Movies directed by women to watch in 2019

Anna Boden, Captain Marvel

As the first female-led superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel has got to deliver. Ryan K. Fleck and Anna Boden are at the helm, and we have confidence in the specific precision a female director can offer (even as a collaborator).

The pair are writing and directing the upcoming film together. In their previous work, Boden more often produces and edits (she edited Half Nelson, Sugar, Children of Invention, It's Kind of a Funny Story and Mississippi Grind) while Fleck directed Half Nelson.

Captain Marvel presents a new opportunity to explore a female-fronted story for a wider audience to cherish.

Sara Colangelo, The Kindergarten Teacher

Sara Colangelo's directorial debut, Little Accidents, premiered at Sundance in 2014 and won the Grand Jury Prize. Expectations were high for her new film, a US remake of Israeli drama The Kindergarten Teacher, but yet again Colangelo impresses, demonstrating her flair for exploring a less-than-perfect woman with respect and strength.

Her next project is already in the works: 'a new, female-focused WWII film' is the only description on offer so far, but the confidence in her work can only lead to even greater things.

Carol Morley, Out of Blue

Patricia Clarkson is showing no signs of slowing down, and neither is Carol Morley. We loved her 2014 ethereal coming-of-age film The Falling, and her upcoming feature Out of Blue promises a sharp turn as she takes Patricia Clarkson down the rabbit hole as Detective Mike Hoolihan in a story of crime and psychology sure to root itself in your mind.

There's no sentimentalism but an urgent sense of gravitas to Morley's work, placing her on exciting ground for things to come in the new year.

Alice Rohrwacher, Happy as Lazzaro

There's something incredibly mysterious but utterly captivating about Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher's new film Happy as Lazzaro. The film premiered in competition at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and caught the attention of Netflix who will be releasing the film on their platform after a theatrical run in 2019.

Words associated with Rohrwacher include 'magical realism' and 'charming coming-of-age' – her stories celebrate young life and endless possibilities, capturing a moment impossible to forget while never decoding every enigmatic detail too soon. Her previous film The Wonders won the Grand Prix in Cannes in 2014, and Happy as Lazzaro won the award for Best Screenplay in 2018.

Josephine Decker, Madeline's Madeline

Josephine Decker's films have a woozy, slippery quality that speaks of the precision of an imaginative artist. Her filmography remains modest, as Madeline's Madeline will be her fourth feature.

From Butter on the Latch to Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, the powerful understanding of the intersections of mental health, female necessity and environmental survival blend in imaginative and innovative ways. Madeline's Madeline is a hypnotic portrait of a young girl, wrestling with emotional turmoil and artistic manipulation.

Following this, Decker is heading straight into production on Shirley, a biopic about writer Shirley Jackson starring Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg and Logan Lerman. Decker is going to set the world on fire, we should be so lucky to witness the afterglow.

Claire Denis, High Life

For her first English-language feature, the spellbinding master of French cinema Claire Denis has gone stratospheric. Following her luminous first collaboration with Juliette Binoche on Let the Sunshine In, the pair reunite on a new kind of solar mission.

They've also taken Robert Pattinson, Mia Goth and Andre 3000 with them for High Life – a portrait of sexual revolution and species-defining existentialism. It's quite unlike anything else you've seen for years.

Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir

Joanna Hogg has been making movies since 2007, as some kind of national treasure since the hazy Mediterranean mood piece that is Unrelated.

With The Souvenir, Hogg is tapping into her own past, telling the story of an aspiring filmmaker as she embarks on a relationship with an older man. This is a serious one to watch – a quiet masterpiece that's already one of the best films of the year.

Marielle Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

There's no slowing down for Marielle Heller. While the Academy failed to recognise her talent with a nomination for Best Director for her film Can You Ever Forgive Me?, she's already onto the next project: a biopic of American TV darling Fred Rogers.

Rogers will be played by Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood. Heller has proved her skill to portray deeply empathetic outsiders, welcoming an audience with open arms. Expectations are high for everything she does next.

Mimi Leder, On the Basis of Sex

The Emmys know Mimi Leder extremely well. The prolific director and producer has been at the helm of beloved projects since 1987, including The West Wing, ER, Shameless and The Leftovers.

Leder only has a handful of film credits to her name, but the exposure is sure to change with On the Basis of Sex, based on the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It seems fitting that the first female graduate of the AFI Conservatory (a private not-for-profit graduate film school) should direct a biopic about one of the most influential women in recent history.

Nadine Labaki, Capernaum

At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki's third film Capernaum won the Jury Prize. The devastating drama begins with a 12-year-old boy who sues his parents for bringing him into the world.

Labaki grew up in a war-torn environment amidst the civil war in Lebanon. Her filmography shines a light on lesser seen realities with vital stories to tell. Her first film Caramel came to be during a six-month residency at the Cannes Film Festival, and she has remained on the world's radar ever since.

Marielle Heller, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

On the Hollywood Reporter's Director Roundtable, Marielle Heller is the only woman talking about her film this year. Can You Ever Forgive Me? follows her fantastic debut The Diary of a Teenage Girl which framed the coming-of-age catalyst with a light touch and deeply felt honesty.

Heller now takes on the incredible true story of Lee Israel, a writer and forger worth so much more than the crimes that made her famous. It's a match made in heaven.

Karyn Kusama, Destroyer

In 2009, Karyn Kusama made Jennifer's Body – a supernatural horror comedy starring Megan Fox, which received mediocre reviews at the time. Since then it's been given a second chance, which paves the way for an exciting return in Destroyer.

Kusama directs this original crime drama which showcases Nicole Kidman as we've never seen her before.

Josie Rourke, Mary Queen of Scots

Josie Rourke is no stranger to the stage, but Mary Queen of Scots marks the director's big screen debut. It all began when she was the first woman in history to direct the Footlights Pantomime during her time at Cambridge, and Rourke has been the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre in London since 2012.

With Mary Queen Of Scots, Rourke is capitalising on her dramatic roots to bring to life a high-stakes period piece on an emotionally charged piece of history.