5 DirecHER’s you should be watching in 2016

It’s almost that time of year again, I’m not talking about Halloween…I’m talking about Oscar season. The greatest of all the seasons! Here are some fabulous directors that you should be watching out for this Oscar season and in general.

5. Mira Nair

Mira Nair is an Indian American filmmaker who’s films include Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala, Vanity Fair and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Her current film, Queen of Katwe, stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and looks like a visual feast for the eyes. Already a BAFTA winner, Mira Nair’s films are provocative, colourful and cinematography gems.

4. Amma Asante

Amma Asante is a British director, writer and a former actress. She was also the first black director to open the BFI London Film Festival with her film A United Kingdom. Her latest film is earning her critical buzz for the Oscar season. Her first film Belle, was a beautiful period film about a real life woman Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) that explored racism and sexism in 18th Century England.

3. Andrea Arnold

 

Andrea Arnold is a British director and actor, and is known for her provocative and sometimes uncomfortable films. She is a three time Cannes Film Festival award winner. Her newest film American Honey has been getting rave reviews, and if Fish Tank is any indication of her talent this film is one not to miss.

2. Kelly Reichardt

Kelly Reichardt is the indie darling of the American film scene. Her films often deal with women who have somehow lost their way, but she always directs in a very quiet and realistic manner. Her latest film Certain Women is a film that once again deals with isolation but also womanhood.

1. Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay is the ‘It’ director right now. Not only does she have Queen Sugar, a television show she directs on Oprah’s OWN channel but yesterday she released her documentary The 13th on Netflix. She is also the first African American director to helm a $100 million feature with Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time.

TIFF 2016 -Watch the Girls

The Toronto Film Festival is upon us, as the beginning of Oscar season starts taking shape. This year’s festival has a particular focus on women filmmakers and people of colour.

“The whole industry is talking about inclusion in a way it hasn’t in a long time,” Toronto artistic programmer Cameron Bailey said in an interview. “We never want to say ‘[diversity] is the goal’ because I don’t think that’s the right way to do it. But we do want to make sure we’re paying attention and maybe looking more deeply for stories that will help continue that conversation.”

So here are a few female driven, female directed features to get us all exited about the Oscar season to come. As you can see, these films are diverse, provocative and most importantly different in genre, style and visual language. I can’t wait to see them!