This year marked the 94th year of the Academy Awards and only the third time a woman has won Best Director, with Jane Campion's direction of The Power Of The Dog (2021). Historically, female directors have not only been a scarcity but also overlooked, however, women have been directing magnificent films since the genesis of film itself.
From the 1920s to 2022, animated films directed by women have been groundbreaking. In the world of animation in particular, where the genre of movies has been neglected, so has recognition for the brilliant female directors in this division of film. It's important to note the visual innovation and narrative brilliance of skillfully animated films directed by women.
Loving Vincent (2017)
Loving Vincent is a Polish animation co-directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman. This animation follows the life of famous artist Vincent Van Gogh and stunned the world with elaborate, individually painted frames that mimic his style in oil paint.
Kobiela made her directorial debut with Loving Vincent. With the major success of the movie, Kobiela will go on to direct The Peasants, which is aimed for release later in 2o22. The Peasants will be an adaptation of the Polish novel of the same name, following the story of a young peasant girl forced to enter a loveless marriage with a much older man. This film, like Loving Vincent, will be hand-painted by a team of artists.
The House (2022)
The House is a British stop-motion dark comedy following three different stories set in the same house, each directed by a different person. Part one was directed by the duo Emma De Swaeth and Marc James Roels. Part two was directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr, and part three was directed by Paloma Baeza. In this anthological animation, three separate casts across three different eras become entwined The puppets of the stop-motion are visually unique, with exaggerated proportions and a felt-like texture and quality.
The duo, Emma De Swaeth and Marc James Roels, have previously directed the visually similar stop motion This Magnificent Cake, a historical 45-minute short about the Scramble for Africa, where the Western powers of 1885 hosted a conference to divide and conquer the continent.
Persepolis (2007)
This autobiographical animation based on the graphic novel by the same name is co-directed by the author, Marjane Satrapi, and Vincent Paronnaud. This story follows Marjane who endures a childhood of war in Iran and grows up under an oppressive political regime. As an adaptation of a graphic novel, the stylistic qualities of the bold visual style come through in a unique animated form.
Following Satrapi's directorial debut with Persepolis, she went on to direct four live-action films, including The Voices, starring Ryan Reynolds in a comedy where his cat attempts to persuade him to become a killer and his dog appeals for lawfulness.
The Secret Of Kells (2009)
The Secret of Kells is an Irish production co-directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. Produced by Cartoon Saloon, a studio that would later produce The Breadwinner (2017), Song of the Sea (2014), and Wolfwalkers (2020), the beautiful visual style is the cornerstone of the studio's success. The Secret of Kells follows the adventures of a young boy named Brendan as he ventures into a fantastical forest and encounters magical creatures.
Before The Secret of Kells, director Nora Twomey had previously directed two short animated films: From Darkness (2002), and Backwards Boy (2004). She also later directed The Breadwinner (2017), an animated story of a girl living under Taliban rule. Her extensive success with these films has made her an award-winning director.
The Swallows Of Kabul (2019)
The Swallows of Kabul is a French production adapted from Yasmina Khadra's novel of the same name and co-directed by Zabou Breitman and Elea Gobbe-Mevellec. Another animated movie about Taliban oppression, this film follows two different couples, one young and hopeful, the other middle-aged and world-weary. The watercolor, graphic artistic style creates a stunning visual narrative as unique as the story it tells.
This relatively recent animated film was the work of two female directors. While Breitman has worked on other smaller films before, Gobbe-Mavellec made her directorial debut and her debut in the cinematic world with this release.
The Prince Of Egypt (1998)
This well-loved animated flick was co-directed by Simon Wells, Steve Hickner, and Brenda Chapman. Commonly mistaken for a Disney film, this Dreamworks production features 2D animation and the stunning animation style of the 1990s in an adaptation of the biblical story of Moses.
Brenda Chapman's directorial role in The Prince of Egypt made her the first woman to direct an animated feature-length film at a major studio. She went on to direct Pixar's Brave (2012) and made history a second time as the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
A Silent Voice (2016)
This Japanese animated film was directed by Naoko Yamada and adapted from a manga of the same name created by Yoshitoki Oima. The popular anime follows the redemption of Shouya Ishida who attempts to make amends after ruthlessly bullying his deaf peer, Shouko Nishimiya, in their youth. With the gorgeous animated quality expected of Kyoto Animation, this film has no shortage of beautiful stills and equally beautiful characters.
Naoko Yamada is an experienced director in both television and feature film, having worked on acclaimed films like K-ON! The movie (2011), and Liz and the Blue Bird (2018). Those who loved the breathtaking visual style of A Silent Voice will likely enjoy Yamada's other directorial works.
Blood Tea And Red String (2006)
This eerie stop-motion animation movie was directed by Christiane Cegavske in 2006. The visual style is the most striking element of the film, with a macabre execution of a fairy tale type story in which the stop motion animated White Mice commission a doll to be made by the Creatures Who Dwell Under the Oak. But when the Creatures grow attached to the doll, the White Mice must steal the doll back from them.
Cegavske's directorial record is short, with Blood Tea and Red String being the only feature film she's directed thus far. Nevertheless, her single excursion into the world of motion pictures is a powerful and notable one.
Liz And The Blue Bird (2018)
Liz and the Blue Bird is an anime directed by Naoko Yamada who also directed A Silent Voice (2016). This film is a visual masterpiece, with a gorgeous spring palette of light blues, greens, and yellows. The story follows the friendship of Mizore, who plays the oboe, and Nozomi, who plays the flute. As they struggle to play harmoniously in their duet, a surreal fairy tale from which the song was adapted blossoms onscreen as the girls learn about themselves through the music.
Yamada enchants audiences again with the release of this feature film only two years after the release of the successful A Silent Voice (2016). Her stylistic direction is evident in her exploration of the surreal and the use of magic realism.
The Adventures Of Prince Achmed (1926)
Released nearly a century ago directed by Lotte Reiniger, The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the oldest surviving feature-length animated movie, released in 1926. Although an old film, there is certainly no lack of stunning visuals. Reiniger used paper cutouts to animate a silhouetted story against the backdrop of vibrant colors to tell the tale of Prince Achmed from The Arabian Nights.
Lotte Reiniger was a prolific director, having completed upwards of 60 films throughout her life. Her gorgeous and innovative techniques in animation are inspirational and no doubt influential to every generation of female animators and directors that followed.