek’s Cutoff
Ponyo Hayao Miyazaki
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Clueless Amy Heckerling
The Hunger Games Gary Ross
Hiroshima Mon Amour Alain Resnais
India Song Marguerite Duras
Monsoon Wedding Mira Nair
Amelia
The Virgin Suicides Sofia Coppola
Lost in Translation
Drowning by Numbers Peter Greenaway
Whip It Drew Barrymore
Bring It On Peyton Reed
Juno Jason Reitman
The Way We Were Sydney Pollack
Cabaret Bob Fosse
American Psycho Mary Harron
Terms of Endearment James L. Brooks
Broadcast News
Ball of Fire Howard Hawks
Waitress Adrienne Shelly
Baby Mama Michael McCullers
Shut Up and Sing Barbara Kopple & Cecilia Peck
I’ve Loved You So Long Philippe Claudel
The Hairy Bird Sarah Kernochan
Girl, Interrupted James Mangold
Antonia’s Line Marleen Gorris
Three Colours: Blue, White, Red Krzysztof Kieslowski
La Double Vie de Veronique (The Double Life of Veronique)
Sedmikrasky (Daisies) Vera Chytilova
Humpday Lynn Shelton
Beau Travail Clare Denis
35 Shots of Rum
White Material
Sib (The Apple) Samira Makhmalbaf
Frances Graeme Clifford
Under the Skin Carine Adler
Whale Rider Niki Caro
North Country
Persepolis Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi
Little Miss Sunshine Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Bend it Like Beckham Gurinder Chadha
The Sapphires Wayne Blair
Radiance Rachel Perkins
Monster Patty Jenkins
Dogfight Nancy Savoca
Whatever Susan Skoog
Made in Dagenham Nigel Cole
The Kids Are Alright Lisa Cholodenko
The Color Purple Steven Spielberg
Brave Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman & Steve Purcell
3 Women Robert Altman
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore Martin Scorsese
A League of Their Own Penny Marshall
Fried Green Tomatoes Jon Avnet
The Accused Jonathan Kaplan
Johnny Guitar Nicholas Ray
Red Desert Michelangelo Antonioni
Private Benajmin Howard Zieff
Fargo Coen Brothers
The Miracle Worker Arthur Penn
Bound Wachowski Brothers
The Good Girl Miguel Arteta
Muriel’s Wedding PJ Hogan
All About Eve Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Orlando Sally Potter
Boys on the Side Herbert Ross
Steel Magnolias
Rain Christine Jeffs
Sunshine Cleaning
Sylvia
Moolaade Ousmane Sembene
Moonstruck Norman Jewison
In My Father’s Den Brad McGann
Legally Blonde Robert Luketic
Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion David Mirkin
Drop Dead Gorgeous Michael Patrick Jann
Dick Andrew Fleming
Itty Bitty Titty Committee Jamie Babbit
But I’m a Cheerleader
The Quiet
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fran Rubel Kuzui
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Gus Van Sant Jr
Frida Julie Taymor
Across the Universe
Titus
Swing Shift Jonathan Demme
Rachel Getting Married
An Unmarried Woman Paul Mazursky
Not Bad for a Girl Lisa Rose Apramian
The Girls Mai Zetterling
Women Without Men Shirin Neshat
Yentl Barbra Streisand
Facing Mirrors Negar Azarbayjani
Washington Square Agnieszka Holland
Angry Harvest
Europa Europa
In Darkness
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Cristian Mungiu
Cairo 678 Mohamed Diab
Straight Talk Barnet Kellman