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Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
The 16 Best Movies by Female Filmmakers
There's a well-worn (read: tiresome) myth that there just aren't that many great films directed by women. We've gathered here today to shatter that illusion into a million glittering, high-frame-rate pieces. From dreamy indie gems to Oscar-anointed powerhouses, these are the female-directed films that critics adore, film students dissect, and your friend with the Letterboxd addiction is using to impress boys in Brooklyn. This list is far from exhaustive—but it's a solid start. Céline Sciamma's slow-burn queer romance between a painter and her subject unfolds on the windy edges of 18th-century France, simmering with erotic tension and serving some of the most beautiful visuals committed to film. Also, zero men. It's perfect. Stream Now Come for Paul Mescal's short shorts, stay for the devastating emotional autopsy of memory and fatherhood. Charlotte Wells gives us grief as memory, and love as a camcorder flicker. You won't cry until three days later in the shower. Stream Now A dreamy, melancholic portrait of suburban ennui and adolescent mythmaking. Still her most haunting—and debatably best—film. Stream Now Agnès Varda made existential dread look chic before it was cool. This French New Wave classic follows a pop singer in real time as she awaits medical results—and questions everything. Black-and-white, but make it deeply interior and defiantly feminist. Stream Now Now tell me why Twilight feels like an indie. Say what you want, but Catherine Hardwicke kicked off the YA vampire craze with blue-tinted angst and Kristen Stewart's best lip-bite acting. The remainder of the franchise was helmed by a rotating selection of men, but hey, at least we had Forks. Stream Now Chloé Zhao turns economic collapse into a spiritual odyssey, while Frances McDormand poops in a bucket and finds transcendence on the open road. Bleak? Sure. But also strangely liberating. Stream Now Ava DuVernay's blistering documentary connects the dots between slavery and the modern prison-industrial complex with clarity and conviction. Required viewing that doubles as a cinematic mic drop. Stream Now A Western for the modern era, Campion uses the genre to explore repression, queerness, and toxic masculinity—plus, Benedict Cumberbatch plays a cowboy with layers (of emotion and textiles). Stream Now Lorene Scafaria's stripper crime saga is Goodfellas meets Magic Mike, with pole-dancing as economic resistance. in this film is a moment, a movement, a manifesto. It's also a recession story, which feels…timely. Stream Now Possibly the quietest horror film ever made, Kitty Green captures the banality of evil via printer paper and passive-aggression. A single day in the life of a junior assistant at a Weinstein-esque firm becomes a subtle warning about complicity and silence. Stream Now A bisexual panic attack of a film, Emma Seligman traps us in the most claustrophobic Jewish funeral this side of Curb Your Enthusiasm and lets anxiety do the talking. If you've ever been trapped at a family function with your ex and your sugar daddy, you'll relate. Stream Now Kathryn Bigelow's high-octane war thriller drops you into Iraq with a fuse already lit. It's testosterone cinema, sure—but filtered through a woman's gaze that interrogates addiction, masculinity, and the futility of control. Stream Now This is coming-of-age storytelling at its sharpest and most specific. Greta Gerwig's semi-autobiographical teen dramedy is a perfectly imperfect ode to mothers, Catholic school, and Sacramento ennui. Every line is a quote, every feeling a gut punch. It's not boring—it's Sacramento. Stream Now A talky film that shouldn't work—but absolutely does. Sarah Polley's Mennonite #MeToo chamber drama is essentially a 90-minute moral philosophy debate—and it's riveting. Quiet fury, radical forgiveness, and the power of choosing your own exit. Stream Now An iconic meet-cute on a basketball court, this coming-of-age film is singular. It's a sports movie that is also a rom-com that is also a generational Black love story. We still quote 'double or nothing.' Stream Now Eliza Hittman crafts an odyssey out of necessity in this quietly radical, observational tale. Two teens, one unplanned pregnancy, and a bus ride to New York that becomes a study in sisterhood, strength, and the systemic failures of reproductive care. Again, timely. Stream Now
Irish Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Daniel Craig's 'excellent' war film has quietly become a Netflix hit
Netflix has added the acclaimed wartime saga Defiance to its library, starring none other than Daniel Craig alongside Liev Schreiber. This gripping tale, based on the 2008 historical drama, has garnered a loyal set of fans over time, with new viewers hailing it as "one of the best films ever." Defiance chronicles the incredible story of the Bielski brothers — Tuvia, Zus, Asael, and Aron — four Jewish siblings who led a rebellion against the Nazis by setting up a guerrilla base in the Belarusian woods. The film paints a cinematic portrait of their daring mission to provide a safe haven for over 1,200 Jews, essentially crafting a village in the forest while living under the constant menace of Nazi discovery. Taking the lead as Tuvia, the oldest of the Bielski brothers, is Daniel Craig, with Liev Schreiber portraying the fiery resistance fighter Zus, Jamie Bell as middle brother Asael, and George MacKay, famed for his role in 1917, playing the youngest sibling Aron, reports the Express. Edward Zwick, known for his work on The Last Samurai and Blood Diamond, directed Defiance, which debuted just in time to be in contention for awards season at the end of 2008, earning itself an Oscar nod for Best Original Score for composer James Newton Howard, with a Golden Globe nomination to boot. Shot in Lithuania, a mere 200 kilometres from where the real events occurred, the film crew tapped into natural forest settings and even recruited locals with ancestral ties to the Jewish people saved by the Bielskis for Defiance. Although its initial run in a limited number of cinemas was modest, Defiance picked up pace during its general release, raking in $52 million globally. The critical consensus was lukewarm; however, viewers have gradually come to celebrate the movie over the years. A Letterboxd user gave a glowing five-star review stating: "Must watch 10/10. Whenever you have Daniel Craig (Bond) and Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) play two Nazi-hunting Jews navigating a group of a thousand displaced Belorussian Jews through the Yarden forest, facing the ultimate adversity - you have me sold". Meanwhile, another said: "Action-packed, great quotes, accurate, and a thrill ride from start to finish. You'll be rethinking how powerful a sense of community is. (People forget!)". The film, which now available to stream on Netflix, has garnered acclaim for its emotional depth, adeptly juggling the epic tale of survival with poignant moments of personal struggle. It delves into the complexities of leadership when faced with harrowing odds, especially as the ensemble grows from a few combatants to a congregation exceeding a thousand. One viewer shared their thoughts, saying: "For me, one of the best films ever. So inspiring and tragic at the same time. Worth watching." Meanwhile, another viewer was puzzled by the lack of widespread acclaim, commenting "I still find it crazy that this film is not considered a modern classic, with its stunning cinematography, fantastic performances, and gripping story". You can now stream Defiance on Netflix.
Fast Company
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Letterboxd is launching a curated streaming service for indie films
Exciting news for anyone who's already burned through the entirety of Netflix: there's a new online movie rental platform coming to town. Letterboxd, the movie tracking app and the preferred social media of your most insufferable film-loving friend, announced this week that a Letterboxd Video Store is on the way. The announcement was made Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival. While the company hasn't revealed too many specifics just yet, we do know the upcoming streaming service will be called the Letterboxd Video Store and will feature curated 'shelves' of handpicked titles. Like other services such as Prime Video, Apple TV, or Google Play, users will be able to rent films on demand or during specified release windows. But don't expect the usual lineup. These selections will be carefully curated by Letterboxd, spotlighting lesser-known films, emerging filmmakers, and titles from the festival circuit. By showcasing movies that haven't yet secured wide distribution, Letterboxd aims to position its transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) service as a 'potential new path to audience connection for filmmakers and sales agents seeking visibility and momentum.' Details around launch dates, availability by territory, and specific titles will be announced in the coming months. However, the company has confirmed that selections will be informed by 'behavioral insight' drawn from its 20 million-strong community of dedicated film lovers. Launched in 2011, the platform, often dubbed the 'Goodreads for film,' remained a niche hub for cinephiles for nearly a decade. By mid-2020, it had only 1.8 million members. Today, Letterboxd has gone fully mainstream. Top reviewers enjoy micro-celebrity status, its 'Four Favorites' trend routinely goes viral on TikTok, and users gleefully speculate about celebrities' burner accounts. 'Every day, we see members recommending films to each other, adding to their watchlists and hungry to discover more,' Letterboxd CEO Matthew Buchanan said, per The Hollywood Reporter. 'Letterboxd Video Store is our way of delivering for those film lovers, creating a dedicated space for films that deserve an audience.'
Engadget
14-05-2025
- Business
- Engadget
Letterboxd will launch a curated online rental service for films
There's about to be a new online movie rental site in town. Letterboxd is introducing a transactional video-on-demand service for its users, according to The Hollywood Reporter . The social media platform for movie lovers announced the news during the Cannes Film Festival. The Letterboxd Video Store will have curated rental categories such as up-and-coming filmmakers, under-appreciated movies and more on demand. There will also be areas that highlight the movies premiering at different film festivals, many of which will be available for a set amount of time. Plus, the rental service could offer some movies that only have a limited distribution, getting them in front of a wider audience. Letterboxd pitches its Video Store it as a natural next step for the company. 'Every day, we see members recommending films to each other, adding to their watchlists and hungry to discover more,' Letterboxd CEO Matthew Buchanan stated. 'Letterboxd Video Store is our way of delivering for those film lovers, creating a dedicated space for films that deserve an audience.' However, while we know it should be coming, that's about all the logistical information we have. Letterboxd has yet to release pricing, launch dates or countries where rentals will be available. These finer points should all arrive in the upcoming months.
Vogue Singapore
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
The best beauty looks at Cannes Film Festival 2025
The 13th of May marks the beginning of a cinematic whirlwind—12 days where Letterboxd account holders are deep in discourse, tracking premieres, first reactions, and red carpet turns from their favourite movie stars. As the spotlight settles on the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, hair and make-up artistry take centre stage on La Croisette . With last year's looks still etched in our memory, the expectations for this year's beauty looks are soaring. Cannes 2024 served luminous skin and polished restraint. From Thalia Benson's lit-from-within glow to 2025 Jury President Juliette Binoche's effortless radiance. The hair, too, made its mark: cropped cuts emerged as a defining trend, seen on everyone from Greta Gerwig to former Victoria's Secret Angel Taylor Hill—with each iteration coming off sleek and strikingly modern. Now, all eyes are on what Cannes 2025 will bring. Will this year be the year of colour—neon lids, stained pouts, and flushed cheeks? Or will minimalism reign again, wrapped in barely-there finishes and romantic textures? One thing's for sure, actress and model Wan QianHui, last year's enigmatic darling, is back, once again embodying the perfect balance between allure and sophistication. Thus far, we've spotted an array of beauty looks, ranging from minimal make-up to bold, metallic eyelids. Some stars are embracing classic glamour with a twist—think soft glam paired with sculpted cheeks and a satin-finish complexion. Others are leaning into a more innovative, modern look; chrome finishes, glossed lips, and blush swept up across the temples. From wet hair looks to sculptural updos, hair is also having a moment on the red carpet this year. With every appearance on the steps of Palais des Festival , it becomes increasingly apparent that Cannes is once again doubling as a barometer for global beauty moods. Below, Vogue Singapore's curation of every stunning beauty look worth a double-take at the Cannes Film Festival 2025. Getty 1 / 7 Julia Garner Emmy Award-winning actress Julia Garner is living proof that you can't go wrong with a soft, smoky eye look. The hint of shimmer in the inner corners of her peepers serves as a perfectly darling accent. Getty 2 / 7 Bella Hadid Another one for the classic camp. Supermodel and it-girl Bella Hadid rocks a bold cat-eye look with sculpted cheekbones and a nude lip. @qianhui_wan 3 / 7 Wan Qian Hui Cannes 2024's mystery girl returns to the red carpet looking effortlessly gorgeous in a low updo and soft, minimal make-up. Getty 4 / 7 Halle Berry Actress Halle Berry graces the red carpet with a cut that speaks volumes—literally. Her cascading waves are accompanied by subtly glossed lips that allows her natural beauty to truly shine. Getty 5 / 7 Alessandra Ambrosio Talk about taking things to towering heights. Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio is all about the gravity-defying ponytail. Getty 6 / 7 Aliia Roza Women empowerment coach and activist, Aliia Roza, showcases a present-day take on the Cinderella bun. Getty 7 / 7 Irina Shayk Nothing exudes regality quite like a high bun. Irina Shayk further elevates her 'do by pairing it with powerful statement liner and a nude lip.
