BY: Georgia Davis

Women rule the world but are often underrepresented in media. Nothing is truer than in film. Women directors are far and few between, but when they make movie, they are wildly successful. If you’re looking to see a film by a woman, look no further than these empowering ladies who can work an audience:

GRETA GERWIG — LADY BIRD

Coming-of-age films have dominated box offices for years, but there was something refreshing about Gerwig’s take on the classic narrative. The semi-autobiographical tale about Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) was Gerwig’s directorial debut, and it was a huge success. The poignant script and the emotional performances from Ronan and Laurie Metcalf took us back to our high school days. It resonated with so many people that Gerwig received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. That could happen again with her remake of Little Women, which is set to release later this year.

SOFIA COPPOLA — THE VIRGIN SUICIDES

Gerwig and Coppola are very similar in how their careers as directors got started: They were born into the world. Daughter of The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia sat in the director’s chair for the first time on The Virgin Suicides. The film came as a shock to the cinema world, and Coppola made a major splash in her directorial debut. The director doesn’t shy away from gritty, emotional movies, and her debut is nothing short of that.

AVA DUVERNAY — 13TH

DuVernay shook the world up with her biopic Selma. In her Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary, 13th, she takes a look at the post-Civil War institutions and the incarceration of black people in America. The stark imagery and the gut-wrenching realities of this film are enough reason to go onto Netflix and see it right now.

KATHRYN BIGELOW — THE HURT LOCKER

Making a war film is not just a man’s forte anymore. In 2009, Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director, breaking down any tropes that women cannot make a successful war film. With an all-star cast (Jeremy Renner, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes) and camera angles that will make you catch your breath, there is nothing to hate about The Hurt Locker. And with a Showtime subscription, you can watch badass Bigelow’s contemporary war-time masterpiece.

PATTY JENKINS — WONDER WOMAN

In 2017, Jenkins became the highest grossing female director when she made Wonder Woman. It was an overall successful year for women, as the title character was the first major female comic book superhero to get her own standalone film. Jenkins has gone on to work on other projects, such as TNT’s I Am The Night and the Wonder Woman: 1984, the highly anticipated sequel that will premiere June 5, 2020. But if you’re looking to watch this breakout film, just login to your HBO account.