In honor of International Women’s Day, IndieWire is pleased to share its annual female filmmakers to watch list featuring a rising assortment of women writers and directors with some of the biggest projects of the year.
On the big screen, Theda Hammel’s Sundance breakout “Stress Positions” went on to become a leading title on this year’s New Directors/New Films lineup and is set to close out the festival. Alessandra Lacorazza’s “In the Summers” won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance, and also earned Lacorazza the Directing prize. Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani co-wrote and co-directed SXSW selected film “I Love You Forever,” which is produced by Diablo Cody.
While David also co-stars in the film, another actress makes her directorial debut with a similarly sinister premiere: Anna Kendrick directs and stars in “Woman of the Hour” based on the haunting true story of the “Dating Game” killer. The film was a hit at TIFF and will hit Netflix this year.
On the small screen, as Warner Bros. comes off of the Greta Gerwig-“Barbie” hype (and its subsequent Oscar nominations), the studio has promoted “True Detective” Season 4 showrunner Issa López to be the series’ sole voice once more for an upcoming Season 5.
Also in the TV space, Nicole Taylor has seen her profile raised thanks to their heartbreaking adaptation of novel “One Day” for Netflix, while Jess Brownell takes over the new highly-anticipated season of “Bridgerton,” also for the streamer. Karena Evans directing “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” along with series co-creator Francesca Sloane, has also spelled out a buzzy new collaboration. Melanie Marnich’s upcoming “Apples Never Fall” Peacock adaptation has already garnered attention due to its stellar cast including 2024 Oscar nominee Annette Bening.
As female filmmakers still grapple with gender inequity and sourcing funding, it’s high time we celebrate the breakout stars of this year. Keep scrolling to see all the female filmmakers to follow in 2024, in partnership with Adobe.
Adobe — with a mission to enable creativity for all — is committed to supporting, elevating and amplifying underrepresented creators, so the world can see, learn and benefit from diverse perspectives. Learn more at Adobe.com.
Filmmakers are listed in alphabetical order.
After working on Shondaland series like “Scandal” and “Inventing Anna,” Jess Brownell steps into her own as the new showrunner for “Bridgerton” and prequel spin-off series “Queen Charlotte: Bridgerton Story.” “Bridgerton” Season 3 will premiere May 16 on Netflix.
“The Bear” showrunner and executive producer Joanna Calo was recently hired to rewrite Marvel’s “The Thunderbolts” after a creative vision switch-up from Disney. “The Bear” Season 3 will premiere in June 2024 on Hulu, and “The Thunderbolts” is set for May 2, 2025.
Sundance breakout film “Good One” marked India Donaldson’s debut feature. The father-daughter drama is set in the wilderness during a camping trip with 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) accompanying her dad Chris (James Le Gros) and his best friend Matt (Danny McCarthy). The film debuted in the U.S. Dramatic program at the 2024 festival, and was picked up by Metrograph Pictures for a summer release.
Sophie Dupuis writes and directs queer romantic drama “Solo” about a Canadian drag queen (Théodore Pellerin) who is torn between exploring a relationship with love interest Olivier (Félix Maritaud) and emotionally processing a reunion with his estranged mother (Anne-Marie Cadieux). The film premiered at TIFF 2023 and will have a theatrical release in 2024.
Theda Hammel expanded her short film “My Trip to Spain” into debut feature “Stress Positions” starring John Early as a divorcé attempting to navigate the pandemic summer of 2020 while living in his ex-husband’s basement. The New York City-set comedy debuted at Sundance and will close New Directors/New Films.
Long-time collaborators Elisa Kalani and Cazzie David co-wrote and co-directed first-time feature “I Love You Forever,” which will have its world premiere at SXSW 2024. The romantic dramedy stars Sofia Black-D’Elia and Ray Nicholson as a toxic Gen Z couple. The film is seeking distribution.
Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut “Woman of the Hour” tells the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who appeared on “The Dating Game” TV show in 1978 at the height of his murder spree. The film debuted at TIFF 2023 and will be released by Netflix.
Alessandra Lacorazza won the Sundance Grand Jury prize and the Directing prize for coming-of-age drama “In the Summers.” Lacorazza’s debut feature follows two sisters as they visit their dad in Las Cruces, New Mexico four times over the course of a decade. Read the IndieWire review here.
After almost 30 years in Hollywood, Issa López has broken out with HBO series “True Detective.” López took over as the sole showrunner for the fourth season of the thriller series; HBO announced a deal with her to also helm Season 5 after the success of the fourth installment.
After writing series like “The O.A.” and “Murder at the End of the World,” Melanie Marnich steps into being a first-time showrunner for Peacock series “Apples Never Fall.” The buzzy thriller novel adaptation stars Annette Bening, Sam Neill, Jake Lacy, and Alison Brie as a family dealing with secrets coming to light. “Apples Never Fall” premieres March 14 on Peacock.
Documentary “Daughters” was executive produced by Kerry Washington and won the Audience Award in Documentary Competition at Sundance 2024. Natalie Rae and Angela Patton co-directed the feature about the Date With Dad program which oversees daughters visiting their incarcerated fathers. “Daughters” was acquired by Netflix and will premiere later in 2024.
Bosnian filmmaker Ena Sendijarevic made her feature debut with 2019’s “Take Me Somewhere Nice,” and yet it’s her 2023 release “Sweet Dreams” that has proven to be a breakout project. The film, set on a plantation around the Dutch Indies, was selected to be the Dutch entry for the 2024 Oscars.
Francesca Sloane has worked alongside Donald Glover on hit series “Swarm,” “Atlanta,” and now most recently “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” Sloane recently inked an overall deal with Amazon Studios after the success of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” on Prime Video.
The beloved novel “One Day” was first a movie starring Anne Hathaway and now, a viral Netflix series created by Nicole Taylor. The show follows a decades-spanning romance between two college pals, with Taylor serving as showrunner.
Eva Trobisch’s “Ivo” stars Minna Wündrich as home-care nurse who struggles with making end-of-life decisions for her patients. The German film marks Trobisch’s second feature behind 2019’s “All Is Well.”
