To help people with their 52 Films By Women challenge this year I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorite films directed by women that are easily accessible on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Keep in mind that this is in no way all of the films directed by women available on these services, but rather a selection of films I have seen and enjoy. There are also many more films available to rent on Amazon Video as well. Think of this as a jumping off point! Also if you have not taken the 52 Films By Women pledge yet you can do so here.
I went with one film from each director, but please know some of these directors have multiple films available on both platforms. Also, as I stated earlier there are a ton of other films directed by women on both of these platforms (some I’ve seen, some I plan to watch this year). The possibilities really are endless!
13th, 2016 (dir. Ava DuVernay) [Netflix]
Across The Universe, 2007 (dir. Julie Taymor) [Netflix]
Advantageous, 2015 (dir. Jennifer Phang) [Netflix]
American Honey, 2016 (dir. Andrea Arnold) [Amazon Prime]
Appropriate Behavior, 2015 (dir. Desiree Akhavan) [Amazon Prime]
Bachelorette, 2012 (dir. Leslye Headland) [Netflix]
Before I Fall, 2017 (dir. Ry Russo-Young) [Amazon Prime]
Beyond The Lights, 2014 (dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood) [Amazon Prime]
The Bigamist, 1953 (dir. Ida Lupino) [Amazon Prime]
Bound, 1995 (dir. Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski) [Amazon Prime]
Breathe, 2015 (dir. Mélanie Laurent) [Netflix]
Corpo celeste, 2011 (dir. Alice Rohrwacher) [Amazon Prime]
Daughters of the Dust, 1991 (dir. Julie Dash) [Netflix]
Desperately Seeking Susan, 1985 (dir. Susan Seidelman) [Amazon Prime]
Faces Places, 2017 (dir. Agnès Varda & JR) [Netflix]
The Feels, 2018 (dir. Jenée LaMarque) [Netflix]
How To Make An American Quilt, 1995 (dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse) [Netflix]
The Invitation, 2016 (dir. Karyn Kusama) [Netflix]
It Felt Like Love, 2014 (dir. Eliza Hittman) [Amazon Prime]
Julie and Julia, 2009 (dir. Nora Ephron) [Netflix]
Lady Bird, 2017 (dir. Greta Gerwig) [Amazon Prime]
Laggies, 2014 (dir. Lynn Shelton) [Netflix]
The Last Days of Chez Nous, 1992 (dir. Gillian Armstrong) [Netflix]
Last Night, 2010 (dir. Massy Tadjedin) [Netflix]
Lovesong, 2016 (dir. So Yong Kim) [Netflix]
Madame Bovary, 2015 (dir. Sophie Barthes) [Netflix]
Madeline’s Madeline, 2018 (dir. Josephine Decker) [Amazon Prime]
Morvern Callar, 2002 (dir. Lynne Ramsay) [Amazon Prime]
Mudbound, 2017 (dir. Dee Rees) [Netflix]
Mustang, 2015 (dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven) [Netflix]
My Happy Family, 2017 (dir. Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß) [Netflix]
Never Goin’ Back, 2018 (dir. Augustine Frizzell) [Amazon Prime]
Obvious Child, 2014 (dir. Gillian Robespierre) [Netflix]
Old Enough, 1984 (dir. Melissa Silver) [Amazon Prime]
One Day, 2011 (dir. Lone Scherfig) [Netflix]
Paris Is Burning, 1990 (dir. Jennie Livingston) [Netflix]
Party Girl, 1995 (dir. Daisy von Scherler Mayer) [Amazon Prime]
Private Life, 2018 (dir. Tamara Jenkins) [Netflix]
Raw, 2017 (dir. Julia Ducournau) [Netflix]
Return To Me, 2000 (dir. Bonnie Hunt) [Amazon Prime]
River of Grass, 1995 (dir. Kelly Reichardt) [Amazon Prime]
Saving Face, 2005 (dir. Alice Wu) [Amazon Prime]
Shirkers, 2018 (dir. Sandi Tan) [Netflix]
Something New, 2006 (dir. Sanaa Hamri) [Netflix]
Things Behind The Sun, 2001 (dir. Allison Anders) [Amazon Prime]
Trouble Every Day, 2001 (dir. Claire Denis) [Amazon Prime]
The Virgin Suicides, 2000 (dir. Sofia Coppola) [Amazon Prime]
Whale Rider, 2003 (dir. Niki Caro) [Amazon Prime]
Winter’s Bone, 2010 (dir. Debra Granik) [Amazon Prime]
Yentl, 1985 (dir. Barbra Streisand) [Amazon Prime]
Zama, 2018 (dir. Lucrecia Martel) [Amazon Prime]
If you’d like some more suggestions of films directed by women to watch (streaming or not streaming), just let me know here or on Twitter what you’re in the mood for and I bet I can suggest something for you!
