Welcome to Day 6 of Girl Week 2021. During last year's Girl Week, I posted a list of all the female directed films I watched up to that point in 2020. I noticed I was quite a bit short of where I wanted to be and challenged myself to do what's become known as the 52-Film Challenge, and watch at least 52 films directed by women over the course of a year. The idea is to watch one per week, arriving at that 52 by the end of the year. With life being what it is, of course, there were some weeks I watched none, and by some I mean a lot. There were some weeks I watched 3, 4, or even 5. As of this post, I am still a little behind the pace to reach 52 when the clock strikes midnight in a few weeks and catapults us into 2022. That said, I am well ahead of where I was at this time last year. Besides, I'm a teacher in real life. This means I also have a week right at the end of the year when I will be home watching movies. Therefore, 52 is definitely within reach.
As I did last year, I will list all of the ones I've watched so far, here. My goal in doing so is to give you some titles to check out in case you're on the lookout for such movies yourself. I'm presenting them in chronological order of my viewing.
Quick Key: [A] = Animated [D] = Documentary [X] = Exploitation
She Dies Tomorrow (2020) - Amy Seimetz
Rogue (2020) - M. J. Bassett
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| Regina King |
One Night in Miami (2021) - Regina King
The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019) - Kelly Duane de la Vega [D]
Lost Girls (2020) - Liz Garbus
12 Hour Shift (2020) - Brea Grant [X]
A Love Song for LaTasha (2019) - Sophia Nahli Allison [D]
A Vigilante (2018) - Sarah Dagger-Nickson
Flora & Ulysses (2021) - Lena Khan
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| Phillippa Ehrlich and James Reed |
My Octopus Teacher (2020) - Phillippa Ehrlich and James Reed [D]
Promising Young Woman (2020) - Emerald Fennell
Moxie (2021) - Amy Poehler
Judy & Punch (2019) - Mirrah Foulkes
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| Miranda July |
Kajillionaire (2020) - Miranda July
Things Heard & Seen (2021) - Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
Mary J. Blige's My Life (2021) - Vanessa Roth [D]
Captain Marvel (2019) - Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Black Widow (2021) - Cate Shortland
Fear Street 1994 (2021) - Leigh Janiak
Secret Society of Second Born Royals (2020) - Anna Mastro
Fear Street 1978 (2021) - Leigh Janiak
Fear Street 1666 (2021) - Leigh Janiak
Untold: Deal with the Devil (2021) - Laura Brownson [D]
DC Super Hero Girls (2018) - Cecilia Aranovich and Ian Hamilton [A]
Little Women (2019) - Greta Gerwig
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| Chloe Zhao |
Nomadland (2020) - Chloe Zhao
Respect (2021) - Leisl Tommy
To the Bone (2017) - Marti Noxon
Candyman (2021) - Nia DaCosta
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| Janicsza Bravo |
Zola (2020) - Janicsza Bravo
Found (2021) - Amanda Lipitz [D]
The Manor (2021) - Axelle Carolyn
Eternals (2021) - Chloe Zhao
Daughters of the Dust (1991) - Julie Dash
Passing (2021) - Rebecca Hall
Blue Steel (1990) - Kathryn Bigelow
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| Alice Wu |
The Half of It (2020) - Alice Wu
Worth (2020) - Sara Colangelo
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (2021) - Mariem Perez Riera [D]
Good on Paper (2021) - Kim Gatewood
Sleepless in Seattle (1993) - Nora Ephron
Humanoids From the Deep aka Monster (1980) - Barbara Peeters [X]
Mark, Mary & Some Other People (2021) - Hannah Marks
The Bad Batch (2016) - Ana Lily Amirpour
1 Night in San Diego (2020) - Penelope Lawson
The Power of the Dog (2021) - Jane Campion
I'm Your Woman (2020) - Julia Hart
Bruised (2020) - Halle Berry
Tallulah (2016) - Sian Heder
Back to the Outback (2021) - Claire Knight and Harry Cripps
Mixtape (2021) - Valerie Weiss
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - Lana Wachowski
Plan B (2021) - Natalie Morales
Day 5 Wrap-Up
Addendum: At the time of the original post, I had watched 43 films directed by women during 2021. The last of these was Mark, Mary & Some Other People. I will continue to add to this list as warranted throughout the rest of 2021.
Addendum 2:
I MADE IT!!!
I have officially watched 53 movies directed by women during 2021.
Right now, I'm at 35 as I'm not sure if I'm going to reach that goal but I do hope to get close to it. Even as I am to announce the final list for the 2022 Blind Spot Series which will feature 2 films directed by women.
ReplyDeleteThere's still time! Of course, you'll have to pick up the pace. Feel free to check out any of the ones I've listed that you haven't seen yet. I'm debating whether or not I'm officially getting back into the Blind Spot Series. Glad to see you have a couple of female directed films lined up for yours.
DeleteA worthy project and sounds like you're going to make it! I've seen some but not all of these. The only one this year I think is Little Women-a good, not great take on the novel-but I'll have to check out the titles I haven't seen. Hopefully I'll find some new titles to add to my to see list.
ReplyDeleteI've been working on a viewing project myself. On January 1st I set a goal to watch a film with a performer I like whose birthday is that day. The caveat is that it has to be a film I haven't seen before, some days that was a snap and others difficult as all get out! Part of what has been a challenge that I didn't particularly think about was that I have to carve out time to watch a film a day....again some days that's been a snap and others a real pinch. Anyway so far so good, I've discovered some wonderful films, ALOT of marginal ones but only a few that were flat out terrible. Like you I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully the holidays won't throw a wrench in the works!! Fingers crossed.
I couldn't possibly list all I've seen but here's a link to the list if you're curious. :-)
https://letterboxd.com/joelnox/list/everyday-is-somebodys-birthday-2021/
That is a serious challenge. Watching a film a day sounds like it's easily doable, but I know that some days there just isn't time...or you're not up to it...or you get started and something comes up. Good on you for trying that one.
DeleteYes, well, I missed most of these. I will check some 9f the. Out. I would add “ Be natural: The untold story of Alice Guy-Blache. To an excellent doc7mentary of the first woman director. This film is created by women as well.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of that one. Thanks for letting me know about it. I will check it out.
DeleteOops here is my link.. https://createdbybb.blogspot.com/2021/11/girls-week-2021_041050302.html
ReplyDeleteGot it!
DeleteI'm only at 34 this year which is not great. I think by this time last year I had already hit 52. I've got a ways to go.
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy to fall behind if you're not intentionally picking them.
DeleteI think in 2022 I'm going to make a concerted effort to watch more films, documentaries etc. directed by women. I've been keeping track on what I've watched this year via Letterboxd - I'm only on 13 :(
ReplyDeleteYeah, unless you make the effort to seek them out it's difficult to see that many in a year. Women have directed such a small percentage of movies you just aren't going to bump into a bunch of them by accident.
Delete