This online film discussion series examined the work of influential women directors across eras, focusing on how authorship, craft, and institutional recognition have reshaped the cinematic canon.

Participants engaged in guided, discussion-driven conversations around films by Chantal Akerman, Kathryn Bigelow, Chloé Zhao, Greta Gerwig, Jane Campion, and Lisa Cholodenko, alongside earlier trailblazers such as Ida Lupino and Joan Micklin Silver. The series combined historical context with close attention to form, editing, sound, and performance, encouraging participants to connect aesthetic choices to larger cultural and political shifts.

The program was developed and facilitated for the Skirball Cultural Center, building on prior collaborations exploring directors including Billy Wilder, the Coen Brothers, and Wes Anderson. Sessions were conducted live on Zoom, with films viewed independently in advance and supported by curated prompts, clips, and advance materials.

Format

• Four live, 90-minute discussion sessions

• Curated film selections and advance viewing links

• Moderated, participatory conversation (not lectures)

• Institutional audience, online delivery

Featured directors and films included:

• Ida Lupino: The Hitch-Hiker and The Bigamist.

• Elaine May: Mikey and Nicky and The Heartbreak Kid.

• Nora Ephron: This Is My Life.

• Penny Marshall: A League of Their Own.

• Chantal Akerman: Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.

• Larisa Shepitko: The Ascent.

• Agnes Varda: The Beaches of Agnes.

• Claire Denis: Beau Travail.