I think this may well be the fastest watch of 52 films #DirectedbyWomen. With the 15th batch of 52 completed on 29 January, here's the 16th batch of #52FilmsByWomen watched since taking the pledge in 2016. This blog covers films and TV shows watched between January - March 2023 created/directed/co-directed by women.
Read about films: 1 – 52, 53 - 104, 105 - 156, 157 - 208, 209 - 260, 261 - 312, 313 - 365, 366 - 417, 418 - 469, 470 - 521, 522 - 573, 574 - 625, 626 - 677, 678 - 729 and 730 - 781.
This collection of 52 films #directedbywomen includes a number of short films and four TV series created by women or directed by a woman. The high volume, in part, due to my determination to watch lots of films by women for Women's History Month (March), using Nannina Gilder's 100 Great Films Directed by Women 1900- 2020 as inspiration.
The four TV shows, all highly recommended, were:
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1990, directed by Beeban Kidron, from Jeanette Winterson's novel)
I May Destroy You (2020, created by Michaela Coel)
The Dropout (2022, created by Elizabeth Meriwether)
Starstruck s1 & 2 (2021/22, created by Rose Matafeo)
The shorts were a mix of those nominated for Oscars in 2023, or were those recommended in Nannina Gilder's Great Films list. My Top 5 were:
Le pupille (2022, Alice Rohrwacher)
Hands: The Life and Loves of the Gentler Sex (1929, Miklos Bandy/Stella Simon)
A Night on Bald Mountain (1933, Alexander Alexeieff/ Claire Parker)
Dance in the Sun (1953, Shirley Clarke)
Spook Sport (1940, Norman McLaren/Mary Ellen Bute)
From the 8 short or full-length documentaries, I urge you to check out:
The Beaches of Agnès (2008, Agnès Varda)
Fire of Love (2022, Sara Dosa)
Sisters with Transistors (2020, Lisa Rovner)
Woman (2019, Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Anastasia Mikova)
From the 26 new-to-me feature films, my Top 5 were:
Little Fugitive (1953, Ray Ashley/Morris Engel/ Ruth Orkin)
Aftersun (2022, Charlotte Wells)
Women Talking (2022, Sarah Polley)
The World to Come (2020, Mona Fastvold)
Smooth Talk (1985, Joyce Chopra)
You can read reviews of all these films on my letterboxd.
Films 782 - 833
782. Look at Me (2022, Sally Potter)
783. All Too Well: The Short Film (2021, Taylor Swift)
784. Till (2022, Chinonye Chukwu)
785. American Fable (2016, Anne Hamilton)
786. Ravenous (1999, Antonia Bird)
787. The Martha Mitchell Effect (2022, Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy)
788. Le pupille (2022, Alice Rohrwacher)
789. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1990, Beeban Kidron)
790. Waitress (2007, Adrienne Shelly)
791. The Elephant Whisperers (2022, Kartiki Gonsalves)
792. The Flying Sailor (2022, Amanda Forbis/Wendy Tilby)
793. My Year of Dicks (2022, Sara Gunnarsdótti)
794. Fire of Love (2022, Sara Dosa)
795. The World to Come (2020, Mona Fastvold)
796. La Pointe Courte (1955, Agnès Varda)
797. Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? (2022, Anne McCabe)
798. Haulout (2022, Maxim & Evgenia Arbugaeva)
799. Hands: The Life and Loves of the Gentler Sex (1929, Miklos Bandy/Stella Simon)
800. Harlequin (1931, Lotte Reiniger)
801. A Night on Bald Mountain (1933, Alexander Alexeieff/ Claire Parker)
802. Spook Sport (1940, Norman McLaren/Mary Ellen Bute)
803. Dance in the Sun (1953, Shirley Clarke)
804. Emily (2022, Frances O'Connor)
805. Raising a Riot (1955, Wendy Toye)
806. This Other Eden (1959, Muriel Box)
807. The Peacemaker (1997, Mimi Leder)
808. Little Fugitive (1953, Ray Ashley/Morris Engel/Ruth Orkin)
809. Animal Farm (1954, John Halas/Joy Batchelor)
810. Sisters with Transistors (2020, Lisa Rovner)
811. I’ll Go to Santiago (1964, Sara Gómez)
812. Windy Day (1968, John & Faith Hubley)
813. A Dry White Season (1989, Euzhan Palcy)
814. Women Talking (2022, Sarah Polley)
815. Humpday (2009, Lynn Shelton)
816. Foxfire (1996, Annette Haywood Carter)
817. Just Another Girl on the IRT (1992, Leslie Harris)
818. Woman (2019, Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Anastasia Mikova)
819. The Beaches of Agnès (2008, Agnès Varda)
820. The Woman King (2022, Gina Prince-Bythewood)
821. Shadow in the Cloud (2020, Roseanne Liang)
822. Smooth Talk (1985, Joyce Chopra)
823. Things to Come (2016, Mia Hansen-Løve)
824. The Swimmers (2022, Sally El Hosaini)
825. I May Destroy You (2020, created by Michaela Coel)
826. The Tale (2018, Jennifer Fox)
827. Aftersun (2022, Charlotte Wells)
828. The Dropout (2022, created by Elizabeth Meriwether)
829. Starstruck (2021/22, created by Rose Matafeo)
830. Selah and the Spades (2019, Tayarisha Poe)
831. Beyond the Lights (2014, Gina Prince-Bythewood)
832. Hanging Up (2000, Diane Keaton)
833. A Valentine’s Match (2020, Christie Will)
The 833rd film was watched on 24 March, and with another week of Women's History Month to go, I wonder how many more I will squeeze in. I'm planning on seeing two at the cinema on Monday 27 March.
Here's to more great new discoveries...