Women’s History Month: 5 movies you probably didn’t know were directed by women

It’s still International Women’s History Month and over here we continue to celebrate exceptional women breaking the bias in the movie industry.

From directing to producing and even acting, women in film oftentimes face numerous gender-related biases.

Through it all, these queens have continued to strive for excellence and have given us some of the most iconic films to ever hit the screen.

In honor of International Women’s History Month, here are five of the most iconic movies you probably didn’t know were directed by women.

Matrix Reloaded

Matrix Reloaded, which premiered in May of 2003 is the second movie in the Matrix Trilogy and the sequel to the 1999 Matrix movie.

Written and directed by trans sisters Lana Wachowski and Lily Wachowski, the movie grossed a record-breaking $741,800,000 internationally to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time until it was surpassed in 2016 by Deadpool.

The movie which stars Keanu Reeves (John Wick, The Devil’s Advocate), Jada Pinkett Smith (Madagascar, The Nutty Professor), and Laurence Fishbourne (Black-ish, Khumba) among others, received critical acclaim with the Chicago Sun-Times describing it as an “immensely skillful sci-fi adventure, combining the usual elements: heroes and villains, special effects and stunts, chases and explosions, romance and oratory.” 

It was nominated for numerous awards including the MTV movie awards and won the award for the Choice Movie in Drama/Action at the Teens Choice award.

With ratings of 7.2/10 and 73% on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes respectively, Matrix Reloaded is definitely one for the books.

Wonder Woman 1984

The first Wonder Woman movie released in 2017 was described by the New York Times as “a cinematic game-changer that proved female superheroes were every bit as mighty as men”.

The American superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins based on the DC Comics character – Wonder Woman, grossed over $821 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing film by a solo female director until it was overtaken in the same year.

Following the positive response from critics, with some describing the movie as the DC Extended Universe’s best film, as well as its box office success, Wonder Woman 1984 was released in 2020 with Jenkins reportedly making a record-breaking $8 or $9 million from the movie.

Set in 1984, the sequel which stars Gal Gadot (Red Notice), Chris Pine (Star Trek, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Hateship, Loveship) among others, was set to be premiered in the summer of 2020 but due to Covid and Covid restrictions that caused theatres to close, its release was postponed till December of the same year when it was released both in theatres and on movie streaming service – HBO Max. 

It went on to become the most-watched straight-to-streaming film of 2020.

Hustlers

Hustlers is a 2019 American crime comedy-drama film that follows a crew of New York City strippers who begin to steal money by drugging stock traders and CEOs who visit their club, then running up their credit cards.

The movie stars Constance Wu (Crazy, Rich Asians), Jennifer Lopez (Monster-In-Law, Second Act), Julia Stiles (Save the Last Dance, The Bourne Supremacy), Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee, Joyful Noise), and Cardi B, and is based on an article titled “The Hustlers at Scores”, published in the New York Magazine in 2015.

Written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers grossed a worldwide total of $157.6 million and received critical acclaim, particularly of Scafaria’s directing with The Hollywood Reporter stating “Hustlers delivers on its hype while consistently doing the unexpected. Scafaria…. excels at immersing the audience in the world of sex work in clubs, quietly disabusing us scene by scene of any stereotypes about who these women are.”

The movie bagged numerous award nominations including a 2020 Golden Globe, Best-Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lopez.

Rated 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, if you haven’t already watched Hustlers, it should definitely be on your watch list.

Promising Young Woman 

Promising Young Woman created quite some buzz when it was released in 2020.

Written and directed by the multiple award-winning Emerald Fennell, the movie follows the life of Cassie Thomas who takes laws into her hands to avenge the death of her best friend who committed suicide after being raped. 

Cassie spends her nights feigning drunkenness in clubs and bars, allowing predatory men to take her to their homes and revealing her sobriety when they try to take advantage of her.

The movie which starred Carey Mulligan (The Great Gasby) received critical acclaim with Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus describing it as “A boldly provocative, timely thriller…an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Emerald Fennell – and a career highlight for Carey Mulligan.”

The movie was nominated for multiple awards in 2021 including the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress among others.

Rated 7.5/10 and 90% on IMDB and Rotten tomatoes respectively, this movie should certainly be on your watch list.

Shrek

Shrek was a household favorite in the early 2000s and still remains a favorite today as it brings back a lot of nostalgic memories.

We certainly enjoyed watching it as kids but we bet you didn’t know that it was co-directed by a woman named Vicky Jenson.

Vicky Jenson, who has been described as one of Hollywood’s most inspiring female directors, directed the hit animation series alongside co-director – Andrew Adamson. 

The movie follows the life of an antisocial Ogre named Shrek who finds his swamp overrun by fairy tale creatures who have been banished by the corrupt Lord Farquaad (Lithgow) aspiring to be king.

Shrek was loved by both fans and critics alike with Newsday calling it “the kind of movie that will entertain every one of every age and probably for ages to come.”

The movie grossed over $484.4 million worldwide and with a production budget of $60 million, it was a box office hit.

At the 74th Academy Awards, Shrek won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was also nominated for The Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Rated 7.9/10 and 88% on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes respectively, you may want to take a trip down memory lane with Shrek.