Well, with the notional 'year' element that came with the #52FilmsByWomen pledge out the window, this is now my 10th batch of 52 "films" since I started in 2016. Also, the strict "films" also thrown out as a number of these are TV movies and mini-series. This blog covers films/TV shows watched between 8 April and 31 October 2021 that were directed/co-directed by women.
Read about films: 1 – 52, 53 - 104, 105 - 156, 157 - 208, 209 - 260, 261 - 312, 313 - 365 and 366 - 417 and 418 - 469.
Films 501 to 514 I watched as part of the #FemmeFilmFestival21. The '52' was also boosted by watches for a City Lit course I gave on Women Film Directors in May which included Sally Potter (left). I'll be delivering another in May 2022.
From these 52 films, 10 were revisits with the remainder being new to me. Three were documentaries, two were TV series and two were collections of short films. Given the year we've had (again!) sadly only two were seen in a Cinema: Nomadland and Black Widow.
Here's my top 10 from the first-time watches, nine feature films and one documentary.
Beyond the Visible-Hilma af Klint (2019, Halina Dyrschka)
The Connection (1961, Shirley Clarke)
The Tango Lesson (1997, Sally Potter)
Caramel (2007, Nadine Labaki)
Rage (2009, Sally Potter)
Brick Lane (2007, Sarah Gavron)
Mon roi (2015, Maïwenn)
Lingua Franca (2019, Isabel Sandoval)
Saint Maud (2019, Rose Glass)
Censor (2021, Prano Bailey-Bond)
You can read reviews of all these films on my letterboxd.
Films 470 - 521
470. Wallander - The Dogs Of Riga (2012, Esther Campbell)
471. Beyond the Visible-Hilma af Klint (2019, Halina Dyrschka)
472. Daphne (2007, Clare Beavan)
473. A Suitable Boy (2020, Mira Nair)
474. Upstairs, Downstairs s1 (2010, written/created Heidi Thomas)
475. Hurt by Paradise (2019, Greta Bellamacina)
476. India Cabaret (1985, Mira Nair)
477. Friends with Money (2006, Nicole Holofcener)
478. Wayne's World (1992, Penelope Spheeris)
479. Animals (2019, Sophie Hyde)
480. Booksmart (2019, Olivia Wilde)
481. 4 Sally Potter shorts: Play, Jerk, Thriller, The London Story & Hors d’oeuvres
482. Ripley’s Game (2002, Liliana Cavani)
483. 2 Shirley Clarke shorts: Bridges-Go-Round & Butterfly
484. The Connection (1961, Shirley Clarke)
485. The Tango Lesson (1997, Sally Potter)
486. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008, Gurinder Chadha)
487. Pin Cushion (2017, Deborah Haywood)
488. Ginger & Rosa (2012, Sally Potter)
489. Nomadland (2020, Chloe Zhao)
490. The Gold Diggers (1983, Sally Potter)
491. Caramel (2007, Nadine Labaki)
492. Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015, Chloé Zhao)
493. The Party (2017, Sally Potter)
494. The Secret Garden (1993, Agnieszka Holland)
495. Rage (2009, Sally Potter)
496. Dark River (2017, Clio Barnard)
497. Black Widow (2021, Cate Shortland)
498. Bend It Like Beckham (2002, Gurinder Chadha)
499. A League of Their Own (1992, Penny Marshall)
500. Brick Lane (2007, Sarah Gavron)
501. Children of a Lesser God (1986, Randa Haines)
502. Always Shine (2016, Sophia Takal)
503. Mr Roosevelt (2017, Noel Wells)
504. The Love Light (1921, Frances Marion)
505. Pariah (2011, Dee Rees)
506. Mon roi (2015, Maïwenn)
507. Blow the Man Down (2019, Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy)
508. K-19: The Widowmaker (2002, Kathryn Bigelow)
509. Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014, Josephine Decker)
510. Lingua Franca (2019, Isabel Sandoval)
511. Meek's Cutoff (2010, Kelly Reichardt)
512. She Dies Tomorrow (2020, Amy Seimetz)
513. Saint Maud (2019, Rose Glass)
514. Heavenly Body (2011, Alice Rohrwacher)
515. ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2005, Dori Berinstein)
516. The Knight Before Christmas (2019, Monika Mitchell)
517. Loki (2021, Kate Herron)
518. Censor (2021, Prano Bailey-Bond)
519. Fear Street part 1: 1994 (2021, Leigh Janiak)
520. Fear Street part 2: 1978 (2021, Leigh Janiak)
521. Fear Street part 2: 1666 (2021, Leigh Janiak)
Here's to another explosive 52 films!