top of page
Search
Writer's pictureEllen Cheshire

Early Women Filmmakers: Films Directed by Women

Updated: May 5, 2023


Last night, or was it early morning I set my alarm for 0230 in order to do a radio interview with Paul Ross on his Late Late Early Early Show on TalkRADIO about women filmmakers who were working in the film industry from the birth of cinema in 1895 until the 1930s.

You can listen to the interview here.

The interview starts about 11 ½ minutes in, in the 0230- 0300 slot.

This is the book we talked about...

Three years ago I wrote a chapter for Supernova Book's Silent Women: Pioneers of Cinema, a book which celebrated women working behind the camera in the first three decades of film history. When there were more women working in creative roles (directing, producing, writing, editing, etc), than there are now. This surprises most people, and one look at the Columbia University's Women Film Pioneers Project website just shows how many women have been marginalised or overlooked in the film history books.




But times they are a-changing, and there is a growing awareness and desire to reclaim these women's contributions to film. The most recent addition is the BFI's 4-disc Blu-Ray box set Early Women Filmmakers 1911- 1940, which is being launched at the BFI on Tuesday 11 June, with the box set on 17 June.


I'll be talking part in the launch, as I have written an essay for the accompanying 44-page booklet on the film actor, screenwriter, producer and director Dorothy Davenport.

Links to some of my other blogs on early women film directors

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page