25 movies for Women’s History Month
It was incredibly rewarding watching 25 films for Black History Month in February which made me think – why not try to watch 25 films by female directors for Women’s History Month in March 2026? And so I did, but it didn’t really go as planned. Let me explain.
My goal with these challenges, simply put, is to broaden my perspective when it comes to the films I watch. I tend to gravitate toward movies made by old white men, who also happen to dominate the industry when it comes to winning major awards and getting talked about the most. In the past, I haven’t paid much attention to who’s behind the films I watch, just what they’re about and whether the premise interests me.
As a result, my Letterboxd stats ended up looking pretty dull and one-dimensional. And as a stats nerd, I needed to change that, not for looks but for my own sake.
What I didn’t fully account for, though, was how different this challenge would feel compared to the last one.
During Black History Month, there was a sense of discovery that felt both exciting and intentional. This time around, the intention was still there, but the execution became… messier. Some films completely blew me away, while others left me confused, underwhelmed, or just not connecting at all. And I think that’s part of the point.
Expanding your perspective isn’t always comfortable or consistent.
Some films instantly became favorites. Others made me question my own taste. And a few made me realize just how conditioned I am to certain storytelling styles and perspectives.
Heres my full list, rated:
Link to my full list with reviews and additional future watches https://letterboxd.com/amandavik/list/2026-womens-history-month/detail/
- Frida (2002) ★★★★★ Read Review
- The Piano (1993) ★★★★★
3. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (2025) ★★★★★ Read Review
4. Raw (2016)★★★★★ Read Review
5. Helter Skelter (2012)★★★★★ Read Review
6. Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) ★★★★★ Read Review
7. Women Without Men (2009) ★★★★½ Read Review
8. Novitiate (2017) ★★★★½ Read Review
9. Mustang (2015) ★★★★½ Read Review
10. Titane (2021) ★★★★ Read Review
11. Somewhere (2010) ★★★★ Read Review
12. Nomadland (2020) ★★★★ Read Review
13. Innocence (2004) ★★★★ Read Review
14. Hamnet (2025) ★★★★ Read Review
15. The Testament of Ann Lee (2025) ★★★★ Read Review
16. Bound (1996) ★★★★ Read Review
17. Lost Ladies (2023) ★★★½Read Review
18. Daughters of the Dust (1991) ★★★ Read Review
19. The Bling Ring (2013) ★★★ Read Review
20. The House (2022) ★★★ Read Review
21. Fish Tank (2009) ★★★ Read Review
22. Speak (2004) ★★★ Read Review
23. Lisa Frankenstein (2024) ★★★ Read Review
24. Am I OK? (2022) ★★ Read Review
25. Love Lies Bleeding (2024) ★ Read Review
Get Amanda Vikstrom’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Does this list include all the female-directed classics? No. Does it include the highest-rated films by female directors of all time? Also no. Do I feel like this list is complete? Not even close. And will it ever feel complete? Probably not.
Aiming for perfection
The more I’ve watched, the more I’ve realized just how endless this kind of exploration really is. There’s always another film, another director, another perspective that I haven’t come across yet. And that’s kind of the beauty of it.
This also wasn’t my first time seeking out films by women. I’ve already watched plenty before this challenge, but what surprised me most during this process was how many films I had seen without even realizing they were directed by women. It made me reflect on how little attention I used to pay to authorship and how much that actually shapes the way we understand film.
At the same time, doing the research for this challenge opened up an entirely new world. I found countless films I’d never heard of before, spanning different countries, time periods, and styles. And if anything, this list feels less like a conclusion and more like a starting point, something that will keep growing long after March is over.
Because of that, I found it surprisingly difficult to prioritize and choose what to watch this month. I ended up putting a lot of pressure on myself to “pick the right films", the ones that felt important enough, acclaimed enough, or representative enough.
Instead of just watching what genuinely interested me, I kept second-guessing my choices. Was I missing something more essential? Should I be watching more classics? More international films? More recent releases?
What started as an exciting challenge slowly turned into something a bit more stressful than I had expected. That self-imposed pressure made the process feel less intuitive and more like I was trying to curate the “perfect” list rather than simply experiencing the films for what they were. In the end I don’t feel like I created the most perfect list; it’s still lacking a lot of classics and overall my list feels so random. Am I still proud that I completed this challenge? 1000 times yes!
The directors behind the films
One of the most rewarding parts of this challenge wasn’t just the films themselves, but discovering the directors behind them.
Some names I was already familiar with — like Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, and Chloé Zhao — directors who, in many ways, have managed to break through into more mainstream recognition. But even then, revisiting their work through this lens made me appreciate their work differently. Their films felt more intentional, more personal, and often more quietly radical than I had previously given them credit for.
At the same time, I was introduced to so many directors I hadn’t really explored before. Agnès Varda stood out immediately; Cléo from 5 to 7 felt so modern and alive despite being made in the 60s. Julia Ducournau completely challenged my expectations with Raw and Titane, pushing boundaries in ways that felt both uncomfortable and fascinating.
I also became more aware of how many important voices I’ve overlooked, especially Black female directors like Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust), whose work felt so distinct and culturally rich in a way I’m not used to seeing in my usual viewing habits. It made me realize how narrow my perspective has been, not just in terms of gender but race as well.
The same goes for queer voices. Films like Bound by the Wachowskis, who are both trans women, felt especially meaningful to revisit in this context. And even in films where queerness isn’t always explicit, there’s often a different kind of gaze or sensitivity that I’m starting to notice more now than I did before.
What also became clear is just how varied these voices are. There isn’t one “type” of female-directed film. Some are quiet and introspective; others are bold and confrontational. Some follow familiar structures, while others completely reject them.
And maybe that’s what struck me the most: how limiting my previous viewing habits have been. Not just in terms of representation, but in terms of style, tone, and storytelling. Exploring these directors didn’t just introduce me to new films; it expanded my understanding of what film can be.
A different gaze
One thing I kept coming back to throughout this challenge was how different many of these films felt, not necessarily in what they were about, but in how they approached their subjects.
It’s not that female-directed films are inherently better or more meaningful, but there is often a noticeable shift in perspective. A different kind of gaze. Relationships tend to feel more lived-in, emotions are given space to unfold without always being pushed toward resolution, and characters, especially women, are allowed to be complicated without being reduced to archetypes.
I also found that certain themes were handled in ways I’m not used to seeing. Topics like sexuality, body image, girlhood, motherhood, and violence often felt more intimate, less performative, and sometimes even more uncomfortable, because they weren’t framed for an external (often male) gaze.
At the same time, it struck me how female directors can sometimes “get away with” things differently. There’s a kind of permission, or perhaps a lack of expectation, that allows them to explore taboo or emotionally raw subjects in ways that feel less filtered. Films like Raw or Titane don’t just challenge norms; they completely disregard them, especially in how they depict the body and desire. And because they come from a perspective that hasn’t historically dominated cinema, they feel less predictable and harder to categorize.
But that difference also comes with a paradox. In some cases, these films feel freer; in others, they feel like they’re still being measured against standards set by a male-dominated industry. And maybe that tension is part of what makes them so interesting.
What I’ve taken from this is not that one way of filmmaking is superior, but that I’ve been missing out on a whole range of storytelling approaches. And once you start noticing that difference, it’s hard to unsee it.
Final thoughts
If anything, this challenge didn’t just expand my perspective; it exposed how limited it has been.
It’s easy to think of your taste as personal, neutral, even organic. But the more I watched, the clearer it became that it isn’t. What I’ve been drawn to, what I’ve considered “great,” and even what I’ve had access to has largely been shaped by an industry that still overwhelmingly prioritizes certain voices over others.
And that realization is a bit uncomfortable.
Because it means that my previous viewing habits weren’t just coincidental; they were, in part, conditioned. Conditioned by what gets promoted, what gets awarded, and what gets talked about. And when those spaces are dominated by the same kinds of creators, it quietly reinforces the idea that those are the stories worth seeing.
This challenge didn’t “fix” that. Watching 25 films in one month doesn’t suddenly undo years of narrow consumption. If anything, it made the gap more visible. There are still countless directors I haven’t explored, entire filmographies I haven’t touched, and perspectives I’m only just beginning to understand.
And maybe that’s the point.
Because this was never about completing a list or reaching some kind of cinematic enlightenment. It was about paying attention: about questioning my habits, my assumptions, and the systems that shape them.
So no, this list isn’t complete. It never will be. But it’s a start.
And more importantly, it’s a reminder that if I want my taste to evolve, I actually have to challenge it: consistently, intentionally, and without expecting it to always feel easy or rewarding.
Started with 25 movies for Black History Month and now I’ve completed 25 movies for Women’s History Month. Whats next?
Written by Amanda Vikström
